KAMPALA, Uganda, August 6, 2026/APO Group/ —
Members of Parliament were stunned after an internal audit report revealed that 10,446 vehicles could not be reconciled in toll records for the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.
The report showed that 586 vehicles could not be accounted for in November 2024, resulting in an estimated revenue shortfall of about Shs407 million, 2,860 vehicles were missing from toll records in December 2025, and over 7,000 in May 2026 translating into suspected revenue losses exceeding Shs1 billion.
With the revelation, legislators on the Committee of Physical Infrastructure have tasked the Ministry of Works and Transport to explain discrepancies in the expressway toll revenue collections, unaccounted-for vehicles and the management of billions of shillings invested in Uganda’s first toll road project.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Mwine Mpaka, on Thursday, 06 August 2026, questioned officials from the ministry led by the minister, Hon. Minister Fred Byamukama, together with representatives of expressway operator EGIS and contractor Pinnacle, as lawmakers examined findings contained in the Auditor General’s Report for the Financial Year 2024/25.
The revelation questions the integrity, reliability and security of the electronic toll collection system.
Hon. Byamukama revealed that the Government secured a US$350 million (about Shs1.2 trillion) loan in 2021 to finance the construction of the expressway.
MPs investigated whether taxpayers were receiving value for money after the ministry revealed that since tolling commenced, approximately Shs129 billion has been collected in toll revenue while about Shs122 billion has already been paid to the contractor responsible for operating the tolling system.
Hon. James Waluswaka, (Bunyole West County), asked whether government could justify the expenditure considering recurring operational deficiencies highlighted by auditors.
“When almost as much money goes to the contractor as what Government collects from motorists, Parliament must ask whether Ugandans are obtaining value for money from this investment,” he argued.
The ministry explained that payments under the performance-based maintenance contract vary depending on whether contractors meet agreed Key Performance Indicators.
According to the ministry, deductions have been imposed for failures including non-functional street lighting, damaged guardrails, defective road signs, poor road cleanliness and delayed implementation of the overload control system.
Officials disclosed that approximately Shs55 million has consistently been deducted because the overload control system remains incomplete.
The committee further questioned why Shs1.6 billion allocated for installation of weigh-in-motion bridges had never been utilised.
Isaac Wani, an Engineer at the ministry attributed the delay to unsuitable terrain near existing toll plazas, explaining that the funds had instead been rolled into a subsequent contract to facilitate installation of fixed weighbridges at the toll plazas and weigh-in-motion equipment along the Northern Bypass.
He argued that axle-load enforcement is essential for protecting the structural integrity and lifespan of the expressway and questioned why such a critical component had been deferred while other infrastructure was completed.
The committee also demanded accountability over vehicles exempted from paying toll charges and probed whether such exemptions complied with the law without supporting statutory instruments, warning that discretionary exemptions without proper legal backing could undermine transparency.
Another area of concern involved transactions through the Automated Payment Collection Unit account, established to temporarily receive electronic toll payments before remittance to the Consolidated Fund.
The ministry Undersecretary, Barbara Namugambe, requested additional time to reconcile the records. “I need more time to compile and submit all the factual reports required by this committee,” she said.
Deputy Chairperson of the committee and MP Ayivu Division East, Hon. William Tiyo, questioned why the ministry spent over Shs200m for training in India despite the supervising contractor being a French company and demanded evidence that the training had improved management of the toll road.
The committee directed the ministry to submit a comprehensive report detailing beneficiaries, training modules, expenditure and measurable outcomes before Wednesday, 12 August 2026.
