KAMPALA, Uganda — Road construction across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area has resumed after the government issued payments to contractors who had halted work due to unpaid dues.
Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, the minister of works and transport, said the government previously owed contractors 1.6 trillion Ugandan shillings. The debt led to significant delays in a region that generates more than 60% of the national revenue.
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All contractors are now back on sites and works are progressing normally, Katumba said during an inspection of several stalled projects last Wednesday.
Among the priority sites is the 11-kilometer Busaabala Road project, managed by China State Construction Corp. The 258.8 billion shilling upgrade from gravel to tarmac began in 2021. Originally scheduled for completion in 2024, the timeline has been pushed to March of this year.
Katumba noted that the government owed the Busaabala contractor 19 billion shillings for completed segments. While the project is more than 50% behind its original schedule, 8 kilometers of the road are now finished.
The minister attributed the delays to both the payment backlog and ongoing difficulties with land acquisition. He noted that some residents withdrew their consent for land use, while others refused to vacate properties for nearly a year after receiving compensation.
Land acquisition for road infrastructure development is increasingly becoming a challenge for the government, Katumba said.
The Busaabala project includes a 1-kilometer link at Namasole, junction improvements, a vehicular overpass and two pedestrian bridges. It also features street lighting for the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.
Other sites included in the recent inspection drive were the Nakawuka-Kasenje-Mpigi and Kawuku-Bwerenga-Bugiri roads, both contracted to China Communication Construction Co., and the Mubende-Mityana township roads managed by Energo Project.
