The Inspectorate of Government says Bageya Waiswa was not involved in earlier decisions behind cost escalations on the Busega–Mpigi Expressway, while investigations continue into Commissioner Isaac Wani.
The Inspectorate of Government (IGG) has cleared Ministry of Works and Transport Permanent Secretary Bageya Waiswa of wrongdoing in the cost escalation of the Busega–Mpigi Expressway and ordered the interdiction of Commissioner for National Roads Isaac Wani as investigations into the troubled project continue.
The decision, announced on October 23, follows President Yoweri Museveni’s directive for investigations into the project after its estimated cost rose from an original Shs547.5 billion to about Shs1.3 trillion, amid allegations of financial mismanagement and irregular changes to the road’s alignment.
Inspector General of Government Aisha Naluzze Batala said investigations established that Bageya was not involved in the earlier decisions that led to the cost escalations. He has consequently been cleared to resume work.
The IGG communicated the decision to Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet Ruth Nakyobe Mbonye.
According to the Inspectorate, the project was transferred from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to the Ministry of Works and Transport in 2024 under the government’s rationalisation of agencies and public expenditure programme.
Investigators found that Bageya subsequently initiated technical audits, funding approval and procurement processes intended to get the project back on track.
Wani, however, faces interdiction to allow investigations into his alleged involvement in the cost escalations. The IGG said he was Director of Network Planning and Engineering at the defunct UNRA when the project costs increased.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary has been directed to interdict Wani immediately and make interim arrangements to ensure continuity in the office. The directive is an administrative measure and does not establish his guilt.
The latest development follows Museveni’s intervention in June, when he directed the suspension and investigation of engineers Edwin Raymond Kiyaga, Dickens Ahimbisibwe and Patrick Muleme over alleged misuse of funds allocated to the expressway and its access roads.
The President questioned how government funding of about Shs600 billion, borrowed from the African Development Bank, had been exhausted when the project was reportedly only about 40 per cent complete.
Museveni also alleged that engineers had changed the road alignment, bypassing sections where landowners had already been compensated and creating new compensation requirements along a revised route.
He directed the IGG to lead the investigations, with support from a State House auditor. These allegations have not, by themselves, established criminal responsibility.
In July, the Inspectorate summoned Kiyaga and Ahimbisibwe to record statements as it investigated alleged mismanagement of funds for the 23-kilometre expressway and its 20 kilometres of access roads. The IGG also conducted an on-site inspection to examine the project’s design changes and the increase in estimated costs.
The wider accountability drive has also resulted in Museveni ordering the dismissal of six officials over their handling of major infrastructure projects, including roads and aviation facilities.
Works Minister Fred Byamukama disclosed the directive to Parliament in July, saying other technical officers were also under investigation.
The dismissals covered multiple projects and should not be confused with the separate suspensions of engineers specifically linked to the Busega–Mpigi inquiry.
The expressway’s rising cost had already drawn scrutiny from Parliament. In March, the Committee on Physical Infrastructure questioned how the contract price had increased from Shs547.5 billion to more than Shs1.2 trillion. Ministry officials attributed the rise to changes in design and scope, including revised alignments, interchanges and connecting roads. <Cite refs={["turn110009search3"]}/>
The project, intended to ease congestion on the Kampala–Masaka highway, has faced repeated delays, funding constraints and land acquisition challenges.
An Auditor General’s report for the 2023/24 financial year noted that the original contract had been awarded without adequate detailed designs and that the available funds had been exhausted when physical progress was about 40.86 per cent.
The report warned that the funding gap could delay payments and expose government to additional claims.
The IGG cited Article 230(2) of the Constitution and Section 13(6) of the Inspectorate of Government Act as the legal basis for issuing directions considered necessary during investigations. It said temporarily removing officers from the exercise of their official powers helps protect inquiries from possible interference.
The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances behind the cost escalation, the decisions that led to changes in the project and whether any officials committed wrongdoing.