Outdated Equipment Stalls Road Works in Apac District

Road maintenance works in Apac District have faced major setbacks due to severely outdated and mechanically compromised machinery. According to district records, much of the equipment currently in use has lasted for over three decades, leading to frequent and crippling breakdowns.

The hardest hit is a 34-year-old bulldozer assigned to the local government, which broke down in Apoi Sub-county and has remained grounded there for more than two months. District Engineer Eng Gaston Olal explained that the machinery, initially handed over by the central government in 1992, has simply aged beyond repairable efficiency. Additional equipment like graders, a roller, a dump truck, and a water bowser are similarly unreliable, while crucial items like a low-bed, wheel loader, and excavator are missing entirely.

Out of Apac’s 1,007.2 kilometers of government roads, a staggering 612 kilometers remain in poor condition. Although the district holds Shs250 million in unspent funds for first-quarter road maintenance in the 2026/2027 financial year, crucial projects connecting local communities to vital landing sites, health centers, and markets have stalled.

Local traders and residents continue to bear the heavy cost of these dilapidated transport routes. Retailers report spending hours navigating severe potholes, which consumes extra fuel and damages transport vehicles. Fishmongers and farmers complain of frequent accidents, especially during the rainy season, while expectant mothers struggle to reach health facilities in time.

During a recent inspection tour, Apac District Woman MP and District Roads Committee Chairperson Betty Awor Engola pledged to collaborate with fellow legislators to lobby the central government for modern replacements. Read more about this story in the Daily Monitor.