MABARARA CITY KATEETE BRIDGE REOPENING: BUSINESSES BOOM AGAIN

The reopening of Katete bridge ,a major link between Mbarara city and Isingiro district has brought back life to the businesses in Katete trading center ,Katete ward in Mbarara city south division.

In May last year, Mbarara City Council closed the bridge due to damage that disrupted motor vehicle movement.

However, in December of the same year, the council awarded a one-month contract worth shs. 366 million to the UPDF Engineering Brigade to carry out rehabilitation work on the bridge’s key components, which had deteriorated and posed safety risks to traffic.

The closure brought small and big businesses at the once vibrant Katete Trading center that depended on the transportation business along the busy Katete route to their knees.

However, on Tuesday, there was jubilation among the business community at the Trading center as Mbarara city council leaders led by the Resident city commissioner, Kamwine Catherine Hellen officially reopened the bridge to light traffic. This was after one month of rehabilitation works on the bridge.

Residents expressed to our reporter that the bridge closure had severely affected their businesses and urged the government to prioritize constructing a permanent bridge.

Catherine Kamwine Hellen, the Mbarara Resident City Commissioner, reassured residents that the government is considering building a permanent bridge. She also urged them to protect the project from scrap dealers.

Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi commended residents for their patience during the bridge rehabilitation process. He further disclosed that the city council recently allocated Shs. 150 million, a surplus from the Katete Bridge project, to rehabilitate the Kanyeite Bridge, which links Karugangama Cell to Nyakaizi Cell in Kakoba Ward