The Ministry of Works and Transport has been thrust into the spotlight as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) deepens its probe into the alleged mismanagement of more than UGX 29.4 billion in public funds.
What began as a procurement project to modernise record keeping systems across government agencies has now escalated into one of the most high-profile corruption inquiries in recent years.
The money in question was appropriated under the Department of Transport, Regulation and Safety and was earmarked for several initiatives including; archiving records for the Uganda Driving Permit Project (Phase II), archiving of motor vehicle registration files at the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), and remodeling of the Uganda Railway main station and a URA warehouse for motor vehicle records in Kampala.
Together, the projects were budgeted at UGX 29.5 billion, an investment intended to boost efficiency and safeguard critical national data.
Instead, investigators suspect irregularities in the procurement process. CID has demanded the full procurement file for contract MOWT/NCONS/2019-2020/00006, including bid advertisements, solicitation documents, contracts committee minutes, evaluation reports, signed contracts, and payment details.
The investigation is being coordinated by ACP Taremwa Moses, and ACP Odong Mark Paul, the Deputy Director of CID’s Economic Fraud and Anti-Corruption Division, according to correspondence.
Other documents demanded by Police include; annual work plans, budgets, and progress reports from the Project Management Team have also been requested.
This sweeping demand signals that the investigation is not routine but a deep forensic audit into how each shilling was handled.
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His cooperation highlights both the sensitivity of the case and the mounting pressure on government technocrats to account for every step of the process.
Though no individuals have been publicly named, the probe raises broader concerns about Uganda’s procurement system.
The Ministry of Works and Transport, which controls some of the largest infrastructure budgets in the country, is both indispensable to development and vulnerable to misuse.
Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke confirmed the ongoing investigation but urged patience. “There are ongoing investigations, but when arrests are ever made, the media will be notified,” he said.
His words reflect both the seriousness of the probe and the caution with which CID is moving.
