Hundreds of passengers were stranded in Karuma Town on Monday night as bus operators plying Kampala-Gulu Road abandoned the alternative routes proposed for heavy-traffic diversion following the closure of Karuma Bridge.

They said the alternative Kafu-Masindi-Paraa-Pakwach road has introduced additional costs and has caused inconveniences to their passengers.
A driver who asked to remain anonymous told our reporters that he needs additional 50 litres of fuel to drive on the alternative route, adding that the stretch from River Kafu to Gulu through Masindi to Pakwach is longer by about 100 kilometres, adding that he covers between three and four kilometres on a litre of diesel, depending on the load.
Government closed the bridge to lorries, buses and trailers as early as 6am on Monday. However, security agencies enforcing the heavy-duty traffic diversion directives could be seen clearing vehicles with a minimum of 28 passengers to access other parts of the country via the critical River Nile crossing on Kampala-Gulu highway.
Accordingly, automobiles categorised as heavy-duty were asked to make better use of alternative paths as directed by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
For instance, those plying Kampala-Gulu or West Nile were diverted at River Kafu via Masindi town onwards to Paraa and exit onto the Pakwach-Karuma thoroughfare at Tangi gate.
The alternative route for motorists from Lira heading to Kampala is Lira-Dokolo-Soroti-Kumi-Pallisa-Tirinyi-Nakalama through Iganga onwards to Kampala via Jinja or vice versa if coming from the capital, Kampala.
However, those plying between Arua-Pakwach-Kampala route via Paraa and Masindi will sigh of relief from avoiding the longer and jagged Pakwach-Karuma stretch, potentially saving time and wear and tear to the vehicles.
Theirs is, however, a catch: The road between Tangi and Kichumbanyobo, the northwestern and southern gates into Paraa section of Murchison Falls National Park is about 80 kilometres, but a strictly enforced 40-kilometres-per-hour speed limit means the trip takes a minimum of two hours despite the road being newly paved.