MPs on the committee of Physical Infrastructure have said the manner in which the Busega-Mpigi Expressway contract was awarded may have caused financial loss to the government.
The legislators raised concerns during a meeting with Fred Byamukama, the minister for Works and Transport, and officials from the ministry, arguing that parts of the procurement process appeared to have contravened the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) Act.
Committee chairperson Mwine Mpaka questioned how key stages of the procurement process were completed on the same day.
“How can you sign the contract, receive the Solicitor General’s letter of approval and then award the contract to the contractor all on the same day? This is totally wrong, and you need to explain,” Mpaka said.
The committee also sought clarification on the designs used to procure the project.
Mpaka asked the Commissioner for National Roads, Eng. Isaac Wani, whether the ministry had relied on preliminary designs or detailed engineering designs. Wani responded that the project was procured using detailed designs prepared by the consultant.
He also denied taking part in awarding the contract in 2019, saying he had not yet assumed his current office at the time, although MPs noted that he had served on the project’s planning committee.
Bukoto Central MP Richard Ssebamala said financiers’ procurement rules often take precedence over PPDA regulations but questioned why the pre-financed contracts for the project appeared unusually expensive.
Hoima City Woman MP Asinansi Nyakato urged Byamukama to address corruption within the ministry, alleging that some engineers had been soliciting bribes from contractors.
Bukanga County MP Nathan Byanyima said ministry officials should take responsibility instead of blaming the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), which has since been integrated into the ministry of Works and Transport.
“It looks like we are cursed. Why don’t you go to Nairobi and other neighbouring countries and compare how they implement road projects?” Byanyima asked.
Kole North MP Samuel Opio asked the minister to table the consultant’s reports that informed the increase in the African Development Bank-funded project from about Shs 680 billion to Shs 1.2 trillion.
Bulongugwe MP Gerald Nangoli questioned the wide variation in road design costs, saying some projects were significantly more expensive than others. He called for clear national guidelines to regulate design costs and curb corruption involving engineers and contractors.
Rushenyi MP Naome Kabasharira said delays in completing road projects could increase interest costs on loans obtained from the African Development Bank.
Responding to the concerns, Byamukama admitted that some ministry engineers had mishandled projects and said a number of them had already been interdicted.
He pledged to strengthen accountability and called for the ministry of Finance to play a bigger role in the approval of major road contracts to prevent similar problems in the future.
He also said the ministry had already benchmarked road procurement practices in neighbouring countries.
