How corruption inflated Busega-Mpigi Expressway cost to Shs2 trillion

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing URN, reports that Uganda’s Busega-Mpigi Expressway is now projected to cost more than Shs2 trillion by completion, according to Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama. The 23km road project, which started construction in 2020, was initially estimated at roughly Shs600 billion, but costs have risen amid delays, redesigns, funding issues and alleged corruption within the ministry.

According to the report, Byamukama said a decision to shift the route away from built-up areas and into swampy sections was presented as a way to reduce compensation costs in Wakiso and Mpigi. He alleged the change instead benefited officials and other individuals who had acquired land in those areas. Two engineers, Dickens Ahimbisibwe and Edwin Raymond Kiyaga, have been suspended, while Permanent Secretary Bageya Waiswa has been sent on forced leave in connection with corruption-related concerns on the project.

The ministry says work has resumed under revised terms, with completion now targeted for the end of 2028 rather than 2026. Ministry communications officer Allan Ssempebwa said the works are 47% complete and clarified that Shs1.3 trillion relates to the expressway itself, while an additional Shs700 billion would cover the proposed Busega Systems Interchange, intended to connect several major Kampala-area routes.

The report says the expanded scope includes additional interchanges, toll plazas, service lanes, seven more bridges and extensive drainage works. The African Development Bank remains a key financier, and the road is expected to be supported through tolling. The project matters because it is designed to reduce congestion around Busega and improve links between Kampala, Mpigi, Entebbe and the Northern Bypass.