Works on Busega-Mpigi expressway set to start

Works on the Busega-Mpigi expressway are expected to commence in November, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has said.
This comes barely two months after the authority awarded the contract to a consortium of Chinese companies, including China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway 19th Bureau Group Company Limited.
Mr Mark Ssali, the UNRA head of corporate communications, said the contractor was currently setting up camps, identifying suitable quarry sites and sourcing materials.
“Everything is set now, the contractor is also bringing in equipment and mobilising personnel ahead of the commencement of work come this November,” Mr Ssali said last week.
However, some project affected persons (PAPs) have expressed mixed reaction regarding the valuation of their property.
“The first team of valuers told us that government would be compensating to enable us shift from where the new road is going to pass. But it is unfortunate that when it came, they gave us very little money compared to what is required to buy another piece of land and construct a house similar to the one I lost,” Ms Shamim Sembatya, a resident in Mpigi Town Council, said.
So far, more than 100 houses have been demolished in Kalagala, Mawonve, Lufuka, Police Centre, Mpami-Bikondo, Ggala, Maziba-Nkonge and Lungala villages.
Mr Joseph Ssengendo, the chairperson of Lungala, said majority of PAPs in the area have already been compensated except those with land cases.
“For those who are not in court, we are awaiting payment and we have high expectations that they will soon be made,” Mr Ssengendo said.
He said some were finally paid after making frequent visits to UNRA head offices for more than a year.
However, Mr Hassan Buyondo, another PAP, expressed satisfaction with the compensation, saying: “I was paid a total of Shs71m in late July which I have used to buy two properties and I expect them to earn me at least Shs700,000 on a monthly basis.”
Ms Milly Lusiisa said she received her compensation in September and she hoped she would be given a three-month grace period to look for another piece of land.
“I have just received my compensation, but I am not certain whether they will allow me to stay for more three months as I look for somewhere to relocate,” Ms Lusiisa said.
Mr Ssali said at least 929 PAPs have so far been evaluated and a total of 754 have already received their compensation.
“Some 393 PAPs are unpaid and most of these are expected to be cleared by the end of the second quarter (December),” he added.
Mr Ssali said at least 11km of the first section of the demarcated route in Mpigi Town Council towards Lungala has so far been secured.
Some PAPs on the demarcated route have started pulling down their houses to pave way for the project.
The new road will pass through 21 villages spread in two town councils (Kyengera and Mpigi) and Kiringete and Wakiso sub-counties.
Other villages where the road will pass include Nakabiso, Kyambizzi-Bulansuku, Kayunga, Mabuye, Nsujjumpolwe, Kololo-Kyeitabya, Muzinda, Katereke, Manja, Masanda, Wakimese, Nkokonjeru and Nabaziza.
The proposed four-lane expressway is among the roads that had been lined up for construction in 2011, but delays to secure funds for the project and procuring a suitable contractor were blamed for holding it back.
Last year, the Inspector General of Government, Justice Irene Mulyagonja, directed the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to investigate the procurement process following numerous whistleblowers’ complaints that the bid documents submitted by CMC Di Ravenna/Advent were inconsistent with the bidder’s name and where the company is registered. Later, PPDA indicated in its report that CMC Di Ravenna/Advent had inconsistencies in its bid documents.

ABOUT PROJECT
The project, which is expected to take 30 months, will cost Shs540b. The proposed 23.7-kilometre expressway starts at Busega and takes a south-western direction to Mpigi Town through several villages and swamps. It will connect to the existing Kampala–Masaka –Mbarara highway which leads to the common border with Rwanda via Mirama Hills and Kagitumba. The expressway will include four major interchanges to facilitate interconnection with roads at designated points at Nabbingo, Nsangi, Maya and Lungala in Wakiso District off both the Northern Bypass and the Entebbe-Expressway whose expansion and construction, separately is ongoing.