The government will spend more than Shs400 billion on land acquisition and compensation to pave the way for the construction of the Kisubi–Nakawuka–Nateete Road, the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, has said.
Speaking during an inspection of ongoing road works, Katumba said delays in land acquisition and compensation remain the biggest obstacles slowing progress on several key infrastructure projects in central Uganda, including the Najjanankumbi–Busabala and Kawuku–Bwerenga roads.
"That partially caused the delay because we could not disclose the money until the evaluation had been finished. So that meant that a project, which was for example Shs 500 billion, had to move to about Shs 800 billion because of that change," he said.
The minister explained that rising compensation costs are putting additional pressure on the overall infrastructure budget.
For instance, the Kawuku–Bwerenga Road, initially estimated to cost Shs 38 billion for construction works, has already registered an additional Shs 25 billion in land compensation alone.
"This is a serious concern. In some cases, compensation ends up costing almost as much as the road itself," Gen. Katumba said.
Jean Akatukundakwe, the resident engineer on the Kawuku–Bwerenga project, said that although construction works are ongoing, they remain vulnerable to disruptions caused by unresolved right-of-way issues.
Katumba also warned residents against encroaching on road reserves after receiving compensation.
“We will remove that person because it is illegal. If you have already been compensated, secondly, there are people who, after being compensated for a building, decide to redevelop or cut half of the building, but when we were assessing, we assessed the whole building, so the whole building has to go," he said.
During his visit to the Kisubi–Nakawuka–Nateete Road, the minister also addressed residents’ complaints about excessive dust caused by delays in upgrading works.
He assured the public that the government is committed to resolving outstanding compensation issues to allow construction to proceed without further delays.
The Kisubi–Nakawuka–Nateete Road is a key transport artery connecting central and western Uganda, and timely completion is expected to improve traffic flow and boost economic activities along the corridor.