In January 2021, ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections, the government signed a contract for the construction of the Kyaliwajjala-Kira-Matugga Road.
The 23km road would decongest the old Kampala-Bombo Road and provide better connectivity to the people in the area. As Kampala expands, many people now live in these areas.
There was a lot of excitement. Land prices went up. Land owners and brokers made a killing. Those buying were excited. They would not have to use a dirty potholed road. People moved ahead to complete some of their properties that had been under construction.
As you read this, a day before yet another election on January 15, 2026, the road is still under construction and there is no sign that it will be complete soon. Five years and a 23km road is not yet complete. In a whole year, we can’t complete 4.6km of a simple road project!
Today you see heavy road construction equipment in place busy moving earth. Tomorrow, you see nothing. Another day you see a box culvert under construction. A few days later, you see nobody on site. The next day, you find that the compacted earth has been swept away by storm water.
All the work done now has to be repeated. If you have a business in an area where there is road construction in Uganda, you have to keep pressing the crystals on the rosary or the misbaha to survive. The endless construction means disruptions as customers keep away.
Sometimes contractors do deep excavations and leave them open for prolonged periods, making it difficult for people to access buildings and sometimes even their homes.
With yet another season of presidential and parliamentary campaigns completed yesterday and Ugandans prepare to go to the polls tomorrow, infrastructural projects are always on the minds of both the candidates and the electorate.
Almost all political candidates, including those without any power to deliver them, promise them. The voters demand them. There have been cases where candidates even bring in graders using their personal resources to show people that they care and therefore should vote them.
That is how important roads and other infrastructural projects are to the country. With infrastructure in place, those who work hard have a chance to achieve something meaningful.
A well- maintained road reduces transport costs for businesses, for example. Functioning schools and hospitals enable citizens to access services critical for their wellbeing. Anyway, whoever wins the presidential election on Thursday has their work well cut out.
Uganda can’t develop when we can’t complete a simple road project on time. If we can’t finish 4.6km of a road in a year, how much time shall we need to do something more sophisticated like building a nuclear power plant?
The next president must work on this malaise that is affecting us. If a road is projected to be completed in two years, it should be two years. This means that whoever sets the timeframe is not just mentioning for the sake of it.
There must be a justifiable reason why the project is 18 months or 60 months. The timeframe shouldn’t be inserted on a whim. Feasibility studies can’t be endless.
Procurement can’t be endless either. Contract approvals can’t be endless. Mobilization of equipment and providing the right of way can’t be endless either. Contractors can’t work whenever they want. Government can’t pay completed certificates whenever they wish.
Performance bonds should have a clause on time delivery. No cost extensions are not enough. If we have no money to pay contractors, Mr Next President, let your people in government not sign a contract.
Don’t do launch events when you know detailed designs aren’t complete or the right of way hasn’t been secured. Let your ministers not do endless visits to pause for photos for projects they are not pushing to complete.
And it isn’t just infrastructural projects. Apart from political court cases such as election petitions, courts can’t preside over cases indefinitely. Timeframes to complete cases, including those at the tax tribunal, must be provided.
If prosecutors have not completed investigations, why are they pressing charges? Civil servants need to understand that they are in office to serve people.
Tossing around people, working laissez-faire won’t develop our country. Private sector ethos should be introduced in public offices. If you don’t deliver, you are shown the exit door.
Having a job for life with guaranteed pension whether you deliver or not, shouldn’t be applicable Mr Next President. Put performance contracts in place. See, Mr Next President, it isn’t so difficult to develop a country. A few things in place and people will be singing your name.
djjuuko@gmail.com
The writer is a communication and visibility consultant.
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