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Sad life of potholes and bumps in Donholm


Poor state of roads and lack of sewerage and drainage systems have left residents of Upper Savanna and Donholm estates a worried lot.

The Donholm main road that connects to Outering Road at Total Petrol Station is marked by huge potholes.

Residents say roads in Donholm are pathetic leading to unnecessary traffic snarl-ups, especially during the rush hours.

Hawkers and traders

“You will find a low-rider car spending up to a minute on the bump just to go round the pothole on the other side while ahead of him, police are controlling traffic,” said Isaac Koome, a resident of Phase 5.

Drainage and sewerage systems are lacking in Old Donholm, Savanna, Greenfields and Phase 5. During rainy seasons, the roads are always flooded, forcing pedestrians to pay to be carried across by handcarts.

Oscar Lwadenge, a resident of Savanna estate, says the sewerage problem is their greatest challenge.

“Just by the first junction upon entry into the estate is a burst sewer pipe. This is where we are expected to pass or drive by, it is also where our children play and this is the air we breathe. Everything about this place is wrong. Something needs to be done to fix this as soon as is possible,” he says.

County representative Benson Amutavi blames road contractors.

“It is obvious the roads were constructed using substandard materials. This road is barely a decade old and you cannot compare its state to the others built at the same time,” he says of Manyanja Road.

He also blames hawkers and traders who have built their stalls next to the roads.

“They litter the roads expecting the County government to come and clear the mess,” he says.

Mr Amutavi, who is the County Assembly’s Environment and Natural Resources committee chairman, says he has approached the Governor for support to grade roads in the area.