Joel Ogwang
12 November 2009
Kampala — THE Government is to promote the use of the Central Corridor as the country's alternative route to the sea, Eng. John Nasasira, the transport minister, has said.
The route runs from the Tanzanian Port of Dar-es-Salaam to Kampala.
"Development of the corridor will involve addressing physical infrastructure constraints on ports, railways, roads and the provision of adequate facilities, handling equipment and improvement of transport logistics," he said.
Nasasira was speaking at a transport sector review meeting at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday.
Over 95% of the Uganda's cargo goes through Mombasa, with less than 1% going through the Port of Dar-es-Salaam.
"The over-dependency on the Northern Corridor route makes the country's trade vulnerable to the socio-economic environment in Kenya," Nasasira explained.
The 2007 post-election violence in Kenya and the upheavals that followed, interrupted business in Uganda as cargo destined for Kampala was either delayed or destroyed.
Fuel prices, for example, shot up to over sh10,000 a litre in some parts of the country.
About 95% of goods trafficked use road transport in Uganda and 99% of passenger traffic.
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