MPIGI.
The State House has come out to delay reports that the prolonged traffic gridlock along Kampala –Masaka highway was caused by President Museveni who was in Mpigi area for the better part of Monday .
Mr Museveni , the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) who is seeking re-election in the January 15 polls to extend his rule to nearly half a centenary ,was campaigning in the districts of Mpigi and Butambala . Unlike in many districts where Museveni has campaigned in the past three months –sometimes using a chopper ,in the two districts Mr Museveni moved by road thus paralyzing movement on the usually busy highway ,forcing travellers get stuck overnight and the better part of Tuesday .The president enjoys right of way and whenever he is moving traffic has to be halted for an hour to allow the presidential motorcade to pass.
But in a statement on Tuesday , the State House regretted the traffic gridlock ,but insisted that it wasn’t caused by the President . “We have taken note of false claims attributing the traffic gridlock experienced last night along the Kampala–Masaka Road to H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s convoy. While delays are regrettable, it is inaccurate and misleading to place responsibility on the President’s convoy,” a statement issued by the deputy presidential press secretary Farouq Kirunda ,said
For clarity, Kirundi said very limited and time-bound road closures during Presidential movements are standard operating procedures world over and are carefully coordinated to minimize disruption. “In this instance, several other factors significantly contributed to the congestion.
These included the heavy end-of-month traffic as many motorists were returning from upcountry holidays, poor road discipline by some drivers who failed to respect other road users and created multiple lanes, and a heavy downpour that reduced visibility and compelled some motorists to temporarily park and wait for the storm to subside. Significant overnight delays occurred at the same time last year, when there were no presidential campaigns in districts along the route,” he said
“It is therefore incorrect to politicize and wrongly attribute this unfortunate event.
We encourage the public to consider the full context of such situations and to exercise patience and responsible road use, especially during periods of heavy traffic and adverse weather conditions.” Kirunda added
The congestion, which was still visible on Tuesday afternoon between Kyengera and Kalagala-Mpigi, also affected scores of tourists were returning from Christmas holiday from various national parks in Western Uganda .