Govt set to resume mandatory vehicle inspection in April

The Ministry of Works and Transport has announced that it is finalising staff training and has acquired all the necessary equipment for the mandatory motor vehicle inspection, which is set to resume next month.

Speaking at the opening of the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority multilateral meeting at Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala on Monday, Mr Waiswa Bageya, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, said: “We have acquired all the stations which previously belonged to SGS. We are training our staff to run them, and we hope to start the mandatory motor vehicle inspection at the beginning of April.”

Mr Bageya, who is also the chairperson of the Northern Corridor Executive Board, said the Northern Corridor is a multimodal transport initiative aimed at ensuring the smooth movement of goods and services for six African countries that rely on the Port of Mombasa for imports.

He explained that the initiative, spearheaded by Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), focuses on developing integrated transport networks — including water, air, road, and rail systems — to facilitate seamless trade across the region.

In Uganda, the government has begun rehabilitating the meter-gauge railway from Kampala to Mukono, while repairs on the Mukono-Malaba and Tororo-Gulu lines have also been completed.

This will enable countries such as South Sudan and DRC to transport imports via rail from the Gulu logistics hub.

Bageya also noted that Kenya has refurbished the Mombasa Port and expanded the Kisumu Port. However, for Uganda to fully benefit, a major inland port is needed between Kisumu and Kampala, which is why the government is currently constructing Bukasa Port in Kampala.

Dr John Deng Diar Diing, the executive secretary of the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority, said the Northern Corridor serves as a vital economic link for East and Central Africa, supporting trade, investment, and regional integration.

He said to ensure the efficient movement of goods from Mombasa to member states, countries must harmonise their transport policies.

He highlighted several infrastructure projects supported by the authority, including the 940-kilometer Mbarara-Kisangani road, the Nadapal-Turkana road linking South Sudan to Kenya, and the Moroto-Lokiriama-Lodwar road connecting Uganda to Kenya.

He added that the authority has facilitated the harmonisation of standard-gauge railway policies between Uganda and Kenya to enable seamless cross-border rail operations. It has also assisted Kenya in securing financing for the Naivasha-Malaba and Naivasha-Kisumu SGR extensions.

Mr Diing said the authority played a role in discussions between Uganda and Kenya on the development of modern ports at Kisumu, Port Bell, and Jinja to enhance maritime trade.

Despite these advancements, Uganda continues to face high road traffic accident rates—the highest in the region. Contributing factors include poor road conditions, vehicles in dangerous mechanical states, and driving under unsafe conditions.

Background 

The government in 2023 formally inked a multi-billion settlement agreement with Swiss firm Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), bringing an end to a contentious inspection deal plagued by conflicts and corrution.

The resolution marked the conclusion of a more than decade-long chapter that has incurred significant financial losses for taxpayers.

Taxpayer funds were already lost in structuring the moribund deal, navigating conflicts, and investigating corruption allegations, including by Parliament, the Inspectorate of Government, and PPDA.