Busia, Uganda | URN | Uganda has been urged to urgently complete a 12-kilometre road linking Lumino Sub-county in Busia District to the Mulwanda border point, where Kenya has already extended its road network to the border river.
The proposed road would open a third border connection between Uganda and Kenya, potentially easing congestion at the busy Busia and Malaba crossings while providing an alternative route for commercial traffic and cross-border trade.
The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Marksons Oboth, on Saturday directed the Ministry of Works and Transport to begin work on the road immediately, responding to longstanding demands by residents and elders from the border communities.
“I have heard elders, including Justice James Ogoola, asking for the construction of the 12-kilometre stretch at Mulwanda. I want to take this opportunity to direct the Ministry of Works to work on this road immediately to ease the movement of our people,” Oboth said.
He issued the directive on October 10, 2026, while officiating at a thanksgiving ceremony for Julius Wandera Maganda, the Samia Bugwe South MP who was re-elected to Parliament and appointed Minister of State for Works and Transport.
The ceremony was held at Butenge Primary School in Lunyo, Busia District. The proposed link has gained significance because the Kenyan government has already completed its section of the road up to the border river, leaving Uganda with the remaining stretch from Lumino.
Maganda called on engineers from his ministry who attended the ceremony to prioritise the project, saying the government could begin with a murram road before upgrading it to tarmac.
“The people are not asking for very expensive things. We are asking for a road, and if you do not have a tarmac road immediately, start with a murram road so that vehicles can start moving,” he said.
The minister said the road would divert heavy commercial trucks away from Busia town, reducing congestion and road accidents while improving the movement of goods and people between the two countries.
The Governor of Busia County in Kenya, Paul Otuoma, said opening the Mulwanda crossing would fulfil a longstanding ambition of communities on both sides of the border. Otuoma urged the Ugandan government to complete its section, describing Uganda as Kenya’s largest trading partner in the region.
“We urge the Ugandan government to complete the link, because Uganda is our largest trading partner in this region,” he said. He also pointed to wider cross-border infrastructure initiatives, including a memorandum of understanding under UN-Habitat to establish the Greater Busia Metropolis and plans for railway connectivity between the two countries.
Oboth said the infrastructure demands of Busia and the wider Bukedi region required coordinated efforts between leaders and government institutions. He noted that Maganda’s appointment to the Ministry of Works and Transport had raised expectations among residents who want better roads, railway development and other infrastructure improvements.
“As leaders from the same region, Honourable Maganda and I understand the aspirations of our people. Our communities continue to raise concerns about the condition of roads, railway development and other infrastructure needs that affect their daily lives,” he said.
However, Oboth cautioned the minister against focusing exclusively on his home region, noting that his responsibilities extended to the entire country. He said Parliament would continue to support infrastructure development through legislation, budgeting and oversight.
Beyond the proposed border road, Maganda outlined plans to promote household incomes in Samia Bugwe South through poultry farming, coffee and cocoa growing, and a women’s empowerment fund. He said he wanted to establish a poultry hatchery in every village, with each facility capable of hatching 5,000 eggs monthly.
The minister also announced plans to distribute four million coffee and cocoa seedlings, saying 200,000 seedlings were already available. He encouraged households with even half an acre of land to take up the crops as sources of income.
Maganda further announced a Shs600 million village empowerment seed capital initiative for women, covering the constituency between 2027 and 2030. He said he had already set aside Shs100 million towards the initiative.
Oboth pledged Shs20 million to support the fund. Meanwhile, NRM National Treasurer Barbara Nekesa Oundo urged residents to take advantage of government wealth-creation programmes, including the Parish Development Model, the 4-Acre Model and Emyooga.
She also appealed to Parliament to review financing conditions under Emyooga to make it easier for young people with skills in carpentry and metal fabrication to access start-up capital.
Oboth concluded by urging leaders in the Bukedi region to coordinate their priorities ahead of national budget planning, saying a common approach was needed to tackle poverty and accelerate economic growth.
