Govt warns against neglect of safety measures in public projects

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The Ugandan government has issued a stern warning to public entities over the failure to prioritise environmental and social safeguards in infrastructure projects, citing a string of avoidable fatalities and significant community disruptions.

Monica Edemachu Ejua, the Undersecretary in the Office of the President, said strict compliance with these measures is no longer optional.

She was speaking during a training session of officials from various ministries, the private sector, development partners, and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) at Makerere University in Kampala.

Tuesday's training arose from recent high-level engagements between the Government and the World Bank, following the identification of critical gaps in project implementation.

“We have had fatalities on project sites that could have been avoided,” Edemachu said, pointing to a recent incident on a city road where a worker was buried alive during unsupervised night excavation. 

“These issues are not minor. They are life and death matters.”

'Blessing, not burden'

Edemachu emphasised that safety and environmental health must be baked into projects at the earliest stages, specifically during procurement.

“Many times, we fail at the initiation phase. Safeguards are often left out of the Terms of Reference, yet these documents should be the roadmap for safe implementation."

She further identified a shortage of technical capacity within ministries as a primary bottleneck, adding that currently, over-reliance on a small handful of specialists makes it nearly impossible to oversee multiple projects effectively.

“This training is about creating all-round officers. A procurement officer must understand how to integrate these safeguards so that evaluation and implementation become seamless,” she said.

The training programme involving nine implementing entities across the Kampala Metropolitan Area aimed to standardise safety protocols and transform how the government handles public works.

Meanwhile, the undersecretary called for a shift in the philosophy of infrastructure development, arguing that engineers alone cannot deliver sustainable results. 

She stressed that modern projects require a multidisciplinary approach involving economists, physical planners, and social scientists.

Edemachu also highlighted the human cost of poorly managed sites, particularly for local traders.

“When excavations block access to business premises, how are we supporting those people? Our projects should be a blessing, not a burden."

To minimise disputes, Edemachu advocated for the formal "gazetting" of road infrastructure and more robust complaint mechanisms. 

She praised the ongoing collaboration between the PPDA, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and the World Bank.

“Many people simply want to be heard. When you listen, most issues are not as complicated as they first appear.”

Government is implementing a five-year sh2.1 trillion Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP) through the construction of roads and other infrastructure, such as markets and capacity building for urban authorities. 

Once completed, the project is expected to, among others, ease traffic congestion, reduce travel time, and improve living standards across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, including districts of Mukono, Kampala, Mpigi and Wakiso, through upgraded road networks, drainage systems, and other urban infrastructure.