MPs Question Agriculture Ministry Over Road Construction and Loan Value

Lawmakers in Uganda have expressed unease regarding institutional mandates after discovering that the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is actively utilizing loan finances to build community access roads.

During a recent session of the Committee on National Economy, officials from MAAIF briefed legislators on the progress of six major loan-funded projects. Committee Chairperson Hon. Jane Avur Pacuto questioned whether these funds wouldn’t be better channeled through the Ministry of Works and Transport, while also querying if the agriculture docket possesses sufficient engineering capacity for road development.

Responding to the concerns, MAAIF Permanent Secretary Maj. Gen. (Rtd) David Kasura-Kyomukama defended the ministry’s actions. He explained that the infrastructure being built consists of small rural access roads, often referred to as road chokes, which fall outside formal national and district road networks. Waiting for the Ministry of Works to handle such localized pathways, he argued, would likely stall the broader agricultural projects.

Beyond infrastructural undertakings, MPs scrutinized the allocation of loan funds toward postgraduate sponsorships. Reports revealed that initiatives like the National Oil Seeds Project and the National Oil Palm Project have funded numerous master’s and doctoral degrees. Legislators demanded clearer evidence of value for money, questioning how everyday citizens directly benefit from these academic pursuits.

Kasura-Kyomukama countered that the scholarships are designed to fill critical research gaps, pointing to homegrown innovations such as the anti-tick vaccine as proof of success. Furthermore, addressing concerns about district selection criteria raised by MPs like Hon. Charles Tebandeke, the Permanent Secretary maintained that project locations are determined using scientific data and environmental suitability rather than arbitrary choices.

The committee intends to reconvene to review the remaining three agricultural loan projects currently under implementation. Read more details on the Parliament of Uganda.