Mbale City Fixes Traffic, Street Lights after 5 Years Hiatus

Mbale city residents are smiling after authorities repaired traffic lights along Pallisa road and security lights along Republic Street and Naboa among others, which had been dysfunctional for about five years.

In the 2023/24 financial year, Mbale city allocated 8.5 million shillings from local revenue to repair the traffic lights, following pressure from the then, RCC Asumin Nasike.

However, the traffic lights failed again within days. City authorities said they were waiting for engineers from China, who installed the lights, as local engineers couldn’t fix the issue.

Accidents and insecurity have since increased along Pallisa road and other areas due to non-functional traffic lights and street lights, particularly at night.

Mbale City Public Relations Officer, James Kutosi says repair work, which began last week, will continue until all street lights are functional, improving security and traffic flow.

He says the works will cost 200 million shillings, funded by a maintenance grant from central government.

He urged the public to support the repair exercise, saying it will improve security and enable businesses to operate smoothly.

Mbale city residents, Suzan Nekesa and Peter Madoi welcome the repair work but urge authorities to prioritize routine maintenance. They say the city’s darkness at night has been a security concern and shouldn’t be neglected until it fails.