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Locals through a WhatsApp group named Citizen Report Card, have launched a community-led initiative to repair sections of the dilapidated Mbarara–Ishaka Road
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By Our Reporter
Bushenyi
Residents of Bushenyi District, under a WhatsApp group named Citizen Report Card, have launched a community-led initiative to repair sections of the dilapidated Mbarara–Ishaka Road.
They accuse the government of neglecting the highway, which is riddled with potholes and has become a hotspot for accidents. 
Apollo Kakonge (right) and his friends fill up one hole on the highway
Kakonge Apollo, the group leader and Chief Executive Officer of the Western Ankole Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), said the community decided to take action after multiple appeals to government authorities yielded no results.
"This road has become a death trap for its users. We have engaged the government to intervene, but as we wait for them to secure funds for full rehabilitation, we decided to take the initiative and work on it ourselves," Kakonge said.
On November 4, 2024, three people died at Mile 9 after a Toyota Mark II swerved to avoid a pothole and collided with an oncoming vehicle
He explained that their action is not a protest, but a patriotic effort to support the government through burungi bwansi—voluntary community work.
"We realised the government may not have the money to work on this road right now. So we said, let's help. We are using very little money to make this road motorable. We hope the government can learn from this and adopt simple, cost-effective solutions to address such problems," he added.
Using the funds they raised, the residents bought murram and filled some of the most dangerous potholes in areas such as Nyakabirizi Town and Kajururo in Bushenyi Municipality.
Kakonge also highlighted the economic impact of the road’s poor condition.
"We used to take just 40 minutes to drive from Ishaka to Mbarara, but now it takes at least an hour and a half," he said. He added that residents would continue filling potholes as the government works to secure funding for the road’s full rehabilitation.
The Mbarara–Ishaka Road has witnessed several serious accidents in recent months. On November 4, 2024, three people died at Mile 9 after a Toyota Mark II swerved to avoid a pothole and collided with an oncoming vehicle. A speeding Hiace van later crashed into the wreckage, killing another person instantly. In April 2024, a UPDF truck collided with a Toyota Wish taxi near Stabex Petrol Station after the taxi swerved to avoid potholes, leaving two people dead.
The pothole at Nyakabirizi has affected many vehicles passing along
Nuwahereza Abel, a boda boda rider, said the situation has become deadly for motorcyclists.
"Most of our colleagues have been knocked by vehicles while trying to navigate around potholes. We appeal to the government to rehabilitate this road because it has become a black spot for accidents," he said.
In a related development, Bushenyi District Woman Member of Parliament, Annet Katusiime Mugisha, recently raised a matter of national importance on the floor of Parliament, calling for urgent government intervention to rehabilitate the Mbarara–Ishaka Road.
Torch Media Africa
