IGG clears Works PS Bageya, orders interdiction of engineer Wani over Mpigi expressway

What the report says

The Inspector General of Government, Lady Justice Naluzze Aisha Batala, has cleared Waiswa Bageya, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport, of wrongdoing in the rising cost of the Busega–Mpigi Expressway. According to The Observer, the Inspectorate found that Bageya was not part of the earlier decisions linked to the project’s cost escalation and directed that he be allowed to return to duty.

At the same time, the IGG ordered the interdiction of Isaac Wani, the commissioner for National Roads, pending further investigations into his role in the controversy. The inquiry found that Wani was serving as director of network planning and engineering at the former Uganda National Roads Authority when some of the disputed decisions were made. Bageya was also told to put interim arrangements in place so the ministry’s work continues during Wani’s interdiction.

The Busega–Mpigi Expressway is a major road project intended to reduce congestion on the Kampala–Masaka route and improve links between Kampala and western Uganda. The Observer said the project has faced repeated scrutiny over cost increases, design changes, land issues and delays. Background figures cited in the report show the contract was signed in 2019 and later expanded financing was approved in 2025, with completion now expected later in the decade. The case matters because it touches on public spending, project management and allegations surrounding one of Uganda’s most expensive road developments.