The Kampala–Masaka Road is a road in the Central Region of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

, connecting the capital city of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

to the southwestern town of

Masaka Masaka is a city in the Buganda Region of Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District. Location Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The city is close to the Equato ...

Masaka District Masaka District is a district in Buganda Kingdom in Uganda. Its main town is Masaka City, whose estimated population in 2011 was 74,100. Location The district is bordered by Bukomansimbi District to the north-west, Kalungu District to the nort ...

. The first of this road, is in the process of being developed into the Kampala–Mpigi Expressway.

Location

The road begins in the Kibuye neighborhood, in

Makindye Division Makindye Division is one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and the largest city in that country. The city's five divisions are: (a) Kampala Central Division (b) Kawempe Division (c) Lubaga Division (d) Makindye ...

, southwestern Kampala. It continues to

Busega Busega is a neighborhood within Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. Location Busega is in Lubaga Division, one of the five administrative divisions of Uganda's capital city. Busega is bordered by unincorporated Wakiso District to the no ...

, then through

Kyengera Kyengera is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is one of the urban centers in Wakiso District. As of 2014, the town has a population of 198. Location The town is on the tarmacked, all-weather Kampala-Masaka Highway. Kyengera is approxi ...

Nsangi Nsangi is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is one of the urban centers in Wakiso District. Location Nsangi is located in Nsangi Parish, Nsangi sub-county, Wakiso District, in Uganda's Central Region. The town is situated on the tarmack ...

Mpigi Mpigi is a town in Mawokota County, Mpigi District, in Central Uganda. Mpigi is the municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters of Mpigi District. The district is named after the town. Location Mpigi is an important transit town locat ...

and Lukaya, to end at

, a distance of approximately .

Overview

This road is one of the busiest in the country, with an average daily traffic count of 20,908 vehicles in 2008. In 2009, the government of Uganda (GOU), began to upgrade the previously bitumen-surfaced road in poor state, to grade II bituminous surface with drainage channels, culverts and shoulders. The first phase of improvements began in 2009 and ended in 2011, fully funded by the GOU. The first phase cost US$44.8 million (about Sh103 billion). During the second phase of the road improvement, the road was widened from to , passing and climbing lanes were added as well as pedestrian and bicyclists' lanes. The work was contracted to Reynolds Construction Company, who had carried out he first phase. The second phase lasted from 2012 until 2013. Despite the improvements, the road remains one of the most accident-prone highways in the country.

Accidents

The Kampala–Masaka Road is the most accident-prone stretch of highway in Uganda, recording between 200 and 300 fatalities annually. Ugandan officials attribute the high accident rate to several factors including (a) speeding (b) failure to observe traffic signs (c) overloading of passenger vehicles (d) overloading of merchandise trucks (e) dilapidated vehicles (f) driving while intoxicated (g) lax laws against traffic offenses (h) a slow justice system.

Kibuye–Busega section

In October 2020, the New Vision newspaper reported that the

government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary stat ...

, through the

Japan International Cooperation Agency The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...

(JICA), was evaluating the financing of the section from Kubuye to

, where this road intersects with the

Entebbe–Kampala Expressway The Entebbe–Kampala Expressway, also known as the "Kampala–Entebbe Expressway" or the "Entebbe–Kampala Highway", is a four-lane toll highway in the Central Region of Uganda. The highway links Entebbe International Airport, the country's ...

and the

Kampala Northern Bypass Highway The Kampala Northern Bypass Highway, often referred to as the Northern Bypass, is a road in Uganda. It forms a semicircle across the northern suburbs of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The road was constructed to relieve traffic cong ...

. It is envisaged to construct an elevated dual-carriage highway for the entire length of this section. Preliminary estimates have put the cost of this section of urban highway at about US$500 million.

References

External links