Tempers flared in Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure after Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama revealed that President Museveni had dismissed six engineers from the ministry over alleged corruption in the implementation of major road projects.
The affected officials, who were not named by the minister, were reportedly among engineers who had accompanied the minister to appear before the committee, chaired by Mwine Mpaka, to respond to queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year.
The report raised concerns over delays in road construction projects across the country, with particular focus on the 23.7-kilometre Busega–Mpigi Expressway, whose completion was affected by several challenges, including land valuation issues.
Byamukama, who has been praised by some MPs for his oversight of road projects, was asked to identify officials responsible for delays and alleged corruption surrounding the expressway project.
“Honourable minister, we have seen you on television talking about engineers’ benefits of three to six percent, and we have seen you on Mpigi Express talking about thieves. We are here to help you. Just point at them one by one and we help you because the number of staff who have accompanied you is too big,” Mwine Mpaka told the minister.
In response, Byamukama said the government had already started taking action against officials suspected of wrongdoing, including the interdiction of Permanent Secretary Waswa Bageya, while several engineers had begun recording statements with the Inspectorate of Government.
“Even as I was leaving my office this morning, I saw a letter from the President sacking six engineers, including a few I am seeing on this front bench here. He is sacking them, not even interdicting them, but saying they should go. He is accusing them over projects of Busega–Mpigi, Mubende–Fort Portal road, Masaka–Mutukula and many other projects,” Byamukama said.
The minister welcomed the President’s intervention, saying the ministry would cooperate with investigative agencies and would not shield officials implicated in corruption.
“I am happy the Head of State is coming in to help with different investigative agencies. For us, we shall implement and will not conceal corrupt officials,” he said.
The revelation caused tension among officials who had accompanied the minister, with some reportedly leaving the committee proceedings to make phone calls as they sought clarification on their fate.
The identities of the six dismissed engineers had not been disclosed by the minister by press time.
The latest development follows a June 2026 directive by President Museveni to the Inspector General of Government, Justice Aisha Naluzze, ordering investigations into alleged financial mismanagement on the Busega–Mpigi Expressway project.
The President directed that engineers Edwin Raymond Kiyaga, Dickens Ahimbishe and Patrick Mulema be suspended pending investigations into what he described as embezzlement of funds for the 23-kilometre expressway and its 20-kilometre access roads.
The project, funded through about Shs600 billion from the African Development Bank, had achieved about 40 percent completion at the time of the directive.
