Implementation of road projects under the Ministry of Works and Transport has stalled due to challenges in land acquisition and insufficient counterpart funding.

According to the Undersecretary (Finance and Administration), Barbara Mugambe, the two factors require substantial amounts of resources, which has prompted the ministry to align its borrowing towards funds for civil works separate from funds for land acquisition.

She commended Parliament’s efforts in approving loans for transport infrastructure projects but noted that the ministry does not have adequate resources to cater for all projects.
“Government has moved to change that trajectory, which is why we are borrowing money for civil works as well as money for land acquisition under the 127km Jinja-Mbulamuti-Kamuli-Mukungu road and 10km of Jinja City roads. This will help us to curb shortages regarding land acquisition,” Mugambe said.

She revealed this during an interface with the Committee on National Economy where the ministry presented a report on the status of all externally funded projects.

The report indicated that projects including the 23.7km Busega-Mpigi Expressway, 191km Rwenkunye-Apac-Lira-Puranga road and improvement of 11.45km of national roads in refugee hosting areas of West Nile sub-region were encumbered by delayed land acquisition caused by inadequate budget allocation and ownership disputes.

For projects like the 92km Kampala-Jinja Expressway Project, only 4,519 project affected persons (PAPs) out of 16,000 have been compensated to a tune of Shs502.9 billion.
“Out of the outstanding balance, the ministry has been provided with Shs338 billion for the Financial Year 2026/2027,” reads the report in part.

The report also indicated that implementation of the Bukasa Port Development Project valued at Euros50 million, is faced with a challenge of project affected persons that have failed to vacate the area until they are given land to resettle as promised by the President in 2023.

The Committee Chairperson, Hon. Jane Avur noted that continued delays on transport infrastructure projects are straining their financing.
“Why do the technocrats in the ministry push for projects for financing when you know that the critical things that should be prioritised, have not been done. Why do you want to get finances first and then work backwards,” Avur queried.

Hon. David Okwere (NRM, Bukedea County) raised concerns over 13 road works that have been abandoned adding that some roads that have been developed do not last up to their projected lifespan.
“We have discovered that many roads are being damaged by heavy cargo trailers. The Ministry of Works established weigh bridges and I want to know if they work or not. How well do you supervise implementation of these projects?” Okwere asked.

Gulu City Woman Representative, Hon. Betty Aol urged the ministry to promote the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) policy.
“When are we going to start involving local contractors in some of these projects and build their capacity?” Aol asked.

Eng. Isaac Wani, the Commissioner in charge of National Roads explained that design reviews impact on project timelines, noting that they are undertaken in the period between completion of the project design and acquisition of funds for construction.
“For example, design for the Nebbi-Goli road was completed in 2019 but funds came in 2025, which means we spent nine years looking for funds for construction. If a design delays for five years, it will have to be updated because characteristics like traffic-usage have changed overtime,” Wani said.

He added that externally funded projects are based on development partner procurement guidelines which do not often support the BUBU policy adding that local contractors are hired under government funded projects.
On concerns over abandoned projects, Wani explained that these transitioned from the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) during the rationalisation process to the Ministry.
“The Ministry of Works and Transport presented papers to Ministry of Finance and we managed to get supplementary funding, so most of these projects have resumed and works are ongoing. The main issue was that contractors had not been paid, but this has since been resolved,” he said.