Key Ugandan highway cut off by floods

A major highway leading out of Uganda’s capital Kampala to the south-west of the country has been cut off after a bridge collapsed following flash floods.

In the early hours of Thursday, traffic was brought to a standstill by knee-deep running water across the road.

And as the water receded later in the day, it was discovered that part of the bridge at River Katonga had collapsed.

Swathes of land in Lwera swamp, a major part of the Lake Victoria catchment, have been reclaimed for farming, and a lot of sandmining carried out in the area in recent years.

The country’s roads authority has been advising travellers to use alternative routes to get to the main cities of Masaka, Mbarara and further towards the borders.

One of the diversions is at least 200km (124 miles) which is double the distance between Mpigi town and Masaka city.

The highway is an important travel and trade route for the country, as it is the main highway for exports and imports from across the region not only to the south-west, but also to and from Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

East Africa’s Great Lakes region has been facing severe weather, resulting in disastrous floods.

At least 20 people have died in Uganda in recent weeks due to landslides and flooding.

Flooding has also claimed hundreds of lives in Rwanda and DR Congo.