Rubanda Councillors Urge Government to Terminate Samcrete Contract Over Delayed Lake Bunyonyi Road

What the report says

Nile Post reports that councillors in Rubanda District are again pressing the government to end Samcrete Egypt Engineers and Contractors’ contract over delays on the Kabale–Lake Bunyonyi Tourism Road. The local leaders say the road, a key route for residents and visitors, has worsened after early works were started and then left incomplete, creating hazards for motorists and disrupting transport.

The concerns were raised by Brighton Arinaitwe, councillor for Habuhutu-Mugyera Town Council, and Adrine Tibenda, the female councillor for Habuhutu-Mugyera and Kashasha town councils, who asked the Ministry of Works and Transport to step in. They cited a recent incident in which a vehicle reportedly broke through a damaged part of the road. Diaz Owoyesigyire, a councillor in Hamuhambo Town Council, also warned that dust is already making travel difficult and that rains could worsen the situation through landslides.

Rubanda District Woman MP Evelyne Ninsiima Kikafunda said the matter is being pursued after Ndorwa West MP Eliab Naturinda Mporeera raised it in Parliament earlier this month. Nile Post also reports that Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama told Parliament the government was considering cancelling Samcrete’s contract after finding the company lacked capacity to complete the works.

Samcrete was reportedly awarded the Shs112 billion contract in June 2025 to upgrade the 8.4-kilometre Kabale–Lake Bunyonyi Tourism Road and the Nyarusiza–Mgahinga Tourism Road in Kisoro District, with financing from the African Development Bank. The roads are considered important for access to Lake Bunyonyi and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park tourism circuit, as well as local trade and economic activity in the Kigezi sub-region.