Katumba said government will contract a security consultant company to oversee the security of the expressway. Government will light the whole length of the expressway, and ensure there is maintenance of a security detail or patrols and an ambulance service for the expressway.
“Tolling is a new phenomenon in the country. The Tolling Policy was just passed in 2017. However, tolling could not be implemented without amending some sections of the traffic law. The Traffic and Road Safety Act 1998 was amended in 2020. The unit cost for different roads is being worked on by a consultant. We have also come out with a tolling strategy, but it still has to be discussed at a technical level, then with the ministry of Finance, and the figures [fees] will be announced to the public,” Bageya Waiswa, the permanent secretary, complemented.
The minister said their assessment was that the sector achieved 80 percent of its manifesto commitments. Pointing out that for many years, his ministry has had the largest allocation in the national budget, Katumba said there still remains the challenge of not receiving the entire approved budget.
“Please note that whatever is budgeted is not what is approved; and that whatever is approved is not what is [eventually] released every financial year. So, as a sector, across the last five years, we suffered an 18.84 percent budget shortage,” he said. The total budget released was Shs 20,456.987bn (81.16% of what was requested) against a total approved budget of Shs 25,204.420bn. So, the sector realized a budget shortfall of 18.84%,” Katumba said.
SECTOR COMPOSITION AND MANDATE
The minister described the composition of his sector as: ministry of Works and Transport (the sector leader); Uganda National Roads Authority (for management of national roads); Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (for management and regulation of air transport); Uganda Railways Corporation (for management of rail transport); Uganda Road Fund (for financing road maintenance); and Uganda National Airlines Company Limited (aka Uganda Airlines).
The sector is in charge of four modes of transport; namely, road, air, rail and inland water. It is also responsible for the development and regulation of the construction industry.
With the mission, “To promote adequate, safe and well-maintained works and transport infrastructure and services for socio-economic development of Uganda”, the sector bears mandate to: plan, develop and maintain an economic, efficient and effective transport infrastructure; plan, develop and maintain economic, efficient and effective transport services by road, rail, water, air and pipeline; manage public works including government structures; and promote good standards in the construction industry.
Road transport is the most dominant mode of transport used in the country, carrying over 95% of the total traffic (passenger and freight). There is still limited utilisation of air, rail and inland water transport modes for various reasons including underdevelopment of the sub-sectors. However, Katumba said, the sector is keen on promoting multi-modal transport to ensure complementarity among all the four modes to improve connectivity.
SECTOR BUDGET
Based on costs derived from project appraisal reports, feasibility studies, design reports, master plans and signed contracts, the cost estimate for implementing the manifesto commitments totaled Shs 37,013.31bn. Per subsector, this was as follows: road development, Shs 19,286.41bn; air transport, Shs 5,042.10bn; rail transport, Shs 11,947.50bn; and inland water transport, Shs 737.30bn. “However, the sector MTEF for the period 2016/17-2020/21 is Shs 25,172.20bn, thus, a funding gap of Shs 11,841.11bn,” he said.
ROAD TRANSPORT
Road projects in the manifesto period included 27 road construction projects which were completed, adding 1,584.9km to the paved national road network. This represents 78.2% achievement against the target of 2,025km. This included town roads along the major road projects implemented.
In addition, construction of 18 road projects totaling over 1,474.1km is still ongoing. While procurement for the construction of 780km is in advanced stages. The 18 roads are:
- Kigumba-Bulima (93km) -79% completion
- Tirinyi-Pallisa-Kumi/Pallisa-Kamonkoli (111km) – 92%
- Rukungiri-Kihiihi-Ishasha/Kanungu (78km) – 40%
- Kapchorwa-Suam (77km) – 34.5%
- Masindi-Buliisa (85km) – 30%
- Masaka-Bukakata (41km) – 75.6%
- Muyembe-Nakapiripirit (92km) – 5%
- Atiak-Laropi (66km) -14%
- Rwenkunye-Apac (191km)
- Apac-Lira-Puranga (100.1km)
- Najjanankumbi-Busabala (30km)
- Kitala-Gerenge (10km) – 62%
- Selected town roads in Mbarara Municipality (20km) – 85.3%
- Mpigi town roads (20km) – 74.6%
- Masindi Park Junction and Tangi Junction-Para-Buliisa (159km) -70.93%
- Hoima-Butiaba-Wanseko (111km) – 78%
- Buhimba-Nalweyo-Bulamagi & Bulamagi-Igayaza-Kakumiro (93km) – 48.6%
- Design and build of Masindi-Biiso, Hohwa-Nyairongo-Kyarusheesha-Butoole and Kabaale-Kiziranfumbi roads (97km) – 11%.
In addition, 17 offshoots have been constructed and completed on the Gulu-Acholibur-Kitgum-Musingo main town roads project.
Regarding national roads rehabilitation, the sector rehabilitated 820.6km of the national road network, surpassing the manifesto target of 700km by 120.6km. This represents 117.2% achievement.
On construction of expressways within Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area and other urban areas, the sector set out 10 projects to de-congest Kampala city and widen other roads leading to Kampala. These include Kampala – Entebbe Expressway/ Munyonyo (51km) (completed); Kampala-Jinja Expressway (77km) and Kampala Southern By-pass (18km) (under procurement and project appraisal); and Kampala-Mpigi Expressway (32km), which has two sections. The sections are Kibuye-Busega Expressway (10km) (under appraisal by JICA for funding) and Busega-Mpigi Expressway (23km) (works ongoing at 3%).
Other three are: design of Kampala-Bombo Expressway (50km) (detailed design on-going); design of Kampala Outer Beltway (Ggaba–Seeta–Matugga–Wakiso–Nsangi) (64km) (Kira-Matugga section commissioned while detailed designs are ongoing for the other sections); and Kampala Flyover Construction and Road Upgrading Project (contract signed and project commissioned (Phase 1). Works commenced and are at 10% completion equivalent).
The rest are design of Nakasero-Northern Bypass Express Route (VVIP Route) (design is complete, implementation awaits funding); Design of Kampala – Nansana – Busunju Express way (55km) (procurement for design ongoing); design of Kampala – Bujuuko dual carriage way (35km) (procurement of design consultant to commence in FY 2021/22); and Capacity improvement of Kampala Northern Bypass (17.5km) – Phase II (cumulative progress is 87.7%.).
DEVELOPMENT OF BRIDGES
The manifesto committed the sector to complete 18 ongoing bridges and construct 112 new bridges. Seventeen out of the 18 bridges were completed (94% achievement). The remaining bridge (Kasozi bridge linking Ngoma to Buruuli) is yet to be completed.
The 17 are: Source of the Nile Bridge; Nyalit Bridge in Kapchorwa; Seretyo Bridge in Kapchorwa; Apak Bridge in Lira district; Ruboni Bridge to access Mt. Magheritta tourist site; Nyagak Bridge in Nebbi; Cido Bridge in Nebbi; Mitaano Bridge in Kanungu; Nyamugasane Bridge in Kasese; Ntungwe Bridge in Kanungu; Leresi on Butaleja-Budaka Road; Manafwa bridge on Tororo – Mbale Road; Nalakasi Bridge in Karamoja; Lopei Bridge in Karamoja; Bridge on Maliba-Nkenda-Bugoye-Nyakalingigo road; Goli Bridge in Nebbi; and Kabaale Bridge linking Kyankwanzi to Ngoma in Nakaseke.
Sixty out of the 112 bridges have been completed (24 on the National road and 36 on DUCAR networks); this translates to 53.8% achievement. The minister blamed this poor performance on low funding levels.
However, construction works on 46 bridges (41 on National network and five on the DUCAR network) are ongoing at various stages of completion.
ROAD MAINTENANCE
In order to improve maintenance and rehabilitation of the road network, 1,151 pieces of road equipment were procured from Japan, delivered and distributed to the beneficiaries; namely, 121 district LGs, UNRA, KCCA, NEC and Ministry Force Account /Zonal Centers. However, the 14 new districts did not receive equipment.
Over 1,000 equipment operators from all district local governments were trained at regional level. Assessment of the old equipment from China was undertaken. A proposal to redistribute the operational ones to urban councils will be re-submitted to parliament for consideration.
On the manifesto commitment to maintain 2,500km of paved and 10,000km of unpaved roads, Uganda Road Fund disbursed Shs 2,529.21bn over the manifesto period to the designated agencies of UNRA, KCCA and district LGs to undertake various road maintenance interventions, i.e. routine manual, routine mechanized and periodic maintenance, on the national, Kampala City and district roads respectively.
However, this only meets 50% of the road maintenance needs. The sector is in discussions with MoFPED to gradually increase funding for road maintenance. The annual road maintenance requirement has gradually increased from Shs 800bn to Shs 1,200bn. It is worth noting that an increase in the number of kilometres of roads developed, calls for more investment (funds) in their maintenance as well.
AIR TRANSPORT
On the pledge to upgrade Entebbe International Airport, the various components and the overall construction progress is at 80 percent.
Regarding the construction of Kabaale Airport in Hoima, the minister said the Master Plan and Detailed Engineering Designs were completed; a civil works contractor was procured and a commercial contract signed on May 5, 2017. The supervision consultant for development of Kabaale International Airport was procured; and the physical works for the development of the airport (Phase 1) are 57.06% completed.
For the pledge to improve and upgrade aviation services offered by Civil Aviation Authority in the country, including aviation security, the following has been done: increased the departure immigration counters from six to 11 and arrival immigration counters from 14 to 20 booths to reduce long queues at Entebbe airport; installed a modern Terminal Operations Control Center at the airport and a training facility at the UCAA Head office; upgraded the Air Traffic Control Radar and Airspace Management System, giving it an extended life span of 10 more years.
Other actions taken include: Entebbe airport instrument flight procedures were redesigned to meet the new ICAO requirement. In 2017 the Security Audit score was at 81.8%; the Air Traffic Services Message Handling System at Entebbe airport and six upcountry aerodromes of Arua, Kasese, Kisoro, Mbarara, Soroti and Gulu was completed; and construction of the Security Search Park (Phase 1) at Entebbe International Airport works were completed 100%.
On the commitment to develop and upgrade Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Kasese and Soroti airfields, different activities are ongoing at all these five sites, and at different stages.
On the commitment to revitalize and re-equip the East African Civil Aviation Academy, Soroti, recruitment of key training staff was undertaken; the ministry appointed a Management Advisory Task Force to oversee the operations of the academy; maintenance of nine aircraft is being undertaken; and rehabilitation works were done on the Hangar.
In addition, the ministry presented a Cabinet Memo on the ownership of the academy, Cabinet approved the decision to fully take over the academy, and it is working with MoFPED, MEACA and EAC to fully transfer the academy to GOU. The ministry acquired Approved Training Organization (ATO) and Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) certificates. To-date, 73 pilots, 12 aircraft maintenance engineers and 31 flight operations officers have graduated from the academy. Also, rehabilitation works at the E-Library building were completed.
On revival of the national airline, Uganda National Airline Company was registered in January 2018; recruitment of 215 key personnel for the National Airline Company was undertaken, which 171 are Ugandans across its network (this includes pilots and first officers). Government procured and delivered six aircraft: four CRJ900 Bombardier aircraft and two Airbus A330 aircraft.
The airline launched commercial operations flying to nine destinations of Mogadishu, Juba, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Zanzibar and Kinshasa; flights to Johannesburg will start on May 31, 2021.
RAILWAY TRANSPORT
The NRM committed to construct the Standard gauge Railway (SGR) to improve rail transport. The SGR network would comprise of the Eastern (Malaba to Kampala) SGR line, Northern (Tororo to Nimule) SGR line, Western (Kampala to Mpondwe) SGR line and Southern (Bihanga to Mirama Hills) line.
Consequently, an EPC/turnkey contract for the Eastern and Northern routes was signed in March 2015. Addendum No.1 to prioritize the Eastern route (273km) at a contract price of $2.269bn was signed in September 2015. Addendum No.2 to the contract was signed in March 2019. This resulted into reduction of the contract price by $120m from $2.295bn to $2.175bn; an increase in scope of works and change of the gauge from 50 to 60mm/kg.
Negotiations for financing are ongoing; the project was appraised by EXIM Bank of China in September 2017.
Progress on the land acquisition for the Malaba-Kampala (Eastern) route stands as: the entire right of way (RoW) has been surveyed and assessment has been completed for 97% of the entire route; compensation payment to project-affected persons is ongoing between Tororo and Mayuge and parts of Buikwe where valuation reports were approved. Out of Shs 139.35bn compensation estimate for this section, Shs 78.14bn has been paid to 3,955 out of 4,772 PAPs. Acquired land so far is 1,221.35 acres out of 1,545 acres.
Re-assessment for the section between Jinja and Kampala is ongoing; the acquired land was cleared, demarcated and is being protected from encroachers. In order to start the project, government has to acquire the entire stretch of the RoW. However, the process to acquire the rest of the RoW is slow due to limited financing.
Feasibility studies for the Northern, Western and Southern routes were completed, Minister Katumba reported.
GREATER KAMPALA LIGHT RAIL MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM
Progress on the pledge to develop the GKMA Light Rail Mass Transit System is as follows: Preliminary Feasibility Study was prepared; and the project is under review/screening by MoFPED with the objective of determining its most suitable implementation modality.
The manifesto pledged rehabilitation of the metre gauge railway line. Hence, the Southern Route has been revived, i.e. rehabilitated Port Bell-Kampala route (9km) and resumed operations of MV Kaawa. There has been spot improvement of the Kampala–Malaba route (by stabilizing Kampala-Namanve section and repairs on curves on the Nagongera section).
On the rehabilitation works for Tororo-Gulu railway line (375km), civil works and RAP implementation commenced; 7% overall physical progress achieved and 2,190 PAPs verified and disclosed, of which 426 have been compensated. Cabinet approved a loan of Euros 300m. Part of the funds will be used for rehabilitation of Kampala-Malaba route, acquisition of rolling stock and capacity building.
The pledge on restoration of railway passenger services was largely intended to improve traffic flow in GKMA. With an average ridership estimated at 40,000 passengers per month, plans to expand the service across Greater Kampala (i.e. Kampala-Nalukolongo-Bujuuko and Kampala-Port Bell routes) await funding.
For the commitment of construction of Gulu Logistics Hub to serve Northern Uganda, S. Sudan and Eastern DRC, engineering designs were completed and civil works commenced, now at 55% completion.
INLAND WATER TRANSPORT
The manifesto committed government on construction of a new port at Bukasa. Consequently, a Master Plan for the development of Bukasa port was finalized; physical works for the access road are ongoing (85% completed); verification and payment of PAPs commenced (2,005 out of 2,378 PAPs disclosed, verified and 1,286 PAPs compensated); review of Environment and Social Impact Assessment report is ongoing; and procurement of a contractor for startup infrastructure, port dredging and surcharging works is ongoing.
On the modernization of Port Bell and Jinja Pier, engineering designs for both ports were completed. However, they will be reviewed following a decision by Government to develop Bukasa port. Thus, Port Bell will be developed as a passenger port, while Jinja Pier will be developed as a shipyard for Bukasa port.
For the rehabilitation and upgrading of MV Pamba and MV Mwanga, and building a new ship to replace MV Kabalega, the ministry revamped MV Kaawa and it is operational. MV Pamba is under rehabilitation (80% completed) while the rehabilitation of Mwanga and building a new ship to replace MV Kabalega await resources.
To improve navigation safety and security on water, government acceded to eight International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions on safety, security, maritime pollution prevention and training; reviewed and updated the legal framework (The Inland Water Transport Bill was approved by Cabinet and is currently in Parliament. It seeks to strengthen water transport safety management, streamline and better regulate water transport safety and strengthen enforcement).
The procurement for the design and construction of search and rescue centers and shades on Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Albert (i.e Kiyindi, Kaazi, Masese, Namba-emu, Mwena, Lwanika, Zengebe, Panyimur and Kaiso,) is ongoing. Also, procurement for rehabilitation and assembly of a mobile search and rescue vessel at Port Bell is ongoing.
The ministry procured, delivered and distributed 2,400 life jackets to various landing sites; procurement of a motor boat for L. Bunyonyi is ongoing; the contract to rehabilitate the old Fisheries Training Institute to be turned into a Maritime and Fisheries Training Institute as well as upgrade the boat building workshop and construct a community jetty at the same institution is ready for signing.
Various contracts have been signed for the procurement of nine rescue boats, one firefighting boat, ambulance boat and training, and for the supply, installation, commissioning and training for nine meteological buoys.
INTERNATIONAL SAFETY CERTIFICATES
The ministry is working with Classification Societies to strengthen surveys on all the conventional vessels and issue International Safety certificates on behalf of the country. The ministry undertook a Census of Inland Water Transport vessels in nine districts surrounding L. Victoria.
On institutional reforms and establishment of a Maritime Administration, the ministry has established and operationalized a Maritime Department to oversee safety and regulation of inland water transport. Plans to establish a Maritime and Fisheries Training Institute at Namasagali in partnership with Busitema University are ongoing. An MOU has been prepared.
On procurement of ferries and development of landing sites, the status stands as:
- Namasale-Zengebe (MV-Kyoga 2) – Completed and operational.
- Kumi-Katakwi Ferry (Lake Bisina) – Completed and operational.
- Wanseko-Panyimur – Completed and operational.
- Namasale-Lwampanga – Completed and operational.
- Sigulu Island (Bugiri district) – Completed and operational.
- Bukungu-Kagwala-Kaberamaido (BKK): At design review stage while landing site construction is at 15% completion.
- Lake Bunyonyi Ferry – Designs completed and under procurement (in the interim, the procurement of a motorboat is ongoing)
- Ferry for L. Victoria islands (Kyamuswa) – Studies for landing site development are ongoing.
- Ferry for Kikongo-Namoni – Programmed in the medium term.
- Completed studies for the development of landing sites at Ggaba, Lutembe and Butebo.
On maintenance and improvement of all ferry landings, the status is: Kiyindi-Buvuma Ferry and land site construction – Ferry completed and operational; design and build of Wanseko landing site – Physical works at 58%; design and build of Katosi landing site – ongoing; and development of Lutoboka and Nakiwogo landing sites is ongoing.
In addition, regarding Amuru Rhino Camp Ferry supposed to connect Amuru and Arua, preparation of ferry equipment is ongoing (30%) and the landing site construction is at 50% physical progress.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
For the pledge to review and update sector laws and policies, the following was achieved during the period under review: The Tolling Policy, 2017; The Roads Act, 2019; The Civil Aviation Authority (Amendment) Act, 2019; and The Traffic and Road Safety (Amendment) Act, 2020. Additionally, Government successfully transferred the issuance of driving licenses from Face Technologies to Uganda Security Printing Company.
To facilitate faster border crossing and clearance processes and improve cross-border trade and ease the movement of goods and passengers, the ministry undertook construction of one-stop border posts (OSBPs).
Hence Malaba, Busia, Mirama Hills, Mutukula and Elegu OSBPs were completed and are operational; 100% construction works for Malaba exit road were completed; 60% additional works for Malaba OSBP were completed; construction works completed for Katuna OSBP (Phase1) and phase 2 is ongoing at 45%; construction works for Goli OSBP and Ntoroko Port Landing Site commenced and are at 20% and 32% completion respectively; and construction works for Bunagana and Mpondwe OSBPs commenced and are at 10% and 30% completion respectively.
