Hoima Road construction improving flood control and climate resilience

15 December 2025, 8:55 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

In many parts of the country, heavy downpours often result in flooding of buildings and compounds due to blocked drainage channels that are intended to carry away stormwater. As a consequence, communities experience outbreaks of diseases such as malaria and cholera, among others.

It is against this background that the Government of Uganda, together with its development partners, embarked on the construction and rehabilitation of roads in various parts of the country to address flooding and related challenges. One such project is the ongoing rehabilitation of Hoima Road, where residents have come forward to share what the initiative means to them.

Katongole Collins, a businessman who owns a football viewing hall popular with young people, says the area has long suffered from the negative effects of climate change, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall. His hall broadcasts major football matches, including the StarTimes Uganda Premier League, the English Premier League, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

“My name is Katongole Collins, also known as Collins Lisbon. We broadcast various football games here. For a long time, whenever it rained heavily, we experienced serious challenges linked to climate change,” he explained. “There is a hill around Lubya and the National Housing area, and whenever it rains, a lot of water used to flow directly into people’s houses and compounds. However, with the ongoing construction of Hoima Road, we are grateful to the government because we believe these challenges will be reduced.”

Katongole adds that he has closely followed the road works and observed significant improvements in the drainage system. He noted that the contractors removed old and narrow culverts, carried out deep excavation on both sides of the road, and installed larger culverts capable of handling large volumes of water.

“I have been following the works keenly, and I have seen that they removed the old, small culverts and replaced them with bigger ones after deep excavation of the drainage channels. I am confident this will help protect us from climate change-related diseases such as malaria,” he said.

He also appealed to the government to ensure proper maintenance of the roads after construction and to consider installing street lighting. “What destroys our roads is the lack of maintenance. We ask the government to take responsibility for maintaining these roads and providing lighting,” he said.

Katongole further called on members of the public to play their part by refraining from dumping rubbish into drainage channels. “When drainage channels are blocked, it is we who suffer the consequences,” he warned.

Meanwhile, environmental activist Dickens echoed similar concerns and continued to encourage parents to involve their children in tree-planting activities as one of the long-term solutions to environmental degradation and climate change.