Nabbanja decries shoddy road works by gov’t engineers 

The Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja has tasked government engineers and officials at the ministry of Works and Transport to prioritize quality and value for money while implementing construction projects, especially transport infrastructure in the country.

MS Nabbanja made the remarks while officiating at the third review of the Integrated Transport Infrastructure and Services (ITIS) programme in Kampala on Wednesday. The premier decried the shoddy works by engineers on a number of government infrastructural development projects, particularly roads and bridges.

She emphasized that the ministry should not only advocate for an increase of its budget, but must also be on a lookout to ensure that the allocated funds are used to deliver quality and reliable transport infrastructures in the country.

“We need quality and value for money, for example, my district (Kakumiro) was of recent hit by floods but the bridge that was constructed on River Kanyangaro in 1962 managed to withstand the water pressure and it is still there, but a number of those that were constructed recently were washed away,” Ms Nabbanja said.

“Do we still have engineers? Where are those engineers who constructed the 1962 bridge which managed to withstand the recent flood pressures?” She queried before adding that; “the ministry has to pull its socks. The engineers we have must appreciate this challenge because this is not the first time I have raised it.”

The ITIS is a government programme that looks at achieving a cohesive development of the transport sector through ensuring a safe, inclusive and sustainable multi-modal transport system in the country.

The programme is currently implemented under the ministry of Works and Transport and it is being co-funded by the government, World Bank and other partners. Since its launch in the Financial Year (FY) 2020-2021 to date, over Shs13, 000 billion have been invested in various projects, including road construction and rehabilitation, fighting road carnages, improving water transport, railway systems and air transport operations.

According to the ITIS performance report for FY2023-2023 that was released by the government on Wednesday, at least 55 kilometres (km) of national roads were rehabilitated around the country while six bridges and over 45km of urban roads were completed in the same financial year.
“In the Air transport field, cumulative construction works for Kabalega International Airport is at 92 percent completion and the construction of car park and upgrade of taxiway links to bituminous surface at Arua Airfield are at 65 percent completion,” the ITIS performance report for FY2023-2023 read in part.

The report further highlights the major achievements of ITIS in the water transport sector, such as the ongoing construction of two Search and Rescue (SAR) centres at Kaazi and Kaiso landing sites on Lake Victoria and Albert respectively, among others.
“In the Railway transport sector, rehabilitation works on the 220.9km Mataba-Mukono railway line have been completed. 20, 000 concrete sleepers were manufactured and 4, 000 tonnes of rails were purchased in the FY2022/2023,” the Works ministry revealed in the report.

Against the above achievements, Ms Nabbanja re-echoed the government’s commitment to invest heavily in elevating the status of the transport sector, especially in terms of infrastructures development and purchase of equipment.
“The government of Uganda recognises the notable progress registered under the ITIS programme. This improvement in terms of quality infrastructure have enhanced competitiveness of our products on the markets and created more wealth to Ugandans,” she said.

Speaking at the event, the state minister for works, Musa Ecweru reiterated that the ITIS programme has been pivotal in creating a platform of interaction for various departments and agencies within the transport sector, hence enabling them to plan, strategize and implement transport projects in a joint manner.

“The ITIS programme is bringing together all those sectors that are handling issues of road, air, water and railway transport. Under ITIS, they can conduct a joint evaluation on the implementation status of the government’s commitment in the transport sector and also draft the implementation plans,” he said.

Regarding the shoddy works on roads, Mr Ecweru noted that: “The issue of quality is no longer a major challenge, but the main issue is now maintenance of the roads amidst limited resources which are allocated for the maintenance works, especially in Kampala Metropolitan.”

This financial year, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) budget was reduced to Shs240b from Shs169b which was allocated to the city authority in the last financial year. The current budget shortfall has crippled the authority's efforts to improve the road networks in the capital city, according to KCCA leaders.