MPs decry low salaries paid to Entebbe Expressway staff, push for URA to take over toll collection

Members of Parliament on Thursday questioned the management of toll operations on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, citing poor staff pay, low loan repayments and calling for the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to take over revenue collection.

Members of Parliament's Committee on Physical Infrastructure this Thursday morning met officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport to scrutinise toll operations on the expressway.

During the tense meeting, the MPs questioned the ministry's decision to extend the contract of French firm Egis Road Operation, which they said has become costly to taxpayers.

The company, according to the committee, has demonstrably failed to collect enough revenue to facilitate repayment of the loan from the Export-Import Bank of China, which financed the construction of the expressway, while a large share of the money collected is spent on operating the toll system.

Committee Chairperson Mwine Mpaka, the Mbarara City South MP, questioned why Uganda chose a private operator instead of adopting the government-run toll collection models used in Kenya and Ethiopia.

"What informed Uganda's choice of a contractor unlike the aforementioned countries because in Ethiopia, the government is the one that collects the toll?" he asked.

In response, ministry official Joan Muganga said the loan agreement required the government to appoint a private operator to manage toll revenue on behalf of the ministry. She added that all collections are deposited into a Stanbic Bank account, as stipulated in the financing agreement.

Hon Nathan Byanyima, questioned who negotiated the agreement and criticised the outsourcing of services.

"Why do we need a foreign company to clean the road when you have a labour-based policy in the ministry? This is a mess and you need to own it up and we move ahead."

The Bukanga County MP also accused the French company of exploiting the Uganda employees that work at the road tolls and in maintenance of the expressway.

These he said were being paid peanuts and worked long hours.

"The young people, the workers at the toll, have approached me asking me to bring their concerns to Parliament. They told me they are getting paid Shs500,000 a month to work eight hours a day. They are just stripped naked by this company," he said.

Committee Vice Chairperson Eng William Taylor Tiyo, the Ayivu East MP, said the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) had qualified staff who should have identified the problems much earlier.

"The people who were working at UNRA were highly qualified people. It should not have taken five years to notice these mistakes and even proceed to renew the contract with the same mistakes. This was simply a lucrative mistake.

"At the end of the day, my recommendation to the committee would be to let the Uganda Revenue Authority take over the collection of these revenues. Whoever has been benefiting from it, let them do their last eating, and thereafter, URA must take over," he said.

State Minister for Works Fred Byamukama urged the committee to invite officials from the Ministry of Finance, saying they negotiated the loan agreement.

"It would be prudent for this committee to invite the Ministry of Finance, who were the negotiators of this loan, with a few people who were in UNRA who are not even here, to come and explain what brought about this mess.

"I don't think it is right to crucify the people in my ministry because, for all the problems in the report, the Ministry of Finance carries about 80 per cent of the blame," he said.

The ministry told MPs it has started procuring an electronic toll collection system. The procurement process is expected to end by December before implementation begins.

Officials said projections based on current collections show annual growth of about five per cent and estimate that toll collections could reach Shs2.8 trillion by 2051.