The Ministry of Works and Transport has invited consulting firms to express interest in supervising the upgrade of the 104-kilometre Katuna–Muko–Kamuganguzi road from gravel to paved bituminous standard, in a move expected to improve road infrastructure and connectivity in the Kigezi Sub-region.
In a notice published by the ministry, the government said it intends to use part of the financing received from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to procure consultancy services for the project under Lot II.
The selected consultant will review the contractor’s designs, supervise construction works and ensure the project is completed within the agreed timelines and budget while meeting the required engineering and safety standards.
The assignment will also involve reviewing survey and engineering designs, assessing construction methods, addressing outstanding land acquisition issues and recommending measures to minimise delays and cost overruns.
According to the notice, the proposed works include supervising the construction of the 66-kilometre Muko–Katuna road and the 37-kilometre Muko–Kamuganguzi road.
The consultant will also supervise improvement works at Habubare and Rubaya health centres in Kabale and Rubanda districts, as well as the construction of village footbridges by Bridges to Prosperity.
The ministry said the consultant will be required to ensure compliance with environmental and social safeguards, implement environmental management and monitoring plans, and oversee the resettlement action plan where applicable.
The consultancy assignment is expected to last 54 months, including a 12-month defects notification period.
“Interested consulting firms are required to demonstrate their qualifications through company profiles, experience in similar assignments, evidence of working under comparable conditions and the availability of suitably qualified personnel. Firms may form joint ventures to strengthen their qualifications,” the ministry stated.
The procurement process will follow the African Development Bank’s Procurement Policy for Bank Group-Funded Operations, approved in October 2015.
The ministry said expressions of interest must be submitted in English, in one original and two copies, to its Procurement and Disposal Unit at Plot 57–59, Jinja Road, Kampala.
The deadline for submission is October 29, 2026, at 11am, with the submissions scheduled to be opened at 11:30am on the same day.
The development comes after Ndorwa West County MP Eliab Naturinda Mporera recently clarified that the Katuna–Muko road remains on the government’s programme for upgrading to tarmac, but construction is awaiting compensation for project-affected persons.
Naturinda was responding to concerns raised by residents in several WhatsApp groups that the road had been excluded from the list of roads earmarked for upgrading and rehabilitation in the 2026/27 financial year.
He said the road had not been dropped from the government programme, adding that the Ministry of Works and Transport had already started verifying project-affected persons along the route.
“The Ministry of Works and Transport dispatched its valuers to verify project-affected persons from Katuna, and they only stopped in Kinyamari. In the next quarter, they will verify PAPs from Kinyamari to Muko,” Naturinda said.
He said compensation remains a key requirement before construction can commence, adding that he is working with Finance Minister Henry Musasizi to ensure funds are secured to compensate all affected persons.
Naturinda said the Katuna–Muko road is part of the same project lot as the Laropi Road and Bridge project in the West Nile sub-region, which has already been advertised after funds for compensation were secured.
“The funds to tarmac the Katuna road were secured, and our Katuna road is on the same lot as Laropi Road/Bridge in West Nile, which is already advertised since funds to compensate people were secured earlier,” he said.
He added that the government intends to complete compensation before construction begins to minimize delays and avoid court cases arising from disputes over land and property affected by road projects.
“Secure funds to compensate people and then tarmacking the road will begin. This is intended to avoid project delays and court cases like we have seen on other roads,” he said.
President Museveni pledged to upgrade the road from marrum to bitumen during his 2016 campaigns in Kabale. The road often becomes impassable during rainy seasons due to the hilly terrain of the area.
