Thursday, June 10, 2010

Ugandan protesters fish in potholes

Residents in the Ugandan capital Kampala have been protesting against the state of the roads by going fishing in potholes. The protesters said the poor state of roads causes accidents and increases congestion.

Kampala's roads are in such a bad state that the city has been nicknamed "Kampothole". The capital is an opposition stronghold and the mayor said he is not given enough tax revenue to fix roads.



"To do one kilometre of a tarmac road requires you to have $1m (£660,000)," Mayor Nasser Ntege Ssebagala said. "That's a big problem." The protesters pretended to be fishmongers, selling fish from the large, cavernous, water-filled potholes.

"Five thousand shillings ($2; £1.30) fish - direct from Lake Ssebagala, the mayor of Kampala," they shouted to passing traffic. The group created a spectacle in their attempt to embarrass Kampala City Council. Motorists and bus commuters driving by shouted their approval.

No comments: