KAMPALA — President Yoweri Museveni has fired six engineers serving in the Ministry of Works and Transport as his government steps up efforts to hold public officials accountable for delays and alleged irregularities affecting Uganda’s major road infrastructure projects.
The decision was disclosed by Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure, chaired by Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, the Member of Parliament for Mbarara City South.
Addressing MPs, Byamukama revealed he had received a communication from the President directing that six engineers be removed from their positions.
The officials, he said, were attached to high-profile road projects, while additional technical personnel remain under investigation over suspected misconduct that has contributed to project delays and increased construction costs.
“As I was leaving my office this morning, I saw a letter from the President sacking six engineers, including a few I am seeing on this front bench, on projects such as Busega-Mpigi, Mityana and Fort Portal roads,” Byamukama told the committee.
The minister explained that the investigations extend beyond those already dismissed. He said several engineers are currently appearing before the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) to record statements, while former ministry officials are also being investigated following guidance issued by President Museveni.
“The people who are suspected were implicated. That is why you saw the Permanent Secretary [Bageya Waiswa] being interdicted. We have a number of engineers recording statements at the IGG, and even those who left government are being investigated following the President’s guidance,” he said.
According to Byamukama, corruption has played a central role in undermining implementation of government-funded road projects. He told MPs that some officials intentionally frustrate project execution by delaying approvals for engineering designs, payment certificates and contract variations, actions that ultimately increase construction costs and affect contractors’ performance.
“The issue of corruption has really contributed much to the failure of these projects and has hindered even good contractors from delivering their work. Some delays are deliberately created in approving designs, processing certificates and handling contract variations, eventually increasing the cost of projects,” Byamukama said.
The minister also outlined changes intended to strengthen management of future infrastructure projects. He said the ministry will no longer enter into road construction contracts before acquiring a substantial portion of the required right of way, adding that President Museveni has advised that land acquisition should ideally reach 75 percent before works begin.
“There will be no signing of road contracts unless the right of way has substantially been secured. We must stop exposing government to unnecessary claims arising from delayed land acquisition,” he said.
The committee devoted significant attention to the Busega–Mpigi Expressway, a project that has repeatedly fallen behind schedule because of funding shortages, land acquisition disputes and concerns over changes made to its original design.
Records presented by the ministry showed that the 23.7-kilometre expressway, financed through the African Development Bank (AfDB) and being constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had reached 47.15 percent physical progress and 49.44 percent financial progress by June 2026.
Although construction commenced in November 2019, completion is now projected for December 2028. Byamukama, however, cautioned that even the revised timeline may prove difficult to meet.
“We must be honest. Even after 2028, we may not complete depending on the challenges we have seen. However, the contractor is doing good work and government is committed to ensuring the project progresses,” Byamukama said.
Government has so far spent Sh547.5 billion on the expressway and is processing additional funding after Parliament approved another loan from the African Development Bank. Byamukama said outstanding payments of approximately Sh82.1 billion owed to the contractor have slowed the pace of construction.
“I personally met the contractor and officials from the AfDB because we wanted work to resume. This is an important project and it must move regardless of the challenges we inherited,” he said.
Lawmakers intensified their scrutiny of the Busega–Mpigi Expressway by raising concerns over alterations to the project’s original design. Members of the committee questioned why sections that had initially been planned on dry land were later redirected through wetlands, arguing that the changes had increased construction costs and complicated land compensation.
Committee chairperson Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama demanded that ministry officials account for the decisions behind the revised alignment and identify those who authorized the changes, as well as the ownership of land affected by the new route.
“We want to know who changed the design. The original alignment was on dry land, but somebody changed it into the wetland. We also want to know who owned the land titles in the swamp and who approved those changes,” Mpaka said.
The committee also requested comprehensive information on the consultants who participated in the project’s design process, together with details of payments made during that phase. MPs argued that the design modifications had contributed to significant increases in the overall cost of the project and wanted to establish how the decisions were made.
Responding to the committee, the Commissioner for National Roads at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Eng. Isaac Wani, attributed the suspension of construction works to financial constraints rather than engineering challenges.
He explained that work had stalled after the contractor went unpaid and the funding secured under the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) had been exhausted.
“The project was suspended because of two reasons. First, the contractor had not been paid under the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). Secondly, the original loan had been fully utilised, and there was uncertainty over additional financing,” Wani told MPs.
According to Wani, progress resumed after Parliament approved additional financing from the African Development Bank, enabling government to release part of the outstanding payments owed to the contractor.
He further told lawmakers that the ministry has revised its internal procedures governing road designs and contract administration in an effort to strengthen accountability and ensure responsibility for future decisions can easily be traced.
“We now have regulations and a design policy that clearly assigns responsibility. Going forward, every officer involved in approving design changes will sign off on their respective responsibilities so there is no ambiguity over who made which decision,” he said.
However, Wani acknowledged that ministry officials had not appeared before the committee with historical records relating to earlier design changes or consultant payments. The omission prompted legislators to direct the ministry to furnish all the relevant documents before the parliamentary inquiry is concluded.
Additional reporting: Courtesy
