President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has rejected the proposal by the Ministry of Works to secure a loan to facilitate the construction of the Kampala- Jinja Expressway, explaining that there is a Chinese company that will construct it using their own money and only recover it through road tolls.
According to a letter addressed to Monica Azuba, the Works Minister, Mr Museveni reiterates his stand about ruling out external or internal borrowing for development of infrastructure except for the railway, electricity, oil roads among others.
The President notes that China Railway No. 17, whose delegates he met, will handle the expressway, which will be the second in the country.
“Why, then, should we borrow for this road? Moreover, the roads are not the major cost reducers compared to the railway or electricity.”
“In my earlier letter, I have expressly ruled out external borrowing except for the railway, electricity, controlling the cost of money (capitalizing UDB), the oil roads, the tourism roads, some aspects of education, some aspects of health and irrigation,” Museveni’s letter dated September 19 reads in part.
“Accordingly, I reject the idea of borrowing for the Kampala-Jinja Expressway,” the president says.