URC Chief Records Statement Over 394 Missing Railway Wagons

A significant number of railway wagons, totaling 394, have gone missing, prompting Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) Managing Director Benon Kajuna to record a statement with Parliament Police. Kajuna and URC officials appeared before the Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure to address concerns raised by the Auditor General’s report.

During the committee meeting, members expressed serious disquiet over the missing rolling stock, with specific mention of 113 Uganda Railways wagons and 281 belonging to Kenya Railways. Hon. Berunado Ssebbugga-Kimeze questioned how such large assets could disappear, potentially causing diplomatic issues for Uganda. The possibility of the wagons being sold as scrap was also raised by Hon. William Tiyo.

Kajuna explained that under a tripartite agreement between Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, wagons can cross borders. A wagon is considered lost if it remains outside its home country for over 90 days. URC Principal Mechanical Engineer, Geoffrey Sekamatte, attributed the disappearance to the transition from a manual wagon management system to a digital platform called Translogic. Wagons that couldn’t be immediately tracked were reportedly moved to a “virtual station” in Kenya, from where they vanished.

Committee members pressed for accountability and demanded documentary evidence of efforts to recover the wagons. Committee Chairperson Hon. Mwine Mpaka warned of dire consequences, including immediate arrest, if the URC officials failed to produce the requested proof. The session was temporarily suspended to allow officials to retrieve the documents. Subsequently, Kajuna recorded his statement with Parliament Police after they were unable to provide the necessary details.

In other matters, URC highlighted its financial challenges, including a substantial funding deficit and low locomotive availability. They also proposed safety infrastructure upgrades at railway crossings and sought parliamentary support for outstanding counterpart funding for a railway rehabilitation project.

Source: https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/4515/police-records-railway-chiefs-statement-394-missing-wagons