Parliament has adopted a series of recommendations on the management of the Busega Toll, directing government to tighten controls over toll collections, investigate revenue losses and review aspects of the arrangement under which Egis Road Operation Uganda operates the facility.
The resolutions followed consideration of a report by the Committee on Physical Infrastructure on the management and operation of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway tolling system.
The committee found that the free-pass arrangement extended to staff of Kampala-Entebbe Expressway Limited (KEE UG) had been abused, resulting in a loss of more than Shs300 million at Busega Toll alone.
“For just Busega Toll alone, the free pass policy allowed to staff of KEE_UG was abused, leading to loss of over Shs300 million,” the committee reported.
MPs said the finding pointed to serious weaknesses in the controls governing access to the expressway without payment and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.
The House consequently called for stronger controls over free passes and tighter monitoring of all categories of motorists who are exempted from paying toll fees.
The legislators also turned their attention to Egis Road Operation Uganda, which operates and maintains the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway and runs the toll collection system on behalf of government. Egis was awarded the operation and maintenance contract in 2021.
Parliament’s action comes amid questions over how toll revenues are being managed and whether government is receiving full value from the arrangement.
The committee also raised concerns over weaknesses in the administration of the tolling system and called for measures to ensure that revenue collected from motorists is properly accounted for.
MPs further demanded greater scrutiny of the agreement governing the operation of the expressway, insisting that government should protect public resources and ensure that the private operator complies fully with its obligations.
The House also directed the responsible authorities to strengthen supervision of the tolling operations and ensure that Parliament receives proper accountability on the revenues collected and the costs incurred in operating the facility.
The lawmakers’ concerns are significant because the tolling system handles millions of vehicle movements and has generated billions of shillings since collections began.
Egis reported that Shs34 billion was collected from the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway during its first year of tolling, when about 7.3 million motorists used the road.
Parliament’s scrutiny also comes at a time when the wider Busega-Mpigi Expressway project is facing questions over delays, rising costs and the manner in which the project was initially designed and contracted.
The project was originally estimated at Shs547.5 billion but its cost rose to about Shs1.35 trillion after additional designs and works were incorporated. Parliament previously approved additional financing of Shs781.04 billion from the African Development Bank and Shs117.46 billion from the African Development Fund.
The committee found that the project had also been affected by changes in the road alignment, which increased the number of Project Affected Persons from 2,885 to 4,222.
The House has therefore demanded tighter supervision of road projects and better planning before construction begins, after MPs questioned the decision to enter into contracts before adequate designs had been completed.
The Busega-Mpigi project is intended to provide a major alternative route out of Kampala and improve connectivity towards Mpigi and the wider western corridor. Parliament has previously described its completion as crucial because of the congestion affecting the existing Kampala-Masaka route.
The Ministry of Works and Transport and the agencies responsible for supervising the toll operation have to demonstrate what action will be taken over the reported losses, free-pass abuse, toll revenue controls and the wider management of the expressway.
However, the decision making on the recommendations of the report of the Committee on Infrastructure has been deferred to Thursday, 27.
