MPs Question Agriculture Ministry Over Road Construction and Loan Value

Lawmakers in Uganda have voiced strong concerns regarding potential overlaps in ministerial mandates. During a meeting of the Committee on National Economy, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) briefed legislators on the performance of six major loan-funded initiatives.

The committee questioned why MAAIF is utilizing loan funds to construct access roads in farming communities instead of channeling those resources through the Ministry of Works and Transport. Committee Chairperson Hon. Jane Avur Pacuto also questioned whether the agriculture ministry possesses enough engineers to successfully execute extensive roadworks under initiatives like the National Oil Seeds Project and the National Oil Palm Project.

While acknowledging that certain upgraded roads have improved local market access, Hon. Naome Kabasharira, the MP for Rushenyi County, noted that district councilors often complain about road selection processes not aligning with grassroots community priorities. Legislators further interrogated the allocation of loan funds toward postgraduate sponsorships, urging the ministry to provide clearer proof of tangible benefits for ordinary citizens.

In response, MAAIF Permanent Secretary Maj. Gen. (Rtd) David Kasura-Kyomukama defended the ministry’s approach. He explained that the infrastructure projects focus on minor agricultural access routes, known as road chokes, which fall outside standard national and district road networks. Waiting for the Ministry of Works to handle these localized routes, he argued, would likely cause project delays.

Addressing the scholarship concerns, Kasura-Kyomukama stated that postgraduate sponsorships are strategically designed to bridge critical research gaps, pointing to homegrown innovations like newly developed anti-tick vaccines. He also clarified that district selections for agricultural projects rely heavily on scientific data to ensure crops thrive in suitable climates rather than arbitrary choices.

The parliamentary committee intends to review three additional agricultural projects at a later date, continuing its strict oversight of foreign-funded ventures as reported by the Parliament of Uganda.