The Inspectorate of Government (IGG) has pledged to push for urgent action to remove obstacles delaying the completion of the Busega-Mpigi Expressway project.
Speaking during a site visit to the 26.7-kilometre road project, Deputy Inspector General of Government Anne Twino Muhairwe said the IGG would engage all responsible authorities to ensure the stalled project moves forward.
“We promise to support the Ministry of Works and Transport and the contractor by escalating the matter to the relevant authorities to ensure that all impeding issues are resolved,” Muhairwe said.
She warned that government risks making huge losses if the project is not completed.
“Otherwise, we stand to lose substantially if this project is not completed. We will ensure that the responsible authorities are held accountable,” she added.
Muhairwe said key institutions including the Attorney General, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) must work together to resolve the challenges affecting the project.
She described the expressway as an important project for transport and business.
“In the completion of this expressway lies more than mere convenience — it is a lifeline of connection and commerce,” she said.
During the visit, the Deputy IGG also raised concern over encroachment on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) corridor, warning individuals constructing buildings in the area expecting compensation.
“I warn those building in the corridor in anticipation of compensation. This is highly irregular, and action will be taken against anyone found culpable,” Muhairwe warned.
Meanwhile, Godfrey Bahemaiso, Assistant Commissioner for Road Construction and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Works and Transport, said the project delays were caused by funding gaps and delayed compensation of Project Affected Persons (PAPs).
“The change of project scope is justifiable given the need to provide required interchanges at Nabbingo, Maya, and Mpigi towns, to provide required link roads at Kyengera, Katende Bujjuko, Lungala, and Mpigi towns, and to harmonize with the SGR,” Bahemaiso said.
He added that government has increased funding to speed up the project and revealed that 80 percent of the 4,270 affected persons have already been compensated.
The IGG intervention follows complaints by whistleblowers alleging that the project had stalled, that there were unauthorized changes in the project scope, overpayment to the contractor, lack of value for money, and continued land encroachment along the project corridor.
The Busega-Mpigi Expressway, part of Africa’s Northern Transport Corridor linking Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was launched in 2014.
Construction was initially expected to start in 2019 and be completed within 36 months. However, after years of delays, the government replaced the original contractor, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), with a joint venture of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway 19th Bureau Group.
The project is funded by the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund with 151 million dollars for construction works, while government is providing 41 million dollars for compensation.
Works officially began in May 2020 and were expected to end in mid-2023, but compensation disputes and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress significantly, according to the Ministry of Works.
In November 2025, the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved fresh financing worth Shs891.2 billion(€217 million) to complete Uganda’s Busega–Mpigi Expressway, giving new momentum to this project.
