By Flavia Ajok
Travelers from Kiryandongo district are decrying the high transport costs and inconveniences due to the total closure of Karuma Bridge, which is the gateway to the Northern and West Nile parts of the country.
Last week, the Ministry of Works and Transport announced a total closure of Karuma Bridge starting yesterday Monday, September 24, 2024, to pave way for major repair works.
Brenda Anirwoth, a resident of Kigumba Town that our reporter found at Kisanja-Para Junction in Masindi, said initially they would pay Shs35,000 for transport fares to West Nile, but now they pay an extra fee of Shs10,000 for transport from Kigumba to Masindi, then board a bus to West Nile.
Calvin Musinguzi, an overseer at Kisanja-Paraa Junction, stresses that though the buses were diverted to transit through Murchison Falls National Park, travelers have nowhere to sit while waiting for business or taxis.
He said that though they are getting money from travelers, they are still facing a challenge of shelter and places of convenience, stressing that travelers have nowhere to ease themselves.
Peter Andama, a tout  at the same junction, decries that the number of passengers has reduced compared to when they were transiting through Kampala-Gulu Highway using Karuma bridge.
He, however, said that they are getting new customers, though the number is still small.
