MPs summon Finance, Works officials over Shs46bn stalled bridge projects

What the report says

Uganda’s Parliament has summoned officials from the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and Works and Transport, along with contractors, to answer for 30 stalled bridge projects valued at Shs46 billion, according to Nile Post. The Government Assurance and Implementation Committee said the projects were discovered during oversight visits last week, when MPs found several sites abandoned or incomplete despite funding having been released.

Committee chair Francis Zaake Butebi said the projects, spread mainly across West Nile, Bukedi, Bugisu and Lango, had left little visible progress on the ground. He and deputy chair Anna Adeke said some communities were still waiting for compensation for land affected by the bridge works, adding to the disruption caused by the delays. A committee member also raised concerns about weak supervision and possible poor-quality work, saying both the implementing ministry and the finance side should explain how funds were disbursed and monitored.

The committee has asked the ministries and all contractors involved to appear next Tuesday and explain why the bridges remain unfinished. They are also expected to present a recovery plan. The issue matters because the bridges are intended to improve transport links in several regions, and the reported delays may affect access, mobility and public confidence in infrastructure spending. As a general matter, parliamentary oversight hearings in Uganda are often used to press ministries and contractors to account for delayed public projects, but that broader context was not specifically detailed in the article.