2026 Elections: Road conditions emerge as key voter concern

CITIZENS' MANIFESTO

INFRASTRUCTURE

The poor condition of roads, gaping potholes, poor drainage, narrowness, limited access and traffic jam are the major concerns that Ugandans want the Government to address in the roads sector, a survey conducted by Vision Group between March and May, ahead of next years’ general election, has shown. 

Whereas several Ugandans say tremendous strides have been made in improving the roads sector, especially construction of highways, many others feel a lot more needs to be done, especially when it comes to feeder roads in both urban and rural districts, writes John Ricks Kayizzi

Over the years, the Government has invested heavily in road infrastructure. Several roads have been upgraded from gravel to tarmac. 

This has been made possible by funding from the World Bank (WB), European Union (EU), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Chinese government through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

According to the works ministry, a total of 4,793km of new paved/tarmac roads have been constructed in the past 30 years and a total of 1,924km of existing dilapidated paved roads reconstructed. 

However, despite these efforts, the country still struggles with the maintenance of the roads. 

It is estimated that paved roads last, on average, 15 years. A survey by the Vision Group ahead of the 2026 elections showed that 44.2% of respondents interviewed indicated the poor state of roads in the community as their biggest pain under road network and transport infrastructure. 

This is closely followed by the presence of potholes on the roads at 15.9% of respondents, roads being impassable during the rainy season (15.2%) and being dusty in the dry season at 6.3%. 

At national level, road and transport issues were most critical in Kampala (43%), Bugisu (35%), Acholi (33%) and Lango (32%). This was followed by Karamoja at 22% and Bukedi (19%). 

A regional breakdown of the issues indicates that poor roads cut countrywide, with particularly high concern in the western (51.3%), northern (49.4%) and central (38.5%) regions. 

Potholes are a widespread issue, especially in central (25.0%) and eastern (16.5%), while roads becoming impassable during the wet season is a major problem in eastern (25.6%) and western (14.9%). 

Other recurrent challenges include dusty roads in the dry season, narrow road widths, high transport charges, and increased accidents due to poor road states. 

Regional variations show that the northern region also struggles with lack of road humps and heavy vehicles, while western residents report issues like theft of infrastructure, corruption and bad driving. 

Drainage  

Drainage problems, prolonged road construction, and limited access to good roads appear across multiple regions, highlighting a nationwide need for comprehensive road rehabilitation and infrastructure management. 

The data indicates that in central Uganda, the major challenge remains potholes on the roads. This is the same sentiment that Ruth Nangwe, a resident of Gayaza, shared, noting that she dreads driving into Kampala city because some of the roads are unpredictable. 

Drainage problems, prolonged road construction, and limited access to good roads appear across multiple regions, highlighting a nationwide need for comprehensive road rehabilitation and infrastructure management. 

In other regions, the survey also noted similar road user challenges. For instance, Brian Businge, a resident of Kigorobya, in Hoima district, decried the poor road network in the region, noting that the challenge has greatly hindered the transportation of farm produce to markets, affecting family incomes. 

“Many of the residents in Kigorobya depend on agriculture, but because of the poor state of the roads, we are unable to access markets,” he said. 

He added that school-going children are also struggling to reach their schools due to the bad state of the roads. 

His sentiments are echoed by Julius Musinguzi, another resident in the area, who said the state of roads has disrupted businesses, made it hard to access health services, and worsened the already difficult lives of community members. 

In the eastern region, Racheal Nabirye, a teacher in rural Buzaaya County, Kamuli district, said during rainy seasons, the feeder roads in her area are almost impassable. 
“This leaves us in a constant state of dread as the seasons change.

When the rain comes, we are happy for the crops but then we worry about getting stuck in muddy roads. When the dust comes, we worry about the children getting flu from the dust,” she said.

The urban road burden  

Dr Eng. Frank Sebbowa, the former CEO of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), said while the Government has all the good intentions to make the transport system work, standards should be enforced to ensure that the roads, on which billions of taxpayer’s money is spent, stand the test of time. 

“The tarmac roads in Kampala and Wakiso districts carry the biggest burden when it comes to the density of traffic from all corners of the country which passes through them. 

The data indicates that in central Uganda, the major challenge remains potholes on the roads.

Road works in these districts should be accorded more money so that the quality of roads in these areas is higher, to enable them withstand the higher load. In most cases, the wear and tear of these roads is not looked into when contracts are being awarded,” he said. 

He added that for every road the Government constructs, it should provide an alternative route and the roads should be duo carriage, since traffic will always increase, not reduce. 

This is the same point, Eng. Samson Bagonza, the former government chief engineer at the works ministry, agreed with, noting: “Without appropriate road design, timely maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrades, road infrastructure deteriorates at a faster rate, which limits its safety and life expectancy, thus depleting its asset value.” 

He added that deficiencies that hinder the preservation of the urban road network asset, include the absence of guidance on standards, designs, planning and budgeting for road works, contract management and reporting. 

Bagonza said Uganda currently has a road network of approximately 159,529km of national, district, urban and community access roads, representing one of the huge national assets, valued at $7.7m, in 2019. Presently, the road network is largely unpaved with only about 7,149km of the roads paved, representing 4.5% of the total road network. 

“Uganda’s road network is a critical component for the socio-economic development of the country as it is vital for people and freight transport that supports production, competitiveness, trade and mobility. Road network development and maintenance are key strategic priorities for national and human development,” he said.

Funding gaps 

According to works minister Gen. Katumba Wamala, funding gaps also remain a major challenge to road construction. 

In his report to Parliament, Wamala expressed frustration over persistent criticism that little progress is made despite allocated funds. 

“While my ministry required sh3.153 trillion for road construction and rehabilitation in the 2025/26 financial year, only sh682b has been allocated under the medium-term expenditure framework, which left a funding gap of sh2.72 trillion, representing just 22% of the required budget,” he said. 

According to works minister Gen. Katumba Wamala, funding gaps also remain a major challenge to road construction. 

Wamala added that a significant portion of the ministry’s budget is consumed by mounting arrears and compensation of project-affected persons (PAPs).
 
“As we speak, the national paved road network faces a backlog of 2,460km needing urgent intervention, with an additional 300km to 500km at risk of deteriorating to a costlier state within a year if no action is taken,” he noted. 

On his part, Musa Ecweru, the state works minister, attributed the bad state of some roads to a sh1.3 trillion debt that the now rationalised Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) owed to contractors. 

“We inherited the loan burden accrued by UNRA for several incomplete works. An example is the Mityana-Mubende road, which is funded by the Government. The contractor – Energo, has not been paid about sh60b. Energo was taken to court by the suppliers of fuel, and the bank is demanding them money,” Ecweru told said. 

Ecweru’s assertion followed an outcry by a cross-section of MPs over the bad state of roads and bridges around the country.

In accordance with the Roads Act 2019, the respective urban councils are responsible for the maintenance, operation, improvement, re-planning, and preservation of the road networks, within their areas of jurisdiction for the benefit of the public and road users. 
Under the road fund, each district gets sh1b for road maintenance.

“I think what needs to be done is to allocate money in terms of the number of kilometres of roads the district has and the number of people it habours,” Dr Abed Bwanika, the Kimanya-Kabonera MP, said, adding that the Government also needs to look at the uniqueness of Wakiso, since everyone entering or leaving Kampala, from whichever direction, passes through the district. 

“In terms of traffic, Wakiso district has the highest burden. Our roads degenerate very quickly because of the same issue. When it comes to allocation of funds towards roads, Wakiso receives the same amount of money like other small, sparsely populated districts, despite the burgeoning population,” he said.

On his part, Musa Ecweru, the state works minister, attributed the bad state of some roads to a sh1.3 trillion debt that the now rationalised Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) owed to contractors. 

Museveni's take  

Yet, according to President Yoweri Museveni, the issue mainly rotates around one word — prioritisation.

In a June 5 statement, Museveni also indicated that activity on roads will soon resume, noting that priority must be given to fixing roads across the country. 

“Among the mistakes, I had to deal with was the mistake of okumemeerera (scattering things) while budgeting — trying to be everywhere at the same time and ending up being nowhere; trying to do everything at the same time and ending up doing nothing properly,” he said. 

The big shame, Museveni added, is depending on external support for all development projects.

“When I checked with the budget of the works ministry, it is now standing at sh5.912 trillion. However, this figure includes the Standard Gauge Railway, the Uganda Airlines, etc. The road sector alone needs sh3.21 trillion to maintain our tarmac and murram roads in excellent condition. I have instructed the works ministry and the whole government to rectify that situation,” Museveni said. 

“I have, however, also heard of some stories that there may be inflation of costs in some of the roads,” he added.

In a June 5 statement, Museveni also indicated that activity on roads will soon resume, noting that priority must be given to fixing roads across the country. 

Kampala, Wakiso  

The mayor of Nansana Municipality, Regina Bakitte Nakkazzi Musoke, said creation of an interconnected road network would boost productivity among the locals. 

“For instance, the Jinja-Kaloli-Wamala-Nansana road, is one of the major roads that one can use to go through Wakiso and connect to Bombo Road easily. Additionally, if someone is going to Busukuma, they would not need to go to the Kampala city centre, but pass via Nansana,” she said. 

She added that the Jinja-Kaloli road has largely reduced the traffic jam around Bwaise and Kawempe, along Bombo Road and boosted economic activities in this entire area. 
Roads, Nakkazzi said, boost economic growth and propel job creation.

On his part, Wakiso district LC5 chairperson, Matia Lwanga Bwanika, also decried what he described as “chronic underfunding” of road works in the district despite the important position it holds in Uganda’s economic setup. 

“Road works have persisted due to underfunding. So, only 30% of roads in Wakiso are paved,” he said. 

According to Vision Group’s survey, 62% of the people in Kawempe North perceived potholes as the major issue, while 25% said the roads in the community are in a poor state. 

Kampala city has a total road network of 2,100km, of which only 30% are paved roads while the rest (70%) are unpaved or earth roads. 

In Lubaga North, 100% of the sampled respondents said the roads in the community are in a poor state, while 25% of respondents said there is prolonged road construction in their community, which affects their businesses. 

In Nakawa East, 60% of respondents said the roads are in a poor condition, while 10% said the roads are narrow. 

In Nakawa West, 33.3% of respondents said there is limited access to the good roads in the community, 33% said the roads in the community are in a poor condition, and another 33% said they are impassable in the wet season. 

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) leaders also blamed funding gaps for unpaved road network in some areas. 

KCCA’s take  

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) leaders also blamed funding gaps for unpaved road network in some areas. 

The World Bank’s recent report estimates that poor roads around Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono — key districts that make up the greater Kampala metropolitan — contribute to $800m annually in vehicle maintenance, $1.5m a day is lost in travel time and traffic delays, while another $200m is lost by businesses and damage to property, per year. 

However, despite funding gaps, the state minister for Kampala, Kabuye Kyofatogabye, said: “The road network in the city has improved tremendously in the recent past because we have made an effort to engage indigenous firms to execute the contracts.” 

Kyofatogabye added that major road construction projects will be rolled out under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP). 
This project will see roads in Entebbe, Kira, Makindye-Ssabagabo, Mukono, Nansana, and the districts of Mukono, Mpigi and Wakiso revamped. 

He also attributed the deterioration of the Kampala city road network to slow repairs. 

The Kampala City Roads and Bridges Upgrading Project (KCRBUP), a major infrastructure initiative that will see 118 roads across all five divisions of the city — Kampala Central, Nakawa, Rubaga, Kawempe and Makindye — rehabilitated was also launched on July 10, with COLAS, a UK-based infrastructure firm taking the lead.

Rural roads  

Yet for some road users around the country, the promises are many but delivery on ground is in most cases lost in politicking by district leaders. 

“Politicians have picked up a habit of using roads and electricity as enticing commodities that make voters vote for them. They promise time and again to do this and that road, and their promises, which are usually delivered during election time, never come to pass,” Moses Kego, a resident of Kalaki district, said. 

A recent World Bank report shows that Uganda ranks 124th out of 139 countries in terms of transport infrastructure, especially the transit time to all border points and outlets from Uganda to neigbhouring countries such as Kenya, South Sudan, DR Congo and Rwanda. 

Yet for some road users around the country, the promises are many but delivery on ground is in most cases lost in politicking by district leaders. 

“For example, a distance from Kampala to Elegu (South Sudan border) is the longest route with 455km, and it took about 37 hours for the truck to cover the distance in 2020. 
Conversely, Mirama, which is only 367km away from Kampala, takes trucks the highest time (54 hours). Also Mpondwe, which is shorter than Elegu, (442km vs 455km) requires more transit time (44 hours) compared to Elegu (37 hours),” the World Bank report noted. 

Commenting on the effect of infrastructure on the country’s export and import base, an official from the Uganda Freight Forwarders Association (UFFA), said: “Road transport in Uganda is plagued with bottlenecks and inefficiencies, including the poor state of the roads, traffic congestion along the key transport corridors and checkpoints which increase time and cost of logistics.” 

The UFFA officials added that it is estimated that these inefficiencies cost Uganda $827m annually, which accounts for over 20% of the sale price of goods.

In an effort to reduce the cost of transportation of goods, the Government this year, launched the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), a railway system from Malaba to Kampala that will link Uganda with East African Community (EAC) partners, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo and Somalia. 

The SGR, works ministry transport permanent secretary, Waiswa Bageya, said will reduce the cost of transporting a 20-foot container from Mombasa port to Kampala by half — from sh11.6m to sh5.8m. 

“This will lower the cost of doing business in Uganda,” he said recently. 

Feeder roads 

On the budget for rural feeder roads in districts, MPs also rooted for the need to increase the money for districts. For instance, in the second quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, the Uganda Road Fund (URF) was allocated sh212.145b, representing 52.8% of the annual budget. 

Out of this budget, sh61.408b was earmarked for the District Urban and Community Access Roads (DUCAR) maintenance. 

These routine manual maintenances also extend to fixing bridges, maintenance and operation of ferries, enforcement of axle load control, repairing weigh bridges and mounting street lighting on selected 54.25km of national roads.
 
The funds also went towards maintenance of framework contracts on 246.2km paved and 1,993.2km unpaved roads, and periodic maintenance of 1.3km unpaved roads.

The World Bank’s recent report estimates that poor roads around Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono — key districts that make up the greater Kampala metropolitan — contribute to $800m annually in vehicle maintenance, $1.5m a day is lost in travel time and traffic delays.

How survey was conducted

The poll was conducted by Vision Group’s research team between March and May 2025, covering a sample size of 6,006 Ugandans countrywide. They were each asked the question: “In your opinion, which issues are affecting this community?” 

To ensure national representation, the Vision Group research team sampled eligible Ugandan voters from across 58 districts. 

Only citizens possessing a valid National Identification Card and aged 18 years and above, were sampled. The survey covered all 17 sub regions of Uganda. 

The respondents were randomly sampled from both rural and urban areas. 
Of the total respondents, 2,433 were from urban areas while 3,573 were picked from rural areas. 

According to the survey, majority of the respondents were between the ages of 25 and 29 years (1,201) and 30 and 34 years (1,058).

Only 19 of the total sampled respondents refused to respond to the questions. 

New Vision’s editor-in-chief, Barbara Kaija, explained that the Citizens Manifesto is a compilation of Ugandan views collected by a team of professional researchers ahead of the national election. 

On the credibility of the survey, Kaija said: “This is a scientific survey and it was not influenced by anybody, not even the Government is informed when we are doing this research. Any other researcher is free to do their research for comparison. I am very confident of the results because in the past, similar surveys done by New Vision have not been so different from the final election results.” 

The Vision Group research department has long experience in carrying out market research and opinion polling. 

An opinion poll, often referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample.

Expert views 

Benon Kajuna, the managing directoe Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) Government has failed in its balancing act of investing in all means of transport equally. It invested about sh1 trillion in road works through UNRA for three consecutive years, whereas a big chunk of this money would have been invested in railways. 

Geoffrey Obara, former chief engineer, Uganda Railways Corporation Government should also create a culture of paying road contractors on time in order to encourage local enterprises enter the system of service provision and road construction. Without that capacity, costs for road construction will remain high, and will lead to repatriation of all the profits made by foreign companies to their respective countries.

Paul Omara, MP Otuke 

Government has become overwhelmed by the commitments it has made to citizens on road works, and finances it needs to fully implement the ongoing projects. Let Government pinpoint its development priorities by only embarking on projects it can deliver, and on time.

Tonny Awany, chairperson of Committee on Physical Infrastructure  Several road projects have seen works delayed due to changes in designs, which has also seen increases in costs.

Voters speak out

Mubaraka Dombo, resident Kachongha, Butaleja district 

Poor road infrastructure significantly hinders development by increasing transportation costs, limiting access to markets and essential services and creating safety risks. 

Innocent Bakunda, resident Bukasa, Kampala 

There are two things bothering us in this area — lack of drainage channels and lack of street lights. Whenever it rains, our homes flood because the water has nowhere to go. Additionally, the water flows right in the middle of the existent murram roads, damaging them further.

Juliet Namutebi, resident of Maganjo village, Kampala 

We are thankful to the political leadership because the Maganjo-Jinja-Kaloli Road was paved. It has eased traffic jam, which used to wear down the Kawempe-Bwaise stretch on Bombo Road. The problem now is that the road is too narrow and was constructed without a drainage system.

Isaiah Businge, resident Buhanika sub-county, Hoima 

Many of our roads have not been worked on for a very long time, and some politicians appear on radio and say that everything is okay. They don’t know how we are suffering to access services due to the bad roads.

Michael Ocaya, resident Tibaleke village, Nammuwongo 

We are being tormented by bad roads in this community to the extent that we find it hard to access basic services. Some of these roads are no longer navigable by cars, making us resort to using boda bodas, which are expensive.

Alfred Makkasi, resident of Hoima district 

The issue of roads is still a big challenge. Whenever it rains, vehicles cannot go through, and sometimes boda bodas charge us over 15,000 to reach Hoima town.

Lawrence Ssempala, resident of Makukuba village, Mukono district 

We have, over the years, cried to the leaders both at the sub-county and the district, but our pleas are falling on deaf ears. Even when they respond and send the tractor to start working on some of the roads, they just do substandard work which cannot stand even for a season.

Musa Mugisa, a resident of Buhimba, Kukuube district 

Government should procure road equipment for every district to ensure that districts work on their roads without borrowing. The districts without roads equipment find it difficult to maintain the roads, and this has left roads in poor condition.

Joseph Bwambale, resident Buseruka, Hoima district 

We have many roads in the district which are in terrible conditions, and they have not been prioritised. For example, the Kibiro landing site has been in bad condition for a long time, and people cannot access services because their road is bad.

John Omony, residnet of Namuwongo, Kampala 

The Government is grading and building roads around Industrial Area that directly feed into our community. We commend it for that.

Benon Agaba of Kaiso-Tonya, Hoima district 

The roads in the district are in a very bad state, and this becomes worse when it is a rainy season. Sometimes it takes us several hours to access Hoima town because of the poor roads in our communities.

Sunday Stevenson Masengere, chairperson LCI, Kanyogoza Zone, Kampala 

Most of the roads in my area are murram. We have been suffering for many years. When it rains, these roads are impassable for both pedestrians and motor vehicles. Imagine we are in the middle of Kampala, yet we look like a forgotten society. The Government should listen to us and intervene.

George Mpamire, a resident of Buhumuiro Village, Kikuube district 

Government should increase the road fund to ensure the districts always rehabilitate the roads on time. There is also a need to punish contractors who do shoddy work. For instance, how can a contractor construct a road without a drainage channel?

Additional reporting by Wilson Asiimwe, Paul Watala and Henry Nsubuga