Uganda: Tororo Cement trucks damaging Karamoja roads

Tororo Cement, Uganda’s largest producer, has been warned by the national roads authority that they may be banned from transporting limestone by road due to the damage caused by their trucks.

According to reports in the Daily Monitor, the company’s use of heavy-duty trucks to ship limestone from the Karamoja sub-region to the Tororo plant some 160-200km to the south is causing serious damage to local infrastructure.

“A truck carries very many tonnes of the mineral along the road daily. This damages our roads. Government should either build an industry here or fix the axle for every truck to save the roads,” said Mr Henry Oboth, the district Information officer of Nakapiripirit District.

An engineering consultant from the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has estimated that the bill for repairing the road could amount to UGX23bn (US$6.4m).

In 2015 local councillors in Karamoja asked the Ministry of Works to ban the use of heavy-duty trucks on the Tororo route. Other councils have also written in complaint of the damage caused by these vehicles.

“They have kept destroying the road and even if they claimed that they pay taxes, soon they will not be able to pay the taxes because the road will not be there,” Ms Allen Kagina, the executive director, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) said. She added that UNRA would seek to fine Tororo for the damage caused to the roads.