Why MP aspirants should ditch empty promises and champion community-led road care

________________

OPINION

By Immanuel Ben Misagga

Uganda will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on January 15, 2026. Right now, the political air is thick with a familiar dust, the kind that comes from promises of new roads. 

I am dismayed by how many people running for parliament still promise to improve the roads in their areas, even though they know they can't keep that promise. 

It is only the President who can give roads.

What puzzles me is that voters go along with this ritual of hope and rarely question what an MP really does, which is to make laws and keep an eye on things, not to run construction sites.

We live in a digital age, and this cycle of empty talk and unmet expectations has to stop. There is a better way, one that leads to a stronger, more resilient society, not just better roads. 

The answer to the problem of roads is to stop focusing on heavy-duty machinery and start focusing on our most valuable and underappreciated national resource: our people.

It is time for people who want to be MPs to stop promising roads and start pushing for a law that allows for community-based, labour-intensive road work.

I have worked in road construction for more than 30 years, so I know what works and what doesn't.

Big machines have their uses, but relying on them alone has left thousands of kilometres of rural feeder roads in a state of constant disrepair.

Labour-based methods are the most practical and effective option. It is a huge win-win for the people, their leaders, and the country.

For example, when an MP supports labour-based projects, they are not just supporting infrastructure; they are also supporting economic empowerment at the local level.

Road projects that use workers put money directly into the local economy. The money that local workers get for things like clearing drainage, fixing culverts, and grading surfaces stays in the same community and pays for things like school fees, food, and medical care.

It gives young people and school dropouts short-term jobs that are useful, turning idle hands into skilled workers and cutting down on the number of people who move from rural areas to cities.

This isn't a cost, but an investment in people that will pay off in the long run.

At the same time, a community that has literally built a road with its own hands will fiercely protect it.

A road built by a community gives people a strong sense of ownership, unlike a road built by a contractor from far away. Residents are much more likely to report erosion problems, stop overloading, and help with regular maintenance. This cuts down on long-term maintenance costs by a lot and stops the cycle of neglect and expensive repairs that our current system is stuck in.

Also, methods based on labour are known for being very lean. Instead of spending money on importing equipment and spare parts, a large part of the project budget goes to labour. This is because the workers use materials that are available locally and don't use expensive, fuel-guzzling machines.

The "task and go" system lets workers finish a set task in about five hours and then go home. This means that the government doesn't have to pay for expensive transportation and housing camps, which means that every shilling of government money goes further for the people.

So, when a community learns how to build roads, keep quality up with simple tools, and understand how drainage works, they gain skills that are very useful. These aren't just skills for building roads; they are basic civil engineering skills that can be used for building houses, controlling water runoff, and other projects in the community. This spreading out of knowledge makes people stronger and better able to handle their own growth long after the project is over.

Lastly, the fact that labour-based works have a small carbon footprint is a big plus in our changing climate. Compared to traditional methods, this way of working has a much smaller effect on the environment because workers walk or bike to the site and use very little machinery. Also, these projects become community efforts, which bring people together, help them work together to solve problems, and strengthen the social fabric as neighbours work towards a common goal.

This is not an idea that hasn't been tried before. It is a model that has been around for a long time and has worked well in the present. Organised workers built an amazing 40,000 km of strong roads through the Andes for the Inca Empire. Since the 1970s, Kenya has built more than 12,000 km of rural roads using labour-based methods.

My own experience in north-western Zambia and on the Nagongera-Mulanda-Kwapa road here in Uganda proves this: where machines failed in sandy areas, motivated local workers, with proper supervision, did very well.

So, for someone who wants to run for Parliament, this is a brilliant move in both politics and practice.

The MP's job changes from being a powerless middleman for broken promises to something else. They become the champions in Kampala, fighting for the law and the money they need to do their work. They become the main supervisor on the ground, making sure that everyone is responsible and that things run smoothly. They can also point to a real project that changed lives that they helped make happen. This builds real, long-lasting political capital based on trust and giving people power, not empty charity.

It is clear what needs to be done. We need MPs who will do more than just say "I will give you roads."

We need leaders who will be honest and work with us: "I will fight for a law that pays you to build and keep your roads." I will make sure that the money is spent wisely, and I will give you the tools you need to make your own decisions.

This is how we make roads that last and a country that grows. It helps the person who gets money and infrastructure, the MP who gets things done, and Uganda, which lets its people reach their full potential. Let's ask for smarter, more honest politics in 2026 and beyond.

The writer is a vintage roads and football expert