Lutwama Warns of Crackdown as Museveni Tightens Rules on Shs1 Billion Road Fund

Alebtong Deputy Resident District Commissioner Mathias Lutwama has warned accounting officers against mismanaging the annual Shs1 billion Road Fund, saying President Yoweri Museveni has issued stringent executive guidelines to tighten oversight and ensure value for money in road maintenance projects.

Lutwama said the new directives target improved accountability across Uganda’s districts, cities and municipalities, with non-compliant accounting officers facing administrative action by the Ministries of Local Government and Finance.

Under the guidelines, every local government must establish a dedicated Force Account for the Shs1 billion allocation from the Ministry of Finance to distinguish it from other road financing sources.

The President also directed that spending on servicing and repairing road equipment must not exceed 10 per cent of the annual allocation and should be supported by proper accountability.

To strengthen oversight, Roads Committees comprising area Members of Parliament, LC5 chairpersons, Chief Administrative Officers, District Internal Security Officers and district or city engineers will supervise implementation of the programme.

Museveni further barred local governments from hiring supervision consultants for road rehabilitation projects, directing them to instead recruit substantive technical staff or seek support from the Ministry of Works and Transport.

Works departments have been instructed to submit quarterly implementation reports by the 15th day of every quarter, detailing indicative planning figures, procurement plans, road designs and the scope of works.

The directives also require local governments to comply with occupational health and safety standards while integrating environmental conservation, climate change, HIV/AIDS, gender mainstreaming and pandemic preparedness into road projects.

In addition, every district, city and municipality will be required to hold quarterly public barazas and display project information on notice boards to enhance public scrutiny of the road fund.

Lutwama said the guidelines reflect the President’s determination to eliminate mismanagement and ensure the annual road allocation translates into improved community access roads across the country.