Africa-Press – Uganda. Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday grilled the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, and the State Minister for Finance in-charge of General Duties, Mr Henry Musasizi, demanding urgent explanations for the continued stagnation of road construction, rehabilitation, and upgrading projects in their constituencies. This is despite these roads being part of approved government plans with allocated budgets. The MPs’ frustration was sparked after both ministers tabled reports on the status of national road infrastructure projects and their funding. The lawmakers, referring to a recent presidential directive on prioritising roadworks, accused the two ministries of failing to align with this order and questioned their accountability.
Just a day prior, President Museveni had publicly addressed the state of the country’s roads. He said he had directed the Ministry of Works and Transport to fix the budgeting inconsistencies that were stalling road construction and maintenance projects. In light of this, MPs expected clarity from the two ministers but were met instead with what many described as vague and disappointing responses. Gen Katumba Wamala informed Parliament that some roadworks were ongoing across various regions, citing progress on roads such as Kyegegwa-Kyenjojo, Nebbi-Arua, and Ntungamo-Kagamba-Rukungiri. “We are moving our unit from Jinja Road to begin work on the Kyegegwa-Kyenjojo road. China Railway 18 has started forward maintenance on Nebbi-Arua. Kikolongo-Mpondwe is also under maintenance by the contractor,” he said.
He added that Ntungamo-Kagamba-Rukungiri could still be salvaged with resurfacing, and that a contractor had been secured for Ishaka-Mbarara and Mbarara-Ibanda roads. However, Gen Katumba conspicuously omitted the funding status of 27 major roads, which, in a session the previous week, he had said were suspended due to lack of funds. In that earlier appearance, he had revealed that the ministry had submitted a funding request of Shs3.153 trillion for the fiscal year, but received only Shs682 billion, resulting in a shortfall of Shs2.472 trillion—only 22 percent of what was required. “Out of Shs3.153 trillion, Shs2.082 trillion was intended for ongoing works, land acquisition, and counterpart obligations. The remaining Shs1.071 trillion was for arrears, including commercial interest and unpaid contractor claims from FY2024/2025,” Gen Katumba stated.
Finance offers little assurance
Following Gen Katumba’s remarks, MPs turned to Mr Musasizi, hoping he would offer clarity or a firm funding commitment in light of the President’s directive. Mr Musasizi stated that Shs1.14 trillion had been released to the Ministry of Works in the first quarter, although only Shs123.7 billion had so far been advanced for spending. He added that the rest of the funds were “available upon request.” “The budget remains inadequate for the scope of rehabilitation and construction required, but we are working with the Works ministry to identify more funds and push ongoing projects,” he said.
This explanation did little to appease the MPs, many of whom viewed the remarks as evasive and disconnected from the reality on the ground. Several MPs voiced their anger, accusing the two ministries of ignoring President Museveni’s directive and showing disregard for the crumbling state of Uganda’s roads. Mr Patrick Nsamba Oshabe (NUP, Kassanda North) was particularly vocal. “The minister of Works came and alarmed the country, saying roads won’t be worked on due to a lack of money. Then the President responded by ordering prioritisation. What we need now is to hear how much money has been allocated since that directive,” he said. MPs raised specific concerns about key road projects in their districts, many of which have seen no progress despite earlier government assurances.
Mr Karim Masaba (Industrial Division, Mbale City – Independent), said: “There has been no progress on the 150km Tororo-Mbale-Soroti road. Also, the 21km Mbale-Nkokonjeru Wanale project remains untouched.” Ms Joanne Okia (Woman MP, Madi-Okollo) said: “A directive to upgrade the Pakwach-Rhino Camp-Difure road was given in 2023, but to date, nothing has been done.” Ms Margaret Lwamaka (Chua East): said: “The Kitgum-Kidepo tourism road has been in the budget since 2017. We’re yet to see tarmac from Konalawo to Kidepo. Tourists are now getting stuck there.”
BACKGROUND
In a statement on Tuesday, President Museveni directed the Ministry of Works and the entire government to urgently rectify the underfunding of the road sector. He noted that while the sector needs Shs3.21 trillion to maintain tarmac and murram roads nationwide, the current budget of Shs5.9 trillion—which also covers major projects like the Standard Gauge Railway and Uganda Airlines—is inadequate. He instructed that roads be prioritised immediately to address the deteriorating infrastructure and restore public confidence.
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