The completion of the Luwero–Butalangu road may miss its revised deadline due to delayed compensation of affected persons along sections of the route. The government commissioned the construction of the road in July 2023, with works initially scheduled to take 24 months. However, the completion date was later extended to August 16, 2026.
The 29.72-kilometre Luwero–Kiwoko–Butalangu Road is a 93 billion-Shilling project being undertaken by Dott Services Limited. The project aims to upgrade the road from gravel to paved standard to improve transport and boost economic activity in the area.
Isaac Ssebuliba, the Measurement Engineer at Dott Services Limited, said 26.86 kilometers of the road have already been covered with asphalt and the company is in the final stages of road marking as well as erecting humps.
However, he explained that only 2.86 kilometres remain, of which 1.6 kilometres are still inaccessible because some landlords have refused to surrender their land, citing delayed government compensation. The affected sections are located in Luwero Town Council, Kiwoko, and Wansalangi Village in Nakaseke District.
Ssebuliba appealed to the Ministry of Works and Transport to secure the remaining sections by compensating the affected landowners or negotiating with them so that construction can be completed within the revised timeline.
He noted that the contractor can only continue with works on sections that are free of encumbrances while waiting for the government to resolve the compensation challenge.
The Senior Communications Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Allan Ssempebwa Kyobe, acknowledged that land acquisition has slowed progress on the project but assured the public that government is working to compensate all outstanding Project Affected Persons within this quarter.
Ssempebwa said the ministry is satisfied with the progress registered so far, noting that the larger portion of the road has already been completed .
According to the Ministry of Works and Transport, a total of 589 Project Affected Persons were identified along the Luwero–Butalangu Road corridor. Most of them have already been compensated, leaving only those occupying the remaining 1.6-kilometre stretch.
The ministry also confirmed that compensation for a fuel station, which had previously been identified as a major obstacle to the project, has since been completed. To avoid similar delays on future infrastructure projects, the ministry says new guidelines now require at least 50 percent of the road reserve to be secured before construction contracts are awarded.
Government is also engaging development partners to finance both civil works and land compensation simultaneously, while maximizing existing road alignments to reduce acquisition costs and minimize displacement.
Recently, Katikamu North Member of Parliament, Denis Sekabira, raised a matter of national importance on the floor of Parliament, urging the Ministry of Works and Transport to expedite the project and spare residents from prolonged dust, traffic disruption, and the economic inconvenience caused by the unfinished road.
Construction of the road is being made possible after the OPEC Fund for International Development extended a US$11.5 million loan to the Government of Uganda in 2018 to co-finance the project.
Once completed, the upgraded road will provide a vital transport link for residents of Nakaseke District to Luwero District and the Kampala–Gulu Highway, improving connectivity, easing the movement of people and goods, and supporting trade and economic development in the Greater Luwero sub-region-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
