On June 12, Matia Kasaija, the minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, delivered the national budget speech, outlining government priorities for the coming financial year.
He announced an allocation of Shs 4.28 trillion towards road infrastructure development. Part of this funding will go towards rehabilitating the Koboko–Yumbe–Moyo and Laropi–Moyo–Afoji roads, as well as constructing a bridge at the Laropi ferry crossing. These are welcome developments.
The Koboko–Yumbe–Moyo road will enhance connectivity between Nebbi, Arua, Arua City, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe and Moyo districts. The Laropi bridge, in particular, is a crucial link that will supplement the Pakwach bridge, the current main gateway to West Nile.
This will open the region to the rest of Uganda, boost cargo movement, traffic flow and market access. However, picking only two roads in a region long plagued by poor infrastructure is, frankly, not enough. If the government truly wants to unlock West Nile’s potential, there must be a deliberate effort to upgrade the entire road network.
Many major roads in the region such as the Nebbi– Goli–Paidha, Nebbi–Goli–Customs, Nebbi–Goli–Paidha–Nyapea–Warr–Vurra, Arua–Nebbi, Koboko–Yumbe– Moyo, Pakwach–Wadelai–Inde–Arua, Obongi–Sinyanya–Adjumani, and Midigo–Bugo–Kerwa roads are in terrible state.
Roads drive economic growth. They connect people to markets, schools, health centers and opportunities. West Nile has some of the country’s most fertile land, good weather and plenty of water bodies, perfect for agriculture. But farmers here are often stuck. Because of the poor roads, farmers struggle to transport their produce to the markets.
Unfortunately, middlemen offer farmers low prices, below the market value, because they have to factor in the high fuel and repair costs. As a result, the farmers remain stuck in poverty, even when their fields are full.
Poverty alleviation programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), which is supposed to help farmers move from subsistence to the money economy, risk falling short in West Nile due to these same road challenges.
If farmers can’t access markets or services, the program’s impact will be limited. Beyond just farming, the region is Uganda’s trade gateway to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
These countries are among Uganda’s biggest export destinations within the East African Community. In fact, according to the Uganda Investment Authority, DRC and South Sudan accounted for exports worth $53.07 million and $41.6 million, respectively in January 2024.
Yet, poor roads continue to threaten this opportunity. For instance, the Nebbi–Goli–Paidha–Warr–Vurra road, key to cross-border trade with DRC, is nearly impassable during the rainy season.
Trucks often get stuck or overturn, and traders lose goods. As a landlocked country, Uganda relies heavily on road transport to move goods to and from regional markets. Roads are the arteries through which exports flow. When they are in bad shape, the cost of transportation rises, risks increase, and trade volumes fall.
It is no surprise then that Uganda’s exports to South Sudan, for instance, dropped to $41.6 million in January 2024, from $54.9 million in June 2023. While there may be multiple reasons behind this decline, the poor state of road infrastructure is undoubtedly a contributing factor.
Even local connectivity within the region is a struggle. Take the 76km road between Arua city and Nebbi town. It used to take an hour and cost Shs 5,000 by public transport to travel from Nebbi to Arua.
Now, it takes more than two hours and costs between Shs 10,000 and 15,000. The potholes and poor surface mean transporters must spend more on fuel and maintenance. These are costs they pass on to passengers and traders alike. The effects go beyond business. Poor roads affect health and safety.
In November 2024, a pregnant woman died when the motorcycle carrying her hit a pothole along the Pakwach–Wadelai–Inde road. She had been referred to Okollo HCIV from Pawor HCIII.
The crash killed both her and her unborn child. In February 2025, another woman who had just undergone a caesarian birth at Midigo HCIV was injured when her boda-boda hit a ditch on the Midigo–Bugo–Kerwa road. The bump caused her stitches to break, forcing an emergency return to hospital.
That is why government must urgently prioritize a region-wide road infrastructure plan for West Nile. The Laropi bridge and a few rehabilitated roads are a welcome start. But they must be part of a broader, deliberate effort to overhaul the entire network.
For West Nile to play its rightful role in national development, whether in trade, agriculture or regional integration, its roads must be made fit for purpose. Anything less will keep the region’s vast potential trapped by mud, potholes and missed opportunity.
The writer is a research officer at the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE).
The whole of West Nile region really needs a lot on road infrastructure development.
Look at Arua, Terego Yumbe road . The road has a lot of potholes.
Has the Ministry of Works and Transport designed a comprehensive road infrastructure development plan for West Nile, that is cognizant of all the region’s key drivers of the national economy? For example, I just read that White Rhinos have recently been reintroduced into the Ajai Game Reserve and that is super news. However, in order to maximize the returns on these key investments, the potholed road network from Pakwach to Arua (both via Wadelai and via Nebbi), as well as that mid-link between Okollo town and the Ajai Game Reserve junction, should be highly prioritized for tarmacking, as key tourism roads. This will in addition, create the knock-on effect of tapping into the great agricultural potential of Madi Okollo District, for both cultivation for crops and animal husbandry.