The Inspectorate of Government has ordered the immediate interdiction of National Roads Commissioner Engineer Isaac Wani as investigations continue into the controversial cost escalation of the Busega-Mpigi Expressway. At the same time, the Inspectorate has cleared Ministry of Works and Transport Permanent Secretary Bageya Waiswa to resume work after finding that he was not involved in the earlier decisions that led to the project’s rising costs.
In a statement dated October 23, 2026, Inspector General of Government Naluzze Aisha Batala communicated the decision to Head of Public Service Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye. The Inspectorate said Waiswa had initiated technical audits, funding approval and procurement processes after the project was transferred to the ministry in 2024. Wani, who previously served as Director of Network Planning and Engineering at the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), has been directed to step aside while investigators examine his alleged involvement in earlier decisions.
The expressway has attracted public concern because its original construction contract of approximately Shs547.5 billion rose to more than Shs1.3 trillion. The Auditor General reported that the cost had reached about Shs1.35 trillion by March 2023, with incomplete designs and inadequate engineering estimates cited among the factors behind the increase. The project was awarded in June 2019 to a joint venture involving China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway 19th Bureau Company Limited.
Auditors also raised concerns about the consequences of beginning construction without sufficiently detailed designs. Subsequent changes to the road’s alignment and scope, including additional interchanges and concrete works, reportedly contributed to rising costs and delays. By May 2024, the original civil works contract funds had been exhausted while physical progress stood at 40.86 per cent. Certified works worth Shs30.8 billion reportedly remained unpaid, while 1,527 project-affected people were said to be awaiting at least Shs51 billion in compensation.
Parliament has also been examining the project, with its Committee on Physical Infrastructure identifying design deficiencies, inflation, expanded scope and procurement processes as possible contributors to the escalation. Committee chairperson and Mbarara City South MP Mwine Mpaka said members had prepared 202 questions they believed could help establish responsibility. However, the inquiry was halted after the committee was advised to consult the Speaker because other agencies were investigating the matter.
The project has also faced questions over contractors’ claims arising from delays and idle equipment. In March 2026, Parliament heard that claims initially amounting to Shs578 billion had reportedly been reduced to Shs78 billion following negotiations, according to statements attributed to the Works Ministry. In August, the ministry warned that the total cost could reach at least Shs2 trillion if the project proceeded in its current form. That amount remains a projection rather than a confirmed final cost.
The Inspectorate has been conducting a separate investigation into alleged misuse of funds connected to the expressway. It previously announced inspections aimed at examining the redesign, cost increases and whether the additional expenditure was justified. Other engineers have also reportedly faced suspension over allegations linked to the project. The Inspectorate cited its constitutional and statutory powers in ordering Wani’s interdiction, explaining that stepping aside can help protect investigations from possible interference.
Wani’s interdiction does not establish that he committed wrongdoing, and the Inspectorate has not announced its final findings on his alleged role. Waiswa, meanwhile, has been cleared to return to work based on the investigators’ findings about his involvement in the earlier decisions. As the inquiry continues, the key questions remain how the expressway’s cost rose so dramatically, whether public funds were lost through wrongdoing, and who should be held accountable if misconduct is established.
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