The Minister of Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama, has issued a final one-week ultimatum to the contractor undertaking maintenance works on the Kampala Northern Bypass, ordering that the remaining section under construction be completed and reopened to traffic by next Monday.
The directive was made on Monday during the minister’s inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation works along the Namungoona–Bwaise section, one of the busiest stretches of the 21-kilometre bypass that serves thousands of motorists every day.
“I’m giving the contractor up to Monday next week to complete the ongoing maintenance works on the Northern Bypass,” Byamukama said.
The minister instructed the contractor to immediately intensify operations by deploying more manpower, equipment and resources to ensure the road is reopened within the stipulated timeframe.
“The prolonged traffic congestion along this critical corridor has caused significant inconvenience to motorists. The contractor must accelerate the remaining works and complete this section by Monday next week,” Byamukama directed.
The minister expressed concern over the prolonged disruption to traffic, noting that the bypass is a strategic transport corridor linking Kampala to major highways leading to Gayaza, Bombo, Hoima, Masaka and the Entebbe Expressway.
He said the delays have increased travel time, fuel consumption and transport costs while negatively affecting business operations and movement within the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
According to the Ministry of Works and Transport, the maintenance project involves removing the worn-out asphalt surface, strengthening the road base, priming and laying a new asphalt overlay to improve the road’s durability and extend its lifespan.
The works are being undertaken by Stirling Civil Engineering Ltd, with traffic diverted to one carriageway during construction.
The maintenance programme began in February this year but was temporarily suspended to ease traffic ahead of the presidential swearing-in ceremony before resuming in June on the final 500-metre section between Namungoona and Bwaise.
During the inspection, Byamukama made it clear that government would not tolerate further delays on the project, emphasizing that contractors awarded public infrastructure projects must honour contractual timelines.
“Road users have suffered enough inconvenience. We expect the contractor to work day and night if necessary and deliver this project within the agreed timeline,” he said.
The minister also warned contractors against seeking repeated contract extensions and submitting inflated claims that burden taxpayers, saying the ministry was strengthening supervision of road projects to ensure value for money.
The Kampala Northern Bypass is one of Uganda’s most important road infrastructure projects, designed to divert through-traffic away from the city centre and improve movement along the Northern Corridor linking Uganda with neighbouring countries.
The bypass’s original phase was completed in 2009 with funding from the European Union, while Phase II, which expanded the road into a dual carriageway and upgraded major interchanges was jointly financed by the Government of Uganda, the European Union, and the European Investment Bank.
Government says it has also secured funding in the current financial year for additional improvements around the bypass, including infrastructure that will separate traffic heading towards Masaka Road from vehicles accessing the Entebbe Expressway in a bid to further reduce congestion at one of Kampala’s busiest transport interchanges.
