MPs order audit into Kampala roads cost
A motorist dodges flooded potholes on Seventh Street in Industrial Area, Kampala on December 22, 2022. PHOTO | FRANK BAGUMA
What you need to know:
- ‘‘Why does a road in Kampala cost four times as much as a road in Masaka? There is a big problem and we need to tackle it head-on. There is no way you will defend this,” Thomas Tayebwa, deputy Speaker of Parliament
As Kampala grapples with near unmotorable roads, Parliament has raised the red flag on possible exaggeration of the cost of construction of roads.
It is on these grounds that legislators have called for an audit into the cost of construction of roads under the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
The recommendation is contained in the report by the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) that processed findings of the Auditor General on the financial statements of the Authority.
Mr Joel Ssenyonyi (Nakawa West MP), the committee chairperson, cited the Kulambiro-Kyanja ring road cost at Shs9 billion per kilometre, a considerably higher price compared to estimates by the Works and Transport ministry.
The ministry indicated in a study that, as of 2020, the kilometre will cost Shs2.4 billion for roads under 70 kilometres, and Shs2.146 billion for roads over 70 kilometres. Kulambiro ring road, under the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP) LOT 2, is five kilometres.
While KCCA management attributed the higher cost to additional elements like pedestrian walkways and traffic lights, Mr Ssenyonyo noted that many roads do not have these provisions.
“The committee recommends that the Auditor General conducts a special audit into the cost of roads in Kampala,” the report reads in part. Legislators say there should be an established range of the unit cost per kilometre to plug possible haemorrhage of the available funds.
“Even the money we have allocated to KCCA to fix roads, I don’t know if it will be enough if the cost is at Shs10 billion,” Sanon Bwiire (Bulamogi County) said.
The government in the budget for the Financial Year 2023/2024 revealed a Shs2.25t loan had been secured to address flooding, traffic congestion, poor road infrastructure, unsignalised junctions and unemployment in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA).
These funds are projected to upgrade 504kms of roads, including junction signalisation in eight urban authorities.
The allocation followed an uproar, including a social media exhibition that profiled the poor state of roads in the city. In the same report, the committee notes that bad roads have resulted in economic loss and inconvenience.
Mr Thomas Tayebwa, the deputy Speaker of Parliament, on Thursday questioned why roads in other cities are cheaper than those in Kampala.
He said: “Government issues a contract well knowing that for example the land where the project is going to be is not yet acquired. The contractor starts charging. You find a road that was awarded at Shs100b, the costs can go to Shs85b.”
Mr Aogon Silas (Kumi Municipality) opined that the government should consider contracting foreign engineers.
More trouble
The committee further cited impropriety in land management, outdoor advertising and non-remittance of statutory deductions where Shs4.1 billion was deducted but not remitted. It also spotlighted the absence of an automated system to prepare financial statements which would improve accountability.
“...the entity was preparing financial statements manually using MS Excel which is prone to errors due to human intervention and manipulation,” it noted in a report.
The committee also questioned the Shs37 billion per acre cost for the proposed 10 acre land to resettle vendors who operate on streets.
“It is not in doubt now that what is in KCCA is a hub of corruption. KCCA has a land management unit, it has lawyers, an ED (executive director), why would KCCA have untitled land?
It is because some people are profiting from the fact that this land is not titled,”Ms Anna Adeke (Soroti Woman MP) said.
The committee urged government to allocate adequate funding for implementing essential projects and managing the city, which currently faces 40 percent understaffing and other constraints.
