8 June 2010 Last updated at 13:04 ET

Uganda 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.

The BBC's Joshua Mmali says 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 told the BBC 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."

Embarrass

The handful of protesters said 8 June should be marked as National Pothole Day.

"We are calling upon the powers to solve this mess," protest organiser Godfrey Birimumaaso told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

"It's shameful, we're in Kampala, the heart of Uganda," he said.

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.

Our reporter says the group created a spectacle in their attempt to embarrass Kampala City Council.

Motorists and bus commuters driving by shouted their approval.

But our correspondent says the passing of the buck over road maintenance in the capital is likely to continue as some see it as a political game to shift voters' allegiances.