Pregnant Kawukumi! Over 10,000 Vehicles Vanish From Kampala-Entebbe Expressway Toll Records

By Swift Reporter

Members of Parliament have demanded answers over major discrepancies in the management of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway after an internal audit found that more than 10,000 vehicles could not be reconciled in electronic toll records.

The revelation has raised fresh questions about the reliability of the expressway’s toll collection system and whether government is getting value for money from Uganda’s first major toll road.

The figures were presented to the Committee on Physical Infrastructure on Thursday, August 6, 2026, as MPs scrutinised findings contained in the Auditor General’s Report for the 2024/25 financial year.

According to the audit findings, 586 vehicles could not be accounted for in the toll records in November 2024, a discrepancy estimated to have resulted in a revenue shortfall of about Shs407 million.

The number increased to 2,860 vehicles in December 2025, while more than 7,000 vehicles were reportedly unaccounted for in May 2026.

Combined, the discrepancies involving 10,446 vehicles are estimated to represent suspected revenue losses of more than Shs1 billion.

The figures prompted the committee, chaired by Buwekula County MP Mwine Mpaka, to demand explanations from the Ministry of Works and Transport, expressway operator EGIS and contractor Pinnacle.

The MPs questioned the integrity, reliability and security of the electronic toll collection system and sought clarification on how vehicles could pass through the expressway without corresponding toll records.

The scrutiny also extended to the overall financial performance of the expressway.

Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama told the committee that government secured a US$350 million loan, equivalent to about Shs1.2 trillion, in 2021 to finance construction of the expressway.

Since tolling began, the government has collected approximately Shs129 billion in toll revenue, while about Shs122 billion has already been paid to the contractor responsible for operating and maintaining the tolling system.

The figures raised concerns among MPs about whether the project is delivering sufficient value to taxpayers.

Bunyole West County MP James Waluswaka questioned the justification for the expenditure in light of the operational problems identified 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,” Waluswaka said.

Ministry officials explained that payments under the performance-based maintenance contract are linked to the contractor’s performance against agreed key performance indicators.

They said deductions have been made where contractors failed to meet contractual obligations, including maintaining street lighting, guardrails, road signs and cleanliness, as well as implementing the overload control system.

Officials disclosed that about Shs55 million has consistently been deducted because the overload control system remains incomplete.

The committee also questioned why Shs1.6 billion allocated for the installation of weigh-in-motion bridges had not been utilised.

Isaac Wani, an engineer at the ministry, told MPs that the installation had been delayed because of unsuitable terrain around some of the existing toll plazas.

He explained that the funds had instead been incorporated into a subsequent contract covering the installation of fixed weighbridges at toll plazas and weigh-in-motion equipment along the Northern Bypass.

The committee nevertheless stressed the importance of axle-load control in protecting the expressway from damage and ensuring that the road remains usable for many years.

MPs also demanded an explanation over vehicles that have been exempted from paying toll charges.

They questioned whether the exemptions were supported by the law and warned that discretionary waivers without proper statutory backing could undermine transparency and revenue collection.

Another area of concern was the Automated Payment Collection Unit account, which temporarily receives electronic toll payments before the funds are transferred to the Consolidated Fund.

Ministry Undersecretary Barbara Namugambe asked the committee for more time to reconcile the records and provide the requested information.

“I need more time to compile and submit all the factual reports required by this committee,” Namugambe told MPs.

The committee also questioned the ministry over more than Shs200 million reportedly spent on training in India.

Deputy Chairperson of the committee and Ayivu Division East MP William Tiyo demanded details of the training, including the beneficiaries, the courses undertaken and whether the programme had improved the management of the expressway.

The committee directed the ministry to submit a comprehensive report showing the beneficiaries, training modules, expenditure and measurable outcomes by Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

The inquiry has now placed the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway’s toll collection system, operational contracts and revenue management under increased parliamentary scrutiny as MPs seek to establish where the missing vehicles and associated revenues went and whether Uganda is receiving value for the billions invested in the project.