Published on 26/08/2025
Government has established a new department within the Ministry of Works and Transport to take over the functions of the now-defunct Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), nearly nine months after the agency was dissolved.
The new National Roads Department will be headed by a commissioner and four assistant commissioners.
Mr Allan Ssempebwa, senior communications officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, confirmed on Tuesday that a core team to manage road maintenance, construction, design, and infrastructure protection is already in place.
“It is true, Engineer Isaac Wani has already been named Commissioner for National Roads, deputised by Eng. Rachel Ngozebwa who is in charge of Road Maintenance. Eng. Godfrey Bihemaiso will oversee Road Construction and Rehabilitation, while Eng. Bennice Kiganda and Eng. Jude Mubangizi are responsible for Road Infrastructure Protection and Road Design respectively,” he said.
He added: “The new team is tasked with ensuring the country’s road network remains in good condition to ease transportation and boost the economy. By the way, all the ongoing road works you’re seeing across the country are being done by this new department.”
According to Mr Ssempebwa, more than 75 percent of former Unra and Uganda Road Fund staff have been retained to give technical support to the new unit.
“At least 1,029 staff from the former Unra and Uganda Road Fund are now working with the ministry, and currently, we are recruiting the remaining staff. This ongoing Phase II recruitment is expected to be completed in December 2025,” Mr Ssempebwa, who previously served as Unra’s spokesperson, explained.
Unra was dissolved in December 2024 as part of the government’s rationalisation strategy, returning road infrastructure responsibilities to the Ministry of Works and Transport. Since then, concerns have mounted over a leadership vacuum in road supervision, which appears to have prompted the new appointments.
Local workers in the road maintenance sector across all 23 Ministry of Works stations, in districts such as Mpigi, Moroto, Nebbi, Masaka, Kabale, and Soroti, have also been retained.
“We’ve activated the road maintenance mode and our teams are actively working across districts, grading surfaces and restoring drainage systems to improve travel conditions,” Mr Ssempebwa said.
This development comes amid public frustration over the poor state of roads and delayed projects.
Late last month, Works and Transport Minister Gen Katumba Wamala tabled before Parliament a list of 29 road projects where work had slowed down or stalled due to lack of funds. He revealed a Shs2.172 trillion funding shortfall, saying his ministry had requested Shs3.153 trillion during the budgeting cycle but received only Shs682 billion.
“The road sector alone needs Shs3.21 trillion to maintain our tarmac and murram roads in excellent condition. I have instructed the Ministry of Works and the whole government to rectify that situation,” Mr Museveni said.
He also assured Ugandans that road construction equipment would soon be back “full throttle” on major highways such as Mityana-Mubende-Kyenjojo; Ibanda-Mbarara; Ishaka-Mbarara; Mukono-Lugazi-Jinja; Kikorongo-Mpondwe; Nebbi-Arua; and Ntungamo-Rukungiri.
The President further announced plans for new road projects, including Jinja-Budondo-Mbulamuti-Kamuli and Bwizibwera-Nsiika-Nyakashaka-Nyakabirizi, among others.
