Politics 3 April 2026 Parliament of Uganda
Parliament Halts New Guidelines Capping District Road Fund Spending
Uganda's Parliament has suspended new guidelines from the Ministry of Works and Transport that limit district road rehabilitation costs to Shs8-20 million per kilometre, following concerns it would reduce road coverage. MPs emphasized empowering district committees to set priorities and costs based on local needs. Source: https://www.parliament.go.ug/index.php/news/4382/parliament-suspends-new-guidelines-shs1-billion-district-road-fund
Uganda’s Parliament has suspended new guidelines on the Shs1 billion district road maintenance fund issued by the Ministry of Works and Transport. The decision came during a session chaired by Speaker Anita Among.
Hon. Patrick Nsamba Oshabe (NUP, Kassanda County North) raised alarms over the guidelines from Permanent Secretary Waiswa Bageya, which cap rehabilitation costs at Shs8 million to Shs20 million per kilometre. He argued this is too restrictive and expensive, slashing the maintainable road length from 220km to just 120km annually.
Nsamba stressed that district road committees should decide priorities and budgets to keep more roads motorable, rather than ministry-imposed limits.
Government Chief Whip Hon. Denis Hamson Obua supported the suspension, promising to write to the ministry immediately to stop implementation. He shared that in Alebtong, they maintained 220km at Shs3.5 million per km.
Speaker Among questioned the fixed costs, noting they ignore road terrain variations, and put the suspension to a vote, which passed.