Works Minister, Katumba Wamala
The Minister of Works and Transport, Katumba Wamala has rejected argument that the abolishing of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) would lead to massive unemployment in Uganda, saying that UNRA staff interested in offering their services to would be absorbed into the Ministry of Works and these will be employed under the terms of public service.
“The current staffing levels of the three entities include a total of 1544 both permanent, contingency, contract, senior management earning a total of Shs71Bn. The Ministry of Works has 544 members of staff and the wage bill is Shs17Bn. The staffing at Road Fund is 36 that isn’t much, UNRA’s wage bill is Shs71Bn. If we get all these staff to be employed under public service terms, we shall be saving Shs39Bn in wages only per month without talking about other overheads. That is a very big saving for this Government and that money can do a number of roads in the country, both murram and tarmac,” said Katumba.
The Minister of Works also rejected argument that abolishing of UNRA would lead to massive unemployment, saying all staff of UNRA interested in serving Uganda would be absorbed into the Ministry and work under the terms of public service.
“If you are going to have effective command and control, and y are also going to have effective delivery of services, our resources need to be concentrated, prioritized in quest to achieve maximum effect that is why we are absorbing all the UNRA Staff that are willing to offer services to this nation under the public service terms and condition in the Ministry, thus, the fear which had been expressed earlier of creating unemployment doesn’t exist because we are absorbing all the members of that agency,” argued Katumba.
Katumba further defended the need to abolish UNRA, citing the duplication of roles, wondering why UNRA should have a Legal Department with 27 lawyers, yet there is also the Attorney General’s Chambers that is meant to handle all legal affairs in Gov’t.
“The Attorney General is responsible for all matters of law as far as Ministries and Agencies is concerned, why would you have a full legal unit in UNRA? The Department of Compliance and Investigation, this is the function of Criminal Investigations Directorate, why would UNRA have a department of investigation? What capacity do they have to investigate? The Directorate of Legal Services with 27 established lawyers,” said Katumba.
