Uganda, April 17 -- Last week, residents of Namuwongo in suburban Kampala expressed their misgivings about road construction works that have in recent weeks been a major source of discomfort. The residents gave their two cents on Yogera Naffe, a discussion show that airs Thursdays in NTV Uganda's Luganda bulletin.

One common pain point was that closure of roads-moreover in a summary manner-has adversely affected corner shops that rely on motorists to bolster their sales.

The grievances of the Namuwongo residents should not be reduced to a footnote as some would want. State actors, and by extension their project implementors, have always been in the habit of closing roads without the customary formalities.

This can be quite messy as we ...