Residents in the districts of Kaliro and Pallisa can now interconnect seamlessly after the commissioning of Saka Bridge by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, who represented President Yoweri Museveni.
The bridge, a vital infrastructure in the region, will catalyze economic growth by boosting trade, enhance connectivity, and improve safety for local communities. The Saaka has a projected lifespan of 120 years.
Kadaga commended Arab Contractors, the company contracted to build the bridge at Saka swamp, for the quality of work done and completing it eleven months before schedule. I look forward to working with you on other projects around the country, Kadaga stated.
“You people of Pallisa, the roads are meant to enable you work and generate wealth which would translate into development of the Country,” Kadaga told the congregation at the commissioning.
Under the National Roads Development and maintenance programme (NRDMP) selected town roads (7.5km) in Pallisa and (12.2km) in Kumi were upgraded from gravel to bituminous standard.
The project was funded by the Ugandan government at UGX 76.5 billion under the National Roads Development and Maintenance Programme.
The project features a 60m bridge (3 spans), 6 box culverts, 4 pipe culverts, and paved approach roads. The works began in July 2022 and concluded in February 2024 under the supervision of the Ministry of Works and Transport.
The bridge crosses the Saaka Swamp, a 3.5-kilometre wetland located at the border between Kaliro and Pallisa Districts. With approach roads of 0.5 kilometres on either side, the crossing connects Namwiwa Sub-County in Kaliro District to Kasodo Sub-County in Pallisa District.
It is situated approximately 28 kilometres from Kaliro Town and 10 kilometres from Pallisa Town. The swamp is traversed by River Mpologoma, which drains from the Mount Elgon region and feeds into Lake Kyoga.
“Saaka Bridge offers an opportunity to guarantee safety of residents within Kaliro and those of Pallisa,” said State Minister for Works, Musa Ecweru, during the commissioning. “In the past, residents of these areas faced several unfortunate fatalities, especially during the rainy season as the available mode of transport was use of canoes.”
