Northern Bypass darkness: Ministry promises quick fix for vandalised streetlights by October end

The Ministry of Works and Transport has promised to restore street lighting along the Kampala Northern Bypass by the end of October after vandals stole electrical equipment, leaving large sections of the road in darkness.

The breakdown comes less than a year after the government installed the lights to improve visibility and safety along the busy road.

Most of the lights have since stopped working, exposing motorists and pedestrians to accidents and attacks by criminals who exploit the darkness.

The situation has raised concerns among road users, particularly passengers and taxi drivers who use the bypass at night.

Some taxi drivers say passengers avoid certain sections of the road after dark for fear of robbery and assault.

The ministry's spokesperson, Khadija Nnakakande, blamed the breakdown on widespread vandalism, saying thieves have stripped several installations of essential electrical components.

She said criminals steal cables, circuits and other equipment, sometimes digging underground to remove the wiring that connects the streetlight poles.

“They steal cables, circuits, terminal blocks; they even dig underground and pull out the wiring connecting the poles. They also pick out the covers for the wires and the terminal blocks are stolen and sold for scrap. In areas like Kyebando and others where there are flyovers, that is where we have the biggest challenge,” Nnakakande said.

She identified sections around Kyebando and flyovers as some of the worst-affected areas.

According to Nnakakande, the latest damage is far greater than previous cases, when thieves targeted a few poles that the ministry later repaired.

“In the past they broke a few poles and we fixed them but this time it was on a large scale. Some of the poles are knocked down by drunk drivers and usually when one is down, several others are affected,” she said.

The damage has left several sections of the bypass without lighting, undermining efforts to improve safety along the road.

Apart from theft, the ministry faces the challenge of replacing poles damaged in road accidents. A single collision can affect several connected lights, leaving an entire section without electricity.

Nnakakande said the ministry has started repairs and expects to restore the affected lights before October ends.

“We expect that by the end of this month we shall have fixed the lights. We are appealing to the public to stop being enemies of the nation and yourselves. These lights have not even lasted a year and they have been vandalised,” she said.