IGG clears Works PS Bageya, orders interdiction of engineer Wani over Mpigi expressway

The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Lady Justice Naluzze Aisha Batala, has cleared ministry of Works and Transport permanent secretary Waiswa Bageya of wrongdoing in the escalation of costs for the Busega–Mpigi Expressway.

Naluzze has instead ordered the interdiction of a senior roads engineer pending further investigations. In a statement, the Inspectorate of Government (IG) said investigations established that Bageya was not involved in the earlier decisions that led to the project’s cost escalation.

The IGG has consequently directed the head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Ruth Nakyobe Mbonye, to allow him to resume duty.

The IGG also directed Bageya to interdict Isaac Wani, the commissioner for National Roads, over his alleged role in the controversy.

Investigations established that Wani was serving as director of network planning and engineering at the defunct Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) when the decisions that contributed to the cost escalation were made. His interdiction is intended to facilitate further investigations into his alleged involvement.

Bageya has also been directed to make interim arrangements to ensure the uninterrupted discharge of the office’s responsibilities during Wani’s interdiction.

The Busega–Mpigi Expressway is a major infrastructure project intended to ease congestion along the Kampala–Masaka highway and improve connectivity between Kampala and western Uganda.

The project comprises an approximately 23.7-kilometre, four-lane expressway, access roads and supporting infrastructure, including interchanges, bridges, drainage systems and tolling facilities.

According to the Auditor General, UNRA signed a construction contract worth Shs 547.543 billion on June 18, 2019, before adequate detailed designs and engineers’ estimates had been completed to support the contract amount.

By March 2023, the project’s estimated cost had risen to Shs 1.35 trillion, which the Auditor General attributed to inadequate design preparations at the time the contract was awarded.

The ministry of Works and Transport has also attributed the increase to changes in the road’s design and scope, including realignment, additional interchanges and other infrastructure. Works minister Fred Byamukama has said the total cost could reach approximately Shs 2 trillion upon completion of the project and associated additional works.

The ministry has estimated the expressway itself at about Shs 1.3 trillion, while a proposed Busega Systems Interchange could require a further Shs 700 billion.

Although the construction contract was signed in 2019, work commenced in 2020 following delays associated with project preparations and approvals. The expressway was initially expected to be completed in 2023, but the deadline has repeatedly been extended because of funding constraints, land acquisition and compensation disputes, design changes and delayed payments to the contractor.

The Auditor General’s report for the financial year ended June 2024 showed that the original funds available for civil works had been exhausted by May that year, when physical progress stood at 40.86 per cent. By the end of June 2024, certified works worth Shs 30.8 billion remained unpaid.

Construction subsequently stalled because of funding constraints before resuming in 2026 after additional financing was secured. In October 2025, Parliament approved additional financing of approximately Shs 781 billion from the African Development Bank and Shs 117 billion from the African Development Fund to facilitate completion of the expanded project.

By June 2026, physical progress had reached 47.15 per cent, according to figures presented by the ministry of Works and Transport to Parliament. The ministry has indicated that completion is expected by December 2028, although officials have cautioned that further delays remain possible.

The project has attracted scrutiny over allegations that changes to the original road alignment and design contributed to rising costs and additional compensation claims.

In July 2026, the IGG conducted an on-site inspection to establish the circumstances surrounding the redesign and the increase in the project’s estimated cost from approximately Shs 600 billion to Shs 1.3 trillion.

The Inspectorate said the inspection was intended to gather evidence for investigations into alleged embezzlement of funds allocated to the expressway and its access roads.

The inquiry has also examined whether changes to the road alignment and project scope were properly authorised and justified by engineering requirements.

The government has previously raised concerns that sections of the road were redirected through swampy areas, resulting in additional engineering works and compensation obligations. These concerns remain subject to investigation.

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