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MPS seek to ban Sino Trucks from rural roads
Members of the Parliamentary Forum on Road and Water Safety interfacing with the Minister for Works and Transport, pictured right
Members of Parliament (MPs) in Uganda are pushing for legislation to ban Sino Trucks from using rural roads, arguing that that have caused irreparable damage on the community murram roads.
The MPs who are members of the Parliamentary Forum on Roads and Water Safety, and representatives of the Uganda Local Government Association, made their stand clear while meeting the Minister of Works and Transport Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala in Parliament on Tuesday.
Robert Kasolo, the Deputy Chairperson of the forum and MP for Iki-Iki County, announced that a motion will be tabled in Parliament within two weeks.
The goal is to prevent further destruction of local roads, especially the smaller culverts used for drainage, which are often unable to withstand the heavy weight of Sino trucks.
“These vehicles weigh around 40 tonnes. If they stop over culverts they can easily cause collapse due to their immense weight,” said Kasolo.
Kasolo emphasized that there has been a widespread outcry from local communities over the damage being caused, prompting urgent action.
He pointed to Kenya as an example, where the government took similar steps. In Kenya, Sino trucks were banned from local country roads and restricted to national roads only, after a motion by a Member of Parliament and public pressure led to action.
He noted that while these vehicles are often owned by powerful individuals, MPs in Uganda are determined to act in the interest of protecting community infrastructure.
The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, echoed the MPs’ concerns. While he acknowledged that Sino trucks are crucial for national road construction and other infrastructure projects, he admitted they are also highly destructive to roads in rural areas.
“Whereas the Sino trucks are helping me in the construction of National Roads they are also very destructive, so they are what we would call a “necessary nuisance”—beneficial for development, yet harmful to existing local infrastructure,” Katumba said.
Katumba Wamala explained that the roads these trucks typically use were not built to handle such heavy loads, particularly the standard 600mm culverts installed. The minister agreed that a review of how these trucks are used especially in the countryside was needed to protect local roads and improve transport safety.
This joint concern between Parliament and the Ministry highlights the broader issue of balancing infrastructure development with the preservation of existing roads.
The MPs’ initiative also signals a growing responsiveness to public outcry and local government challenges. It underscores a recognition that while Sino trucks play a key role in national projects, their unregulated use in rural areas leads to high maintenance costs and disrupts local transport networks.
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