MPs question govt over spending Shs 122bn to collect Shs 129bn from Entebbe Expressway

What the report says

Ugandan lawmakers are pressing the Ministry of Works and Transport to explain what they see as a poor return from the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway toll system, according to The Observer. Parliament’s physical infrastructure committee said the government spent Shs 122 billion to collect Shs 129 billion in toll revenue, and asked whether the country’s first tolled highway is delivering value for money.

The committee met officials from the ministry, former toll operator EGIS and current operator Pinnaco while reviewing the Auditor General’s report on the road’s management. MPs raised questions about missing vehicle records, toll collection discrepancies, the maintenance contract and the handling of exemptions from toll fees. They also sought clarification on how the toll account was managed and why some withdrawals were made from an account described by officials as a transit account for electronic payments.

The report also highlighted operational and financial issues around overload control and road maintenance. Ministry engineers said deductions are made from contractor payments when performance standards are not met, and said Shs 55 million has regularly been withheld because the overload control system has not been fully operational. MPs also questioned why Shs 1.6 billion set aside for weigh-in-motion bridges remained unused, while the ministry said suitable sites near the toll plazas were not found.

Committee chair Mwine Mpaka directed the ministry to provide a fuller breakdown of the project, including procurement details, exemptions, training costs and the roles of the companies involved. The inquiry matters because it goes beyond one road project and touches on whether public infrastructure financed through loans and tolls can be managed transparently and sustainably.