Uganda opens Shs191bn Katonga Bridge rebuilt by China Communications Construction Company

Uganda's Minister for Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama, commissioned the rebuilt Katonga Bridge on the Kampala–Masaka highway on 17 October 2026, the Daily Monitor reported. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) carried out the Shs191 billion (Ugandan shillings) reconstruction and finished ahead of a revised November deadline that had followed an earlier extension.

The new bridge stands three metres higher than the structure it replaces and is 80 metres wide. Technical experts assured the government of a design life of 120 years, and Byamukama warned the engineers about any defect appearing before the 120 years had elapsed.

The original concrete bridge over the River Katonga, in Mpigi District, was damaged by flash floods on 11 May 2023. Light vehicles were later allowed onto a less-damaged section of the old bridge. Heavy vehicles, including trailers and fuel tankers, were diverted through Mpigi, Gomba, Sembabule and Bukomansimbi, adding more than 50 kilometres to the journey.

In June 2023 the government contracted CCCC to build a temporary steel bridge. It opened to all vehicles, including heavy goods vehicles, in December 2023. Xinhua reported from Kampala on 16 December 2023 that the bridge had reopened the day before. Allan Ssempebwa, then a communications officer at the Uganda National Roads Authority, told Xinhua: "When the bridge was washed away, we thought of a quick, efficient company to restore it."

Full-scale construction of the permanent, raised pre-stressed concrete bridge began in October 2024, after hydrological and meteorological assessments of the River Katonga basin. On 26 February 2026 the Monitor reported the work at 60 percent. Project manager Sarah Karungi said at the time, as quoted by the Monitor, that the team was focusing on delivering before the set deadline.

The highway carries an estimated average of nearly 30,000 vehicles a day and is an international transit route to Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Police said before the ceremony that traffic at the bridge would be halted for about 20 minutes between 9:00 am and 10:30 am. SP Michael Kananura, spokesperson for the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, asked motorists to be patient and follow the directions of traffic officers.

At the ceremony Byamukama urged CCCC to speed up work on the ongoing Nakawuka–Nateete road project to ease congestion on the Busega–Nateete stretch. He also warned contractors across the country against unnecessary delays. State Minister for Tourism Susan Kawuki said the bridge would improve access to national parks and tourist sites in western Uganda.