KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the dismissal of six engineers from the Ministry of Works and Transport over their alleged involvement in the mismanagement of major road infrastructure projects, Works Minister Fred Byamukama has told Parliament.
Byamukama made the revelation while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure chaired by Mbarara City South MP Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, where he said he had received a directive from the President instructing the removal of the engineers.
The minister said the affected officials include engineers linked to troubled projects such as the Busega–Mpigi Expressway, Mityana and Fort Portal roads.
“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 MPs.
He added that investigations were ongoing against several other technical officers, with some already recording statements before the Inspectorate of Government (IGG).
According to the minister, even former government employees who left service are being investigated over alleged irregularities surrounding delayed projects and rising construction costs.
“The people who are suspected were implicated. That is why you saw the Permanent Secretary 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.
Corruption blamed for stalled projects
Byamukama blamed corruption and bureaucratic delays for the poor performance of several road projects, saying the practices have affected both contractors and government.
He said some officials deliberately delay approvals of designs, certificates and contract variations, actions that eventually increase project costs.
“The issue of corruption has really contributed much to the failure of these projects and has hindered even good contractors from delivering their work,” Byamukama said.
The minister said government was introducing reforms to strengthen accountability and prevent similar challenges in future road projects.
New rules on road contracts
Among the proposed reforms, Byamukama said government will no longer sign road construction contracts unless enough land for the road reserve has been secured.
He said President Museveni had advised that land acquisition should ideally reach about 75 percent before construction begins to avoid costly delays and compensation disputes.
“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.
Busega-Mpigi Expressway under scrutiny
The committee also questioned officials over delays affecting the 23.7-kilometre Busega–Mpigi Expressway, one of Uganda’s major road projects.
The project, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and being constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had achieved about 47 percent physical progress and nearly 50 percent financial progress by June 2026.
The project, which started in November 2019, is now expected to be completed by December 2028, although Byamukama admitted the deadline could still be missed due to ongoing challenges.
“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,” he said.
Government has already spent about Sh547.5 billion on the project and is seeking additional financing after Parliament approved a new AfDB loan. The contractor is also owed about Sh82.1 billion, which has affected construction progress.
MPs demand answers over design changes
During the committee meeting, MPs questioned officials over alleged changes to the original road design, claiming that parts of the route were shifted from dry land into wetlands, increasing costs and triggering compensation disputes.
Committee chairperson Mpaka demanded explanations on who approved the changes and who benefited from the altered designs.
“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 demanded details of consultants involved in the project and payments made during the design stages.
Eng. Isaac Wani, the Commissioner for National Roads at the Ministry of Works and Transport, told MPs that the project had stalled due to delayed payments to the contractor and exhaustion of the initial financing.
He said construction resumed after Parliament approved additional AfDB financing and government made part payments to the contractor.
Wani said the ministry had introduced new procedures requiring officers involved in design changes and contract management to personally approve and take responsibility for their decisions.
“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.
Parliament’s committee is expected to continue investigating several road projects amid concerns over delays, escalating costs and alleged corruption in Uganda’s infrastructure sector.
