UNRA to clear car bonds from Nakawa-Banda road reserve

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has announced plans to clear the Nakawa-Banda road reserve of encroaching car dealerships.

This move aims to restore pedestrian walkways and a cyclists' lane that have long been obstructed by car bonds along the busy Kampala-Jinja Road.

For years, the road reserve on Jinja Road, particularly the Nakawa-Banda stretch, has been occupied by car dealerships, leaving pedestrians and cyclists to navigate through narrow and dangerous spaces between parked vehicles and speeding traffic.

On Monday, a concerned citizen and road safety activist, Joseph Beyanga, raised the issue on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the dangers faced by pedestrians and cyclists due to the encroachment.

"Pedestrians right now have been left to dangerously squeeze between car 'shops', cars parked on the roadside, and speeding cars and cyclists. And on a day when new stock arrives, it’s a total mess," Beyanga posted.

Beyanga also questioned whether UNRA had plans to create designated pedestrian walkways and a cyclists' lane as part of the ongoing road repairs.

In response, UNRA confirmed that it has been engaging with car dealers encroaching on the road reserves and emphasized the importance of maintaining these spaces for safety and visibility.

"Road reserves must be kept free from encroachment to maintain clear visibility and ensure the safety of all road users," UNRA stated.

The authority further announced its intention to intensify efforts to clear the area of encroachments.

"Thankfully, some have vacated, and others are making arrangements to vacate. An exercise to clear this area from encroachment has been planned for this month," UNRA added.

The planned clearance is part of broader efforts by UNRA to ensure safer and more accessible roads for all users, addressing long-standing concerns from the public about the safety and accessibility of major roads in Kampala.