• Uganda has started work on modernizing the 87.6 km Kayunga-Bbaale-Galiraya road.

• The $project includes paving the road, building a bridge, and adding a ferry landing on Lake Kyoga.

• The upgrade supports regional trade, cuts transport costs, and boosts rural connectivity.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni officially launched the upgrade of the 87.6-kilometer Kayunga-Bbaale-Galiraya road on July 11, in Kayunga District, located in the central part of the country. The project aims to pave a road that is currently gravel and nearly impassable during the rainy season. It also includes the construction of a bridge and a ferry landing site on Lake Kyoga.

The work, awarded to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), is expected to take two years. It is part of the government’s broader infrastructure strategy to boost economic activity, improve mobility, and strengthen regional integration. One of the main goals is to open up agricultural areas in central and northern Uganda.

Public Works and Transport Minister Katumba Wamala said the upgraded road will help shorten travel times between regions, reduce transport costs, improve the flow of interregional trade, and narrow social gaps. It is also expected to benefit farmers by making it easier to move their products to market.

Beyond improving road connectivity, the project fits into Uganda’s larger plan to develop a multimodal transport network, linking roads, railways, and waterways. Ongoing projects like the railway extensions on the Kampala-Malaba and Tororo-Gulu routes aim to shift part of the country’s transport load from roads to rail, helping ease road congestion and enhance logistics efficiency.

The new ferry terminal on Lake Kyoga will add a water transport link to this network. This will open new opportunities for moving goods, especially toward eastern Uganda and the port of Mombasa in Kenya, creating a more integrated and flexible transport system.