Speaker Anita Among has directed the Minister for Works and Transport Gen. Katumba Wamala to present a comprehensive report detailing the status of road projects nationwide within two weeks.
This followed her appeal to the Minister to fasten the initiation of construction activities for the 77 km Kampala-Jinja expressway.
Expressing her frustration during a plenary session on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Among said that despite the approval of funds since 2020, there has been a notable absence of progress.
“Since 2020 nothing has taken place. We were told that the issue is with project affected persons,” she said.
In response, Minister Katumba Wamala acknowledged the stagnation in the expressway project and attributed it to the protracted process of land acquisition and compensation for affected parties.
He elaborated that due to the complex nature of the project, which involves a Public Private Partnership, several stringent procedures must be followed before construction can commence.
The Minister emphasized the necessity of fulfilling various qualifications before advancing the project to its operational phase.
“We are now at the stage of contracting. There are a number of steps which we have to undertake, this is not a simple project, it is a Public Private Partnership and there are so many stages that we have to qualify before it comes to maturity,” said Katumba.
Furthermore, Katumba Wamala elaborated on the challenges faced in acquiring land and compensating affected individuals, stating that over 90% of the affected persons need to be compensated. Additionally, he mentioned the need to resettle individuals who, according to legal regulations, cannot accept monetary compensation, such as the elderly.
“We have to pay more than 90 percent of the project affected persons, we have to resettle people who even by law are not allowed to be resettled. The elderly who are not allowed to take the money we have to prepare for them to have a better life, that takes time.”he further revealed
The Minister informed the assembly that significant progress has been made, particularly in securing a partial risk agreement from the Attorney General, marking a crucial step towards procuring a contractor.
Regarding road maintenance equipment procurement, Katumba Wamala assured lawmakers that the government has acquired all necessary equipment for road maintenance across the country.
However, he noted a delay in completing the procurement due to a remaining balance of Shs6 billion owed to the supplier. Until this outstanding amount is settled, the supplier cannot release all the equipment.