{The two-day blockade of Entebbe Road and other city roads due to the visiting South Korean leader Park Geun-Hye and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have left Kampala city and neighbouring Entebbe Town in heavy traffic snarl-ups with hundreds missing flights, and many others unable to get to their offices.}
South Koeran leader arrived in the country last Saturday and left yesterday after a three-day State visit, while her Turkish counterpart jets in today, for a two-day state visit.
Uganda’s single highway to Entebbe International Airport was closed for most of the day on Sunday, causing a nightmare for motorists, taxi drivers, and airline passengers. According to the police, Entebbe Road will be closed again, as the Turkish president visits.
On Sunday, the police and military police mounted 10 roadblocks to divert traffic to and from Entebbe.
Pictures circulating on social media show passengers with luggage on boda-bodas as they rush to catch various flights.
Some were seen walking to the airport because at some sections, motorcycles and cars had been banned.
On May 26, the police had issued a statement indicating roads that would be closed and asked motorists heading to Entebbe International Airport to plan their journeys well in time to avoid inconveniences.
Passengers miss their flights
Ms Joyce Mcharo, the Kenya Airways country manager, told Daily Monitor they had to keep a flight waiting on Sunday.
“We can, however, only hold the flight for a short while because of the connections some other passengers would have to make in Nairobi,” she said.
Kenya Airways has five daily flights into Entebbe – the highest among airline operating through Entebbe International Airport.
“Unfortunately, some of the people missed their flights yesterday (Sunday). We could only wait for so long. At some point you have to shut the doors,” she added.
Any flight missed often results into a $50 (Shs170,000) fine if a passenger is to be booked on another flight. The cost is incurred by the passenger.
Entebbe, the only country’s only International Airport houses six major airlines daily including – Kenya Airways, Rwanda Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates Airlines, Fast Jet and Fly Dubai, among others.
No airline recorded any flight cancellations on Sunday due to the road closures, but several reported cases of passengers missing their flights.
However, they did not give definite figures.
People who had gone to pick passengers returning from the airport also found trouble finding their way.
“I used the Mukwano road to Queensway but there was already too much traffic. So I turned and I went to Kibuli through Nsambya to Kibuye and that is where all my troubles started.
I asked the police officer where we are meant to pass, she just told me to go ahead to the Busabala road. No one seemed to know where we were going and I had no idea where the alternative routes were,” she told Daily Monitor.
Trouble for some of the motorists was the access roads provided as alternatives that were known to many with some getting lost whereas other got stuck in traffic build ups along the routes.
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