Works ministry calls for UNRA independent procurement

By David Lumu and Joel Ogwang

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has paved 305km of roads this year closing in on the national development target of 1,100 kilometers of roads to be paved by 2015.

Since February five roads have been completed—Nyakahita-Kazo, Kazo-Kamwenge, Fort-Portal-Bundibugyo-Lamia, Malaba-Busia-Bugiri and Mbarara-Kikagati-Murongo while 90% of works on Kampala-Masaka, Tororo-Mbale-Soroti, Jinja-Kamuli, Kawempe-Luwero-Kafu and Hoima-Kaiso-Tonya roads have been completed.

UNRA has used sh1 trillion for the works of the sh2.6 that Government allocated for the roads.
During the ministry’s 10th joint transport sector review at Imperial Royale Hotel on Thursday, state minister for works Eng. John Byabagambi said the above achievements are “significant” for the road sector.

But he was quick to add that more roads would have been paved if the procurement process was quick and not mismanaged.

“We still have a small problem because the PPDA law we are using is the same law we use to procure tyres and civil works.

 Currently, there are 18 stages in a procurement cycle that has to be followed. We are still talking to see how UNRA can be accredited to use different modes of procurement so that we can quicken the procurements,” he said.

The PPDA was established in 2003 by an Act of Parliament to regulate public procurement in Uganda but Byabagambi said that a different procurement model for UNRA should be developed.

UNRA is planning to construct 15 bridges and 27 roads, including expanding the Northern bypass starting next month.  Works on eight bridges has been completed.

Byabagambi said that all round-about junctions on the Northern bypass would be removed during the upgrade and that the compensation process that would see the removal of Kalerwe vendors’ market are in final stages.

Coupled with the changes is the need to make the Uganda Roads Fund (URF) independent of the ministry of finance.
Byabagambi said that Fund is “not functioning very well” due to the failure to operationalize it as a second-generational Fund that generates and disburses its own revenues from Road User Charges (RUCs).

Currently, URF operates as a first-generational Fund that relies on budgetary allocations from the finance ministry, contrary to the URF Act.

To cure this, Byabagambi said the Uganda Revenue Authority Act (URA Act) would be amended so that revenues accruing from RUCs are transferred directly to URF’s account at Bank of Uganda.

Warning speculators to stop hovering around UNRA’s big budget of sh2.6 trillion, Byabagambi said that in the next year the ministry is going to adopt a multi-model transport strategy that would see Government revamp the road, railway, air and water transport networks.

Explaining this multi-model transport, Alex Okello Bwangamoi, the permanent secretary in the ministry of works and transport said various regulatory mechanisms and institutional reforms are going to be introduced such as the Marine Transport Authority to ensure safety on the water, port and landing site regulators.

Byabagambi also said that cabinet is debating the establishment of the Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (MATA) that would coordinate transport, procure transport operator licenses and fill the gaps in areas where the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) doesn’t have jurisdiction such as Mukono, Kireka, Mpigi and Wakiso that are part of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA).

Okello also revealed that designs for a rapid bus transit system for Kampala city have been finished and Government has embarked on the solicitation of funds for the services to start. He also said that the light weight gauge railway for Kampala metropolitan area has been embedded in the upcoming $8b (sh23 trillion) Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction.
Byabagambi said that next week Government would sign the contract with China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) for the construction of SGR.

On the other hand, Okello said that a document fast-tracking the revival of the Uganda Airlines has been forwarded to cabinet for approval. The Uganda Airlines collapsed in May 2001. 

Speaking on the expansion of the Entebbe International Airport, Byabagambi said that Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would fund the first phase (widening terminals and creating new parking) that is expected to cost $180m (sh477b).
The sector review report would be launched today.