By Obed Kankiriho
Residents of Bwindi in Buhoma Town Council, Kanungu District, on Friday staged a protest over the deteriorating state of the Bwindi–Kanyantorogo road, a key tourism and trade route.
The demonstration came barely 24 hours after President Yoweri Museveni delivered his State of the Nation Address, in which he highlighted government achievements in infrastructure development.
Angry residents and business owners blocked traffic, describing the road as a death trap that has claimed lives, disrupted business, and endangered both residents and tourists visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Protesters cited a series of fatal accidents, including the death of an American tourist in January 2025 and several other road crashes that they attributed to poor road conditions and inadequate maintenance.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park attracts an estimated 80 international tourists daily, but residents say the poor state of the road continues to damage tourism and trade, especially during the rainy season.
Buhoma Town Council Mayor Moses Bashaija appealed to the Ministries of Finance and Works to urgently release funds for the rehabilitation of the road, noting that residents have waited more than 20 years for government promises to be fulfilled.
Kanungu District LC5 Chairperson Francis Byamukama Kapesha described the road network as being in a state of severe neglect, while local leaders blamed delayed interventions on changes in road management.
Area MPs James Ruugi Kaberuka and Patience Kinshaba Nkunda also renewed calls for urgent rehabilitation, warning that continued neglect threatens one of Uganda’s most important tourism destinations and a major source of foreign exchange earnings.
