By Ben Musanje
A Principal Road Safety Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ronald Amanyire, has challenged former Works Minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala’s attempt to distance himself from the controversy surrounding the Busega-Mpigi road project cost escalation, arguing that the former minister bears responsibility for decisions made during his tenure.
Amanyire, who described himself as unable to reconcile some of Gen. Katumba’s explanations, made the remarks in a post on his X account on 1 August 2026, responding to an interview in which the former minister broke his silence over ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities in major road projects.
In the interview with New Vision, Gen. Katumba denied any wrongdoing, saying he had never benefited from questionable contracts and had nothing to hide.
“I am innocent. I have never taken a bribe in my life. I am as clean as a white man,” Katumba said, challenging those making allegations against him to provide evidence.
The former minister explained that the escalation of the Busega-Mpigi road project cost from the initial estimate of about Shs547 billion to nearly Shs1.3 trillion was caused by design changes and additional works introduced by UNRA before the authority was merged into the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Katumba argued that at the time the cost increases occurred, UNRA was still operating as an independent agency and that technical decisions were being made outside direct ministry control.
He said that after government completed the rationalization process and transferred UNRA functions to the ministry in December 2024, he initiated a technical review of the project to establish whether the costs represented value for money.
According to Katumba, the review committee recommended reducing the project cost to about Shs1.08 trillion, and the findings were submitted to government for consideration.
However, Amanyire rejected the former minister’s explanation, arguing that the Uganda National Roads Authority Act placed clear supervisory responsibilities on the minister responsible for roads.
He cited provisions of the Act that define the minister’s role as including general supervision of UNRA, arguing that the minister’s mandate was not merely ceremonial but carried legal and operational responsibilities.
Amanyire further argued that the minister had significant influence over UNRA’s governance structure, including the appointment of members of the Board of Directors with Cabinet approval.
He dismissed the suggestion that UNRA’s Executive Director was operating as a self-accounting authority beyond ministerial oversight, saying being an accounting officer does not remove an institution from government supervision.
The ministry official also questioned why the project eventually proceeded at about Shs1.37 trillion despite a technical committee reportedly recommending a lower figure of approximately Shs1.018 trillion.
According to Amanyire, Gen. Katumba’s own account confirms that he was aware of the committee’s findings before the higher project cost was approved.
He argued that the increase from the original Shs547.5 billion estimate to Shs1.37 trillion occurred during Katumba’s watch and therefore cannot be separated from his responsibility as the minister in charge.
Amanyire also recalled instances where Gen. Katumba summoned senior UNRA officials for meetings, saying this demonstrated that the former minister exercised oversight over the authority.
The comments come as investigations continue into alleged procurement irregularities, contract variations and possible inflation of costs in major road projects.
The Inspector General of Government, Parliament and other oversight bodies are separately examining whether the cost increases were justified by legitimate engineering requirements or whether officials abused their positions.
Gen. Katumba has maintained that he welcomes the investigations and believes they will clear his name, insisting that he served the country with integrity and has nothing to fear.
The findings of the ongoing inquiries are expected to determine whether any individuals bear criminal or administrative responsibility and recommend measures to strengthen accountability in Uganda’s infrastructure sector. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
