Musita–Mayuge–Lumino–Majanji–Busia Road


The Musita–Mayuge–Lumino–Majanji–Busia Road is a road in the Eastern Region of Uganda, connecting the town of Musita in Mayuge District to Busia in Busia District at the international border with Kenya.

Location

The road starts at Musita, a small town on the Jinja–Iganga road, approximately east of Jinja. The road continues in an easterly direction, through Mayuge, Namayingo, and Lumino. At Lumino, a southern spur, measuring about, goes south to Majanji on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. The main road makes a northerly turn to end at the border town of Busia. The coordinates of the road near Namayingo are 0°22'52.0"N, 33°50'09.0"E.

Overview

The road connects the districts of Mayuge, Bugiri, Namayingo, and Busia. As described, including the spur to Majanji, the entire road project measures.

Upgrading to bitumen

Before 2015, the road was unsealed gravel surface. In February 2015, the Ugandan government began the process of upgrading the road to class II bitumen surface. The first contractor for this project was the China Railway 18th Bureau Group Company, Limited, a subsidiary of the China Railway Construction Corporation. The budgeted cost of the project was UGX:207 billion. Completion of the road works was planned for August 2017.
In May 2017, the Uganda National Roads Authority conducted an onsite inspection and found that CR18 had completed only 12 percent of the works with only three months left until the project completion deadline. In a letter dated 12 June 2017, UNRA Executive Director Allen Kagina canceled the contract, citing CR18's alleged incompetence, performance below contractual standards, lack of commitment to the project, and failure to mobilise resources and equipment to ensure timely performance of work. She ordered the Chinese contractor to vacate the construction site immediately. UNRA plans to re-advertise the road and select a new contractor to complete the project.
A new contractor was hired, at a revised cost of USh208 billion. The new construction company, China Railway Group Limited, has scheduled completion for October 2019.