Youths, Elders in Maracha District Mobilize to Reconstruct a Death Trap Bridge, Castigate Government for Abandoning Them.

The residents of Pio village and other neighboring villages in Nyadri South Town Council mobilised themselves and resources to reconstruct a Bridge that sunk on one side after a heavy flooding Five years ago.

The Residents affirmed that, they drafted and submitted to the district a letter to help them with  a budget of 1.8 million Shs only to reconstruct the Bridge with local materials but out of that, the District only helped them by offering a Lorry to transport four Logs of timber they bought in a distance little far away from Rini bridge.

They said, they collected money from home to home, market to market and they also raised their concerns to the MPs in Maracha District, out of which, it's only Hon Driwaru Jennifer the District Woman MP who heed to their cry and gave them money, bags of cement, bought logs of tree and also bought for them two goats 🐐 to feast on while doing the work of the bridge.

The communities narrated that, they are grateful to the woman MP for hearing their cry and working for the ordinary citizens.

May the Almighty God give Hon Jennifer Driwaru more wisdom, power and long life, they prayed.

Hon Afayoa Fred, a Councillor from Nyadri Town Council representing people with Disabilities in the District Council said, in the previous term of office (2016 - 2021), they (Council) approved a budget of 28 million Shs for the construction of the bridge to meet desired standards for a bridge after the previous one built using culverts was also destroyed by flooding.

The District allocated 28 million Shs and gave it all to the Engineer who was hired to do the work, of which, the engineer used 25 million Shs and kept the 3 million Shs for himself, a report shows.

A week later when flooding swept off the bridge, the Council tasked the engineer to explain how a bridge worth 28 million Shs can be destroyed by flooding without using it.

It was then discovered that, the engineer wanted to remain silent on the 3 million Shs but the furious council compelled him to refund the balance which he (Engineer) did, He added.

Hon Afayoa elaborated that, from the last four years to date, they have being presenting in the council and pushing hard to make sure Maracha district allocates a budget to construct the bridge but all their requests have being in vain.

“We advised the Engineer about the behavior of this stream especially when it floods, but the Engineer told us to go away, saying, he studied engineering in school and he can’t take advise from the ordinary people”, some of the Youths we spoke to reiterated.

Elders in the Sub-county who were part and partial in the mobilization and supervision of the bridge reconstruction work decried  reluctancy by the District to come to their rescue after the bad state of the bridge caused the death of a man and crippled a woman who fell on the stones in the water while trying to cross the life threatening bridge of Rini stream.

What we have done here is just a remedy to save the situation which is alarming because we have lost some of our people here as this bridge interconnects to so many public places, including among others; Midria Primary School, Agii trading center, Midria church of Uganda, Koyi primary school and Nyadri health center III etc etc and we hope, our request to Government to have this bridge constructed permanent will not be ignored like it has being in the last five years, the Youths and the Elders echoed.

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