The Uganda National Roads Authority and the Uganda Road Fund have been dissolved and their capabilities 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 businesses. 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, decrease authorities expenditure whereas guaranteeing high quality service supply.
The Minister for Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala justified the transfer to switch the 2 businesses to his ministry saying the creation of the businesses was within the first place ill-advised.
“I have no idea the place the idea of making businesses got here from. It seems like the concept was to weaken the central authorities. Now that authorities has woken up you’re going to maintain us accountable and we’ll ship,” stated Katumba Wamala.
Katumba Wamala assured Parliament that his ministry will welcome employees of the defunct businesses saying that nobody can be defranchised.
“We usually are not going to create unemployment; we’re going to validate all staff of UNRA and people who 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 Musa Ecweru stated that authorities will guarantee continuity of capabilities of the repealed businesses, citing the District Road Committees created below Uganda Road Fund which can be maintained to supervise street works in native governments.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Hon. Dan Kimosho who offered the committee’s studies on the 2 businesses, 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 capabilities of the Road Fund would possibly frustrate service supply, since its capabilities can be unfold throughout authorities our bodies.
By dissolving the Uganda Road Fund, he stated that authorities will save administrative bills price Shs3.8 billion, wage of Shs2.6 billion whereas a finances of over Shs395 billion can be mainstreamed for street upkeep below the ministry.
On the continued tasks below UNRA, Kimosho requested authorities to make sure minimal disruption, conduct thorough contract critiques to establish restrictive clauses, renegotiate contracts and make plans to mitigate potential tasks suspension and penalties.
“The committee noticed that a number of the current contracts include clauses that bind authorities to a selected implementing company, notably UNRA. Any deviation from the contractual phrases, together with switch of tasks to various businesses might set off extreme penalties corresponding to partial or full suspension of the mission,” 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 number 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 capabilities to the ministry, noting that it’ll allow the ministry to soak up UNRA’s duties, mitigate potential disruptions, and assure uninterrupted street growth and upkeep.
