KYANAMUKAAKA, MASAKA — In the high-stakes political battlefield of the 2021 campaigns, Richard Sebamala stood at the dusty Bukunda trading center in Bukoto Central, Masaka District, and made an ultimatum that many brushed off as mere campaign rhetoric:
“If there is no tarmac road at Bukunda, I will not come back to campaign here.”
Fast forward to today, and that high-stakes promise has materialized into blacktop reality. The project marks a historic milestone for Kyanamukaaka Town Council: the arrival of its very first tarmac road, breaking decades of infrastructural neglect in Bukoto Central.
Behind Closed Doors: Bargaining in Parliament:
When Sebamala entered the 11th Parliament, the 2021/2022 national budget was already locked. His real push began during the 2022/2023 Financial Year, when the Ministry of Works presented its transport estimates—including 30km of paved road allocations nationwide alongside over 200km of gravel works.
As a member of the crucial Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Sebamala recognized that while most lawmakers focused on unpaved feeder networks, Bukoto Central needed long-term paving.
When committee discussions revealed an opening to reallocate nearly UGX 150 billion toward road development, intense negotiations ensued.
“Everyone was pulling and lobbying to their side,” Sebamala recalls. “It took serious strategic wheeling and dealing to get our share on the floor.”
Through negotiations involving key figures—including State Minister for Works Musa Ecweru, Committee Vice-Chair Robert Kasolo, and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja—a consensus was forged, carving out a dedicated quota for targeted constituency stretches in the FY 2023 budget.
Data, Grants, and the Groundwork
Lobbying in Kampala was only half the battle. To meet Ministry of Works standards, MP Sebamala personally conducted traffic counts along the corridor, supported by local coordinator Kakembo John and former Ministry of Works Project Manager, Engineer Kisambira.
Simultaneously, Masaka District secured UGX 700 million in transitional grants earmarked to upgrade the Bukunda–Kamungu stretch to first-class murram status—setting up the structural base required for tarmac.
Following the mandatory Defects Liability Period from previous maintenance contracts, civil engineering firm Tehno Buwa Contractor officially mobilized to site.
Key Infrastructure Projects in Bukoto Central
Bukunda – Kamungu Corridor (Kyanamukaaka Town Council)
Milestone: First-ever tarmac road in Kyanamukaaka Town Council
Specs: Double surface seal asphalt layer
Progress: Sub-base and base layers completed; cured to prepare for final sealing
Bukunda – Kaluuma – Ttala – Bulegeya Network
Objective: High-priority unpaved feeder road
Scope: Full grading, earth-to-gravel transition, and culvert installation
Kijonjo – Kiteredde – Kanamusabala Road
Objective: Rehabilitation of previously impassable tracks
Contractor: SEK-B Contractors (Grading, graveling, and drainage works)
A Town Council Transformed
Heavy machinery moved onto the site in 2024. Over the past year, crews laid the heavy sub-base and crushed-stone base layer, leaving it to settle and cure over a six-month window before applying the final double surface seal.
For Kyanamukaaka Town Council, the stretch of asphalt represents far more than civil engineering—it is a catalyst for economic growth, reducing transit costs for agricultural produce and elevating local trade.
Together with secondary gravel networks opened by SEK-B Contractors across Bukunda–Kaluuma–Ttala–Bulegeya and Kijonjo–Kiteredde–Kanamusabala, the arrival of Kyanamukaaka’s first tarmac seals a campaign pledge that reshaped the map of Bukoto Central.
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