A Douala-based lawyer, in Cameroon’s commercial city, Simon Serge Kack Kack has issued an open letter to Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Minister of Public Works, calling for immediate action to address the country’s deteriorating road infrastructure. The letter demands urgent improvements, warning the Public Works minister that failure to act could lead to legal consequences, including imprisonment.
The lawyer says he is concerned about the worsening condition of key road networks, which he describes as dangerous and a constant cause of fatal accidents. The lawyer said beyond the tragic loss of lives, poor roads hinder economic activity, and prevent citizens from conducting business effectively.
Barrister Kack Kack said the minister’s inaction reflects incompetence. “The economic development of our country and the well-being of Cameroonian citizens are severely impacted by the disastrous state of the road infrastructure for which you are responsible,” his letter reads.
He cited critical routes such as the Douala-Yaoundé and Douala-Bafoussam roads, which pass through major towns like Bafang, Bandja, and Bandjoun. The lawyer noted that these roads are vital for the country’s economic development but have become serious obstacles due to their poor condition.
The Douala-Bafoussam route, in particular, is singled out as a ’cause for concern.’ Kack Kack describes how users are forced to detour through the Bafoussam-Dschang-Santchou-Melong axis to avoid the severely degraded Kekem-Bafoussam section, leading to frequent accidents, especially along the hazardous Santchou cliff.
Kack Kack also criticizes the neglect of roads leading to the Polytechnic School and the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Douala, noting that students and staff are forced to navigate between dust and mud daily.
The lawyer went on to accuse the minister of mismanaging funds allocated for road improvements, labeling this as a criminal offense. He warns that legal proceedings could follow if the situation is not corrected: “If you do not rectify the situation, there is a great risk that you will be imprisoned before the competent courts.”
Kack Kack, however, acknowledges the work of previous public works ministers, citing some well-maintained road networks, such as the Yaoundé-Obala-Bafia-Makenene and Bertoua-Ngaoundéré roads, as examples of effective management in the past.
The letter ends with a stark comparison between the current Public Works Minister and his predecessors, whom the lawyer credits with managing road infrastructure more competently.
