The Inspectorate of Government has cleared Ministry of Works and Transport Permanent Secretary Bageya Waiswa to resume work while ordering the immediate interdiction of National Roads Commissioner Engineer Isaac Wani pending investigations into the escalating cost of the Busega-Mpigi Expressway, a multibillion-shilling project whose original contract has more than doubled.
Inspector General of Government Naluzze Aisha Batala communicated the decision to Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, saying investigations had established that Waiswa was not involved in the earlier decisions that led to the cost increases.
“Investigations conducted by the Inspectorate of Government on the cost escalations of the construction of Busega-Mpigi Expressway project established that Mr. Bageya was not involved in the earlier decisions that resulted in the escalations,” the Inspectorate said in a statement dated October 23, 2026.
The clearance follows scrutiny of the 23.7-kilometre expressway, whose original construction contract of Shs547.543 billion has risen to more than Shs1.3 trillion.
The Inspectorate said the project was transferred to the Ministry of Works and Transport in 2024 from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) under the government’s Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) exercise.
Investigators found that Waiswa initiated technical audits, funding approval and procurement processes after the transfer, with the stated aim of getting the project back on track.
“The IGG has cleared Mr. Bageya of any wrongdoing,” the statement said.
The decision places Wani, who was Director of Network Planning and Engineering at UNRA when the project costs were escalated, under investigation over his alleged involvement in the decisions that preceded the increases.
“The IGG has directed the Permanent Secretary in the MoWT to immediately interdict Eng. Isaac Wani, the Commissioner National Roads, to pave the way for investigations into his alleged involvement in the escalation of the costs of the same project,” the statement said.
The ministry has also been directed to make interim arrangements to ensure that the commissioner’s office continues operating during the interdiction.
“The PS has further been directed to make interim arrangements to ensure the uninterrupted discharge of the office during the period of interdiction,” the statement added.
The interdiction is an administrative measure to facilitate investigations and does not amount to a finding that Wani committed wrongdoing. The Inspectorate has not announced the outcome of the inquiry into his alleged role in the cost escalation.
A road project under scrutiny
The investigation comes amid mounting questions about how a project originally contracted for Shs547.543 billion grew to more than Shs1.3 trillion before completion.
The Auditor General traced the increase to Shs1.35 trillion by March 31, 2023, citing inadequate detailed designs at the time the contract was awarded.
The construction contract was signed by UNRA and a joint venture of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway 19th Bureau Company Limited on June 18, 2019, without the engineer’s estimates and detailed designs needed to support the contract sum.
The Auditor General’s report stated: “UNRA, on June 18, 2019, entered a contract with the contractor for civil works for the construction of Busega-Mpigi expressway at a contract sum of Shs547.543 billion without the engineer’s estimates and detailed designs to support the contract amount.”
The absence of complete designs meant that work could not proceed as planned. The government was subsequently exposed to additional costs, including payments for contractors’ idle equipment and personnel.
UNRA had been paying contractors at least Shs300 million a day for idle time by the time the authority was wound up, although it was unclear how much the Busega-Mpigi contractors had received under that arrangement.
The project also underwent design changes and realignment, including the introduction of interchanges and additional concrete works that were not included in the original bills of quantities.
One proposed realignment took the road through a swamp and increased its length by at least three kilometres. Ministry officials differed on whether the changes would ultimately increase costs or save money by avoiding compensation and resettlement expenses.
At the time, Waiswa said the redesign and realignment were being examined by a technical team appointed by the then Works and Transport minister, General Edward Katumba Wamala.
“The minister has appointed a technical team to review that alignment and establish what could have happened and advise the ministry for appropriate action. We are waiting for the report,” Waiswa said in 2025.
The Auditor General also reported that by May 2024, the original civil works contract funds had been exhausted while physical progress stood at 40.86 per cent. Certified works worth Shs30.8 billion remained unpaid, and 1,527 project-affected persons were reportedly awaiting at least Shs51 billion in land compensation.
Parliament raises more questions
The cost increases have also drawn scrutiny from Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure.
In an August 8, 2026, report, documents examined by the committee showed that the project’s cost had reached Shs1.308 trillion, representing a 139.1 per cent increase over the original contract. The committee’s preliminary analysis identified inflation, expanded project scope, alignment changes, design deficiencies and procurement initiated before revised designs were completed and approved as contributing factors.
The committee, chaired by Mbarara City South MP Mwine Mpaka, had prepared several questions for officials and other parties connected to the project. However, the inquiry was halted after the committee was advised to consult the Speaker because other agencies, including security institutions, were investigating the matter.
“We have 202 questions which we believe should have been answered to guide us in who exactly is culpable,” Mpaka said.
The planned interviews were expected to cover officials from the Ministry of Finance, former UNRA managers and board members, project managers, the African Development Bank, design and supervision consultants, quantity surveyors and procurement officials.
The committee’s findings also raised questions about the original design, which reportedly lacked complete interchanges, toll facilities and link roads. Subsequent changes expanded the scope without corresponding funding arrangements, contributing to a procurement process that began before the revised design was finalised.
In March 2026, Parliament separately reported that the contractor had initially lodged claims worth Shs578 billion over delays and idle equipment. Works Minister Edward Katumba Wamala (who was later transferred to head Public Service Ministry) told lawmakers that negotiations had reduced the claims to Shs78 billion.
The figures have prompted concern about the final amount taxpayers may have to meet. In August, the Works ministry warned that the project could eventually cost at least Shs2 trillion if completed in its current form. That figure was a projection, not the confirmed contract value at the time.
IGG investigation
The Inspectorate of Government has been conducting its own inquiry into alleged embezzlement of funds allocated to the expressway.
In July 2026, the IGG announced that Batala had inspected the project site to gather evidence about its redesign, cost escalation and alleged misuse of funds. The Inspectorate said the visit was intended to help establish whether the increases were justified and in the public interest.
The Inspectorate had also directed the suspension of engineers Edwin Raymond Kiyaga and Dickens Ahimbisibwe over allegations of embezzlement linked to the expressway and its access roads. The allegations remain subject to investigation.
In directing Wani’s interdiction, Batala cited Article 230(2) of the 1995 Constitution and Section 13(6) of the Inspectorate of Government Act, Cap 32, which empower the Inspector General to issue orders and directions considered necessary in the exercise of the office.
“The Inspector General of Government may, during the course of his or her duties or as a consequence of his or her findings, make such orders and give such directions as are necessary and appropriate in the circumstances,” the statement quoted the law as saying.
The Inspectorate said an officer under investigation should be prevented from exercising the powers of the office where continued service could interfere with inquiries.
“Public interest demands that while investigations against an officer are ongoing, he or she should be suspended from exercising the powers and functions of the office to avoid interference with the investigations,” the statement said.
The immediate outcomes are therefore different for the two senior officials: Waiswa has been cleared to return to work after investigators found he was not involved in the earlier decisions behind the cost escalation, while Wani has been ordered to step aside as the inquiry examines his alleged involvement during his tenure at UNRA.
The Inspectorate has not disclosed the final findings on Wani’s alleged role, nor has it provided a final determination of the amount of public money lost, if any, through wrongdoing on the project.
Meanwhile, fake graves and ghost houses were discovered in Nakawuka as officials connived to make government cough over Shs700bn in compensation, as detailed Here.
