Heavy trucks continue to obstruct the Mpondwe border highway in Kasese District, disrupting movement and raising safety concerns as local authorities cite inadequate parking space and delays in customs clearance.
Heavy trucks continue to cause traffic congestion along the Mpondwe border highway in Kasese District despite the establishment of a designated parking yard in Isango Sub-county to ease pressure on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) crossing.
The trucks, many destined for the DRC, are frequently parked on both sides of the highway, leaving limited space for other road users and raising concerns about safety and access to businesses and homes.
District authorities say the available parking capacity remains inadequate to accommodate the growing number of trucks using the busy border crossing.
Chance Tsindika, a Mpondwe resident, said the congestion had become a daily challenge for people who depend on the highway for transport and access to essential services.
“The trucks occupy both sides of the road, leaving very little space for other road users. This makes movement difficult for motorists, traders and residents who use this road every day. For instance, a distance that would be travelled in only five minutes takes one about 30 minutes,” Tsindika said.
He said the congestion also posed safety risks, particularly when vehicles attempted to squeeze through the narrow passage left by parked trucks.
“At some point, accidents have occurred and claimed lives,” he added.
Kasese District LCV Chairperson Eriphazi Muhindi said the parking yard in Isango Sub-county was established to reduce congestion, but the number of trucks arriving at the border continued to outstrip the available space.
“The parking yard in Isango was established to help decongest the Mpondwe border highway, but the number of trucks coming to the border is still high. We need additional parking space to accommodate these trucks and ensure that the road remains accessible to other users,” Muhindi said.
He said the district was exploring additional parking arrangements through partnerships with development agencies and institutions that own land near a proposed site.
Muhindi said expanding parking capacity could reduce the number of trucks parked along the highway and improve the movement of goods and people across the border.
However, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council officials said congestion was also linked to the movement of trucks from parking areas before they had completed customs clearance procedures.
Town Clerk Enos Masereka said some trucks left designated parking areas before completing the required procedures, only to occupy the highway while waiting for further processing.
“Some trucks move from the parking areas before completing the necessary clearance procedures. They then end up occupying the highway as they wait for the next stages of processing, which contributes to the congestion,” Masereka said.
He added that the congestion was also affecting the town council's expected local revenue collections, increasing pressure on authorities to find a lasting solution.
Masereka said better coordination of truck movements and customs clearance procedures could help ease traffic bottlenecks and improve border management.
Meanwhile, clearing agents operating at the Mpondwe border said delays in customs clearance on the Congolese side were contributing to the accumulation of trucks at the crossing.
The agents said processing on the Congolese side often took longer than on the Ugandan side, leaving trucks waiting to proceed even when parking arrangements were available in Uganda.
The situation highlights the need for greater coordination between Ugandan and Congolese border authorities, alongside expanded truck parking facilities and better management of vehicle movements, to prevent heavy trucks from obstructing the highway.