UNRA ceases to exist after Museveni signs abolition bill

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) will cease to exist as soon as President Museveni signs the new law passed by Parliament on November 6.

Minutes after the passage of the controversial coffee bill, the 305 lawmakers who remained in the House of Representatives after their colleagues opposed to the abolition of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority broke away also passed other bills, including the Uganda National Roads Authority bill ( cancelled) 2024.

This law dissolved the UNRA and transferred its functions to the Ministry of Labor and Transport.

The Minister of Works and Transport, General Edward Katumba Wamala, told Parliament before the passage of the legislation that the repeal of the UNRA would enable its functions to be incorporated and rationalized into his ministry, thereby relieving the government of the financial drain on its resources and the burden of wasteful administration and expenditure. .

His ministry, he added, will continue to perform the functions of the UNRA at a lower cost, as it did before the creation of the UNRA in 2006.

“We are not going to create unemployment, we are going to test all UNRA workers and we welcome those who wish to work under the public service agreement,” he said.

In its report, the Physical Infrastructure Committee, headed by its Chairman, Mr. Dan Kimosho, recommended the implementation of Unra but directed the ministry to ensure minimal disruption to ongoing projects; Thoroughly reviewing contracts to identify restrictive clauses, engaging stakeholders (contractors, financiers) to review or update contracts, and developing contingency plans to mitigate potential project suspensions or penalties.

“The committee supports the government’s decision to streamline the Uganda National Highways Authority (Unra) and merge its functions with the Ministry of Works and Transport. However, given Unra’s significant portfolio of Sh9 trillion, including loans committing the agency to act as implementing partner, the Committee recommends a transition management period of three years to ensure a smooth transition of management. This phased approach will allow the ministry to take over the responsibilities of Unra, mitigate potential disruptions and ensure smooth construction and maintenance of roads,” he said.

The committee also recommended that the government strengthen the technical capacity of all technical staff in the ministry so that they can carry out highly complex projects rather than outsourcing services to other departments.

Mr Kimosho said: “The committee recommends that Unra employees be given new facilities at the Ministry of Works and Transport to relieve the government of financial drain on resources due to wasteful administrative expenses.”

Parliament also passed the Uganda Road Fund Bill, which provided for the dissolution of the Uganda Road Fund and the transfer of its functions to the Ministry of Works and Transport.