The Uganda National Roads Authority and the Uganda Road Fund have been dissolved and their features returned to the Ministry of Works and Transport.
This follows the repealing of the Uganda Road Fund Act, 2008 and the Uganda National Roads Authority Act 2006 which created each companies. The growth follows the passing of the Uganda Road Fund (Amendment), Bill, 2024 and Uganda National Roads Authority (Amendment), Bill 2024 by Parliament chaired by Speaker Anita Among on Wednesday, 06 November 2024.
The two Bills, as soon as assented to, will operationalise the 2021 authorities coverage on rationalization, which goals at decreasing duplication of mandates, reduce authorities expenditure whereas guaranteeing high quality service supply.
The Minister for Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala justified the transfer to switch the 2 companies to his ministry saying the creation of the companies was within the first place ill-advised.
“I have no idea the place the idea of making companies got here from. It appears like the concept was to weaken the central authorities. Now that authorities has woken up you’ll maintain us accountable and we are going to ship,” stated Katumba Wamala.
Katumba Wamala assured Parliament that his ministry will welcome employees of the defunct companies saying that nobody shall be defranchised.
“We will not be going to create unemployment; we’re going to validate all staff of UNRA and those that are keen to work below the general public service association are welcome,” he stated.
The State Minister for Works, Hon. Musa Ecweru stated that authorities will guarantee continuity of features of the repealed companies, citing the District Road Committees created below Uganda Road Fund which shall be maintained to supervise street works in native governments.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Hon. Dan Kimosho who introduced the committee’s stories on the 2 companies, prayed that authorities ensures that funds are availed for street upkeep in native governments, because it was the association below the Uganda Road Fund.
He expressed issues that coordination of the features of the Road Fund would possibly frustrate service supply, since its features shall be unfold throughout authorities our bodies.
By dissolving the Uganda Road Fund, he stated that authorities will save administrative bills value Shs3.8 billion, wage of Shs2.6 billion whereas a price range of over Shs395 billion shall be mainstreamed for street upkeep below the ministry.
On the continuing tasks below UNRA, Kimosho requested authorities to make sure minimal disruption, conduct thorough contract evaluations to determine restrictive clauses, renegotiate contracts and make plans to mitigate potential tasks suspension and penalties.
“The committee noticed that a few of the current contracts comprise clauses that bind authorities to a selected implementing company, notably UNRA. Any deviation from the contractual phrases, together with switch of tasks to various companies might set off extreme penalties similar to partial or full suspension of the undertaking,” he stated.
He singled out the mortgage settlement between authorities and African Development Bank for Laropi-Moyo-Afoji and Katuna-Muko-Kamuganguzi roads as a few of the contracts that should be adopted up diligently.
The committee requested for a transitional administration interval of three years to make sure seamless switch of UNRA’s features to the ministry, noting that it’s going to allow the ministry to soak up UNRA’s duties, mitigate potential disruptions, and assure uninterrupted street growth and upkeep.
