Uganda Railways Corporation MD Records Statement Over 394 Missing Wagons

Parliament Police have recorded a statement from Benon Kajuna, the Managing Director of Uganda Railways Corporation (URC), after he and his team failed to present concrete evidence regarding the recovery efforts for 394 missing railway wagons. The wagons vanished during the concession period managed by Rift Valley Railways (RVR).

Appearing before the Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure, URC officials were grilled over issues highlighted in the Auditor General’s report. Legislators expressed shock at how such large assets could disappear, with Buyende County MP, Hon. Berunado Ssebbugga-Kimeze, questioning the loss of 113 Ugandan wagons and 281 Kenyan wagons, citing potential diplomatic repercussions.

URC officials explained that the wagons operate under a tripartite agreement between Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Wagons can cross borders for specific periods before penalties apply, and those missing for over 90 days are considered lost, requiring compensation. The URC Principal Mechanical Engineer, Geoffrey Sekamatte, attributed the disappearance to a transition from a manual to a digital wagon management system (Translogic), which led to some wagons being untraceable after being moved to a “virtual station.”

The committee, chaired by Hon. Mwine Mpaka, demanded documentary proof of actions taken to trace and recover the wagons. Facing potential arrest if documentation was not provided, Kajuna eventually recorded a statement. The committee is set to review URC’s submissions and propose recommendations to Parliament.