Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA has announced the planned interruptions in the services of the Nakiwogo-Buwaya ferry today, Sunday. According to UNRA, the ferry will transport road construction equipment from Zzinga Island to the mainland via Nakiwogo, Entebbe. The equipment was deployed to carry out maintenance works on Zzinga island.
In a press statement, UNRA says that the road works have been completed and the Wakiso District Local Government has requested to use the ferry for the entire day to transport the equipment to the mainland. The ferry operates from 7 am to 6 pm, connecting Entebbe Municipality to Mpigi district.
It is licensed to carry 120 passengers, 10 cars, and 20 motorcycles. The route is mainly used by residents of Entebbe who have farms in Buwaya and on business while Buwaya residents travel frequently to Entebbe for medical care at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital and other health centers, or to sell mainly foodstuffs and buy merchandise.
The ferry is free. In the absence of the ferry, travelers will use boats, which charge Shillings 3,000 per trip. UNRA advises motorists to use the Kisubi (Entebbe Road)-Ssisa-Nakawuka-Kasanje-Buwaya road as an alternative route. The road trip is unpopular because motorists spend over an hour as they have to among others navigate through the potholes and dusty roads.
And yet, passengers spend less than 15 minutes using the ferry. The Ferry services will resume on Monday, July 18. Charles Magumba, the Town Clerk of Entebbe Municipality, recently said that UNRA will construct a bridge connecting Nakiwogo-Buwaya in the next five years.
Nakiwogo and Buwaya docking sites are 4 kilometers apart. Construction of the bridge is estimated to cost 270 million US dollars, approximately over Shillings one trillion. Speaking at the fourth Entebbe Business Summit held on July 8, 2022, Magumba noted that the bridge will shorten the journey for travelers from Entebbe International Airport, mainly tourists, destined to Western Uganda.
