KAMPALA, Uganda — Parliament has intensified scrutiny of toll collections on the Kampala–Entebbe Expressway after audit findings showed that 10,446 vehicles could not be reconciled with electronic toll records, raising questions about possible revenue losses and the reliability of the collection system.
The concerns were raised before Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure as lawmakers examined accountability issues involving the Ministry of Works and Transport and the management of Uganda’s first toll road.
According to Parliament, an internal audit report showed discrepancies across several periods, including hundreds of vehicles in November 2024 and thousands more in December 2025 and May 2026.
Thousands of vehicle records questioned
The report showed that 586 vehicles could not be accounted for in the toll records for November 2024, with the discrepancy associated with an estimated revenue shortfall of about Shs407 million.
A further 2,860 vehicles were missing from the toll records in December 2025.
By May 2026, more than 7,000 vehicles could not be reconciled, with Parliament reporting suspected revenue losses exceeding Shs1 billion for that period.
The figures brought the total number of vehicles identified in the audit discrepancies to 10,446.
The findings do not mean that the vehicles themselves were physically missing. Rather, auditors were unable to reconcile their passage through the controlled-access expressway with corresponding records in the toll collection system.
MPs question integrity of toll system
The Committee on Physical Infrastructure, chaired by Mwine Mpaka, questioned Ministry of Works and Transport officials on how such significant discrepancies could occur on a road where access and payments are managed through an electronic toll collection system.
Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama appeared before the committee alongside ministry officials and representatives of expressway operator EGIS and contractor Pinnacle.
Parliament said the discrepancies raised concerns about the integrity, reliability and security of the electronic toll system and whether adequate controls are in place to safeguard public revenue.
Shs129 billion collected as Shs122 billion goes to contractor
Lawmakers also questioned the financial performance of the tolling arrangement after the ministry disclosed that approximately Shs129 billion had been collected in toll revenue since tolling began.
During the same period, about Shs122 billion had been paid to the contractor responsible for operating the tolling system.
The narrow difference between revenue collected and payments associated with operating the system prompted MPs to question whether the current arrangement represents adequate value for money.
Bunyole West MP James Waluswaka questioned whether taxpayers were receiving sufficient benefit from the arrangement, particularly in light of operational deficiencies highlighted in audit findings.
Government cites performance-based deductions
Ministry officials told lawmakers that payments to contractors are made under a performance-based maintenance arrangement and can be reduced when agreed performance indicators are not achieved.
Parliament was told that deductions had been imposed over problems including non-functional street lighting, damaged guardrails, defective road signs, poor road cleanliness and delays in implementing an overload control system.
Officials said approximately Shs55 million had consistently been deducted because the overload control system remained incomplete.
Shs1.6 billion weighbridge allocation also questioned
The committee also examined Shs1.6 billion that had been allocated for the installation of weigh-in-motion bridges but had not been utilised.
Ministry engineer Isaac Wani attributed the delay to unsuitable terrain around existing toll plazas and said the funds had instead been rolled into a subsequent contract covering fixed weighbridges at toll plazas and weigh-in-motion equipment along the Northern Bypass.
MPs questioned why axle-load control infrastructure considered important to protecting the expressway from damage had been delayed.
Questions over toll exemptions and electronic payments
Lawmakers also demanded explanations concerning vehicles exempted from paying toll charges and whether all exemptions were supported by the required legal framework.
The committee warned that discretionary exemptions without proper legal backing could weaken transparency and accountability in toll collection.
Another area under scrutiny is the Automated Payment Collection Unit account, which temporarily receives electronic toll payments before money is transferred to the Consolidated Fund.
Ministry given deadline for detailed report
Ministry Undersecretary Barbara Namugambe asked the committee for additional time to reconcile the records and compile the information demanded by lawmakers.
The committee subsequently directed the ministry to submit a comprehensive report addressing outstanding accountability questions by Wednesday, 12 August 2026.
The report is expected to provide further detail on expenditure, management arrangements and other concerns raised during the committee hearing.
The parliamentary scrutiny comes as Uganda considers wider use of tolling and other user-funded models to operate and maintain major transport infrastructure.
For motorists who pay to use the Kampala–Entebbe Expressway, the central question is whether every passage and payment is being accurately captured and whether the revenue generated by the road is being managed efficiently and transparently.
The ministry’s forthcoming explanations will therefore be important in determining what caused the 10,446 unreconciled records and whether any public revenue was actually lost.
