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OVERVIEW |
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Updates |
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The Uganda Road Fund-THE TRANSPORT SECTOR |
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General Introduction
Policies and Plans in the Transport Sub-Sector
Uganda's Road Network comprises:
Road transport in Uganda is by far the most dominant mode of transport in the country, carrying well over 90% of passenger and freight traffic and serving as a true backbone supporting the country’s economy. The National Roads network carries more than 80% of this passenger and freight traffic. Uganda's Public Transport Public transport plays an extremely important role in the transportation of people in both urban and rural areas due to the low number of private vehicles in the Country. Public transport can be classified as follows: a) Bicycles and motorbikes (boda-boda). This simple mode of public transport is available mainly in urban areas, although it is now extending out in rural areas. The boda-boda journey has no determined route and one can go to any requested destination required of the service provider. It is estimated that there are one million boda-boda in the country. b) Taxi or Matatus are mini-buses with varying capacities. The commonest mini-buses have a carrying capacity of up to 14 passengers. There are also bigger medium buses with capacities of up to 25 passengers. This kind of transport is used in both urban and rural areas. It is a low capacity collective mode of transport for medium and long distances that can be reached from any point of a public road. The journey has a specific route with intermediate stages determined according to the user’s destination and request. There is no specific timetable. It is estimated that 8,500 taxis in the country; and c) Buses with a capacity of more than 25 passengers totals 400. They are mainly used for inter-urban and international journeys to the neighboring countries. Buses are a high capacity collective mode of transport for medium and long distance journeys with well-established boarding points (bus parks), routes, intermediate stops and timetables. The problem with Public transport system in the country is the use and operation of small capacity units that are inefficient and have been the major source of traffic congestion in the urban areas particularly Kampala City. These small units are also prone to high accident rates. There is need to rationalize the public transport system to improve efficiency and cut down on the rate of accidents. Government has taken significant efforts to implement some of the recommendations from the Kampala Urban Traffic Improvement Plan studies, these include: 1. Signalization of major junctions; 2. Widening of some streets; 3. Conversion of some streets into one way streets and 4. Promotion of usage of large buses A good public transport system, monitored for the quality and regularity of the services offered, is doubtless a factor that contributes to alleviating the state of poverty and to improving the quality of life of the people of Uganda. Air Transport in Uganda An efficient air transport industry is vital for accelerated economic growth through increased earnings from tourism and promotion of non-traditional exports like fish and horticulture. Areas to be considered by the GOU/Donor include: 1. Promotion of Entebbe International Airport as a regional hub. -Construction of new runway and taxi way; -Installation of new lighting systems, -Acquisition of a new radar; and -Maintain security in the aviation sector. 2. The upgrading and maintenance of the up country aerodromes and airstrips; 3. Harmonisation of air transport policies and regulations; 4. Promotion of the East African Civil Aviation Academy as a regional Centre of excellence in Aviation training. Areas to be considered by the private sector include: 1. Construction of warehouses and cold storage facilities at the proposed cargo center. Transportation Oil products The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) monitors the transport of oil products. Information from URA for fiscal year 2002/2003 indicates that 27,741 trucks transporting oil products crossed the border at Busia and Malaba. This corresponds to a daily average of 76 trucks. Introduction and subsequent use of pipelines for transportation of oil and other related products would reduce on the rate of road infrastructure deterioration. The heavily loaded trucks and inadequate monitoring and enforcement of axle load limits lead to road deterioration. There is need for Government to invest in both mobile and fixed weighbridges and storage facilities. Rail Transport in Uganda When Uganda Railways Corporation was formed in 1977 it inherited assets of the East African Railways Corporation which consisted largely of old track, old wagons, and light locomotives with poor repair facilities. The railway network totals 1,244 km comprising: 1. The 251 km main line from Kampala to Tororo/Malaba which is part of the international northern corridor between Kampala and Mombasa; 2. Spur lines of 15 km to the Jinja and Prot Bell ferry terminals on Lake Victoria ferry routes between Kisumu (Kenya) and Port Bell and between Mwanza (Tanzania), Port Bell and, occasionally, Jinja; 3. The 333 km western line from Kampala to Kasese; 4. The 502 km northern line from Tororo to Pakwach; and 5. The 163 km Busoga loop line. The railways system is very important for Uganda which is landlocked and far from the sea. It also provides economic integration of the East African region. Railways provide the most effective bulk haulage capacity for Uganda’s exports principally (coffee) and imports (general goods and petroleum products). Railways currently handle between 30-40% of the total country’s bulk cargo to and from the ports of Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam. The Northern line and Busoga loop were closed due to uneconomic operations while western line was closed due to dilapidation and very high operational costs. The western line requires very high investments (about US $42m) to rehabilitate it. The main line though operational, requires full rehabilitation. Over the years, performance has improved from 400,000 tonnes of cargo hauled in 1993 to 900,000 tonnes in 2003. Uganda Railways Corporation is currently constrained by an acute shortage of rolling stock and its dilapidated infrastructure is in dire need of rehabilitation/repair. It is presently in the process of being privatized. Rail transport plays an important role of diverting heavy loads of cargo from the road network especially imports and export traffic thereby increasing life of the roads and reducing road maintenance costs. The railway line traverses highly productive areas and if all lines were reopened, they would access the urban markets of Kampala and Jinja. Water Transport in Uganda Approximately 18% of Uganda’s total areas (241,038 sq Km) is under water and swamps in form of lakes and rivers some of which are navigable. A number of studies have recommended the use of these water bodies as means of transport for communities living in island and across some lakes. The principal lakes and rivers include Lake Victoria (shared with Tanzania and Kenya), Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert and George (shared with DRC). The rivers include; Kagera and the Nile. Water transport was formerly widespread in Uganda. Up to the early 1960’s steamers operated passenger services on the big lakes and on the navigable sections of the Nile. The heavy rains of 1961 submerged and/or damaged most of the infrastructure. Most of it has stayed in a state of disrepair. There is also lack of navigation aids. The Inland Water Transport Study (IWTS), carried out in 1988, identified over 70 landing sites around Uganda where formal or informal water transport services had been operated.
Ferry Services |
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RESOURCES |
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Members of the RSDP Steering Committee
Other Members Co-opted members constitute Development Partners in the sector, including World Bank, The EU, Danida, JICA, and AfDB.
MoWT Retreat, Munyonyo The retreat was also attended by the Hon. Minister of Works and Transport, Eng. John Nasasira, the Minister of State for Works, Hon. John Byabagambi, and the Minister of State for Transport, Hon. Simon Enjua. The retreat discussed the Ministerial Policy Statement for the Financial Year 2007/08, the Roadmap to the transition from the Road Agency Formation Unit (RAFU) to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the restructuring of the Ministry of Works and Transport and the operations of the Uganda Road Fund.
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Uganda Road Fund, C/O: Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development |Finance Building, Apollo Kaggwa Road P. O. Box 8147 Kampala, Uganda | Tel. +256 414 577 495 | Fax: +256 414 255 038 info@roadfund.ug│rsdp@finance.go.ug│Comments About the Website |
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