Uganda's Museveni fires six engineers and officials over inflated costs in AFCON 2027 road projects
President Yoweri Museveni dismissed six senior officials from Uganda's Ministry of Works and Transport and the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority on July 21, saying contractors had tried to more than double the cost of roads being built for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and that the same corruption had delayed construction and undermined operations at Entebbe International Airport
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Summary
Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's president, fired six senior engineers and officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) on July 21 over what he described as "massive corruption" in road projects and airport operations. In a letter to the dismissed officials, Museveni said contractors had attempted to inflate the cost of AFCON 2027 roads by more than double the planned budget, and that the same corruption had caused delays and undermined Entebbe International Airport. Uganda is hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, creating significant infrastructure obligations and associated procurement pressure. The Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama disclosed the dismissals to Parliament's infrastructure committee, where members demanded further accountability for the contractors involved.
The split
Coverage was almost entirely domestic, concentrated in Ugandan English-language outlets (Nile Post, Chimp Reports, Daily Monitor). International reporting was limited; the story was carried only by AllAfrica. The domestic framing varied: Chimp Reports focused on Museveni's personal directive and the AFCON context, while Parliament's committee coverage emphasized institutional anger at the ministry for allowing corruption to reach this scale before disclosure. There was no independent contractor or ministry response to the specific cost-inflation allegations.
By the numbers
- 6, senior officials dismissed from Works Ministry and UCAA
- 2+, factor by which road project costs were allegedly inflated (Museveni's claim)
- 2027, year Uganda hosts the Africa Cup of Nations
Why it matters
Uganda's AFCON hosting rights come with hard infrastructure deadlines; corruption-driven delays in road building directly threaten tournament readiness. The Entebbe Airport dimension also matters for air access to the country during a major international sporting event. Museveni's direct intervention, bypassing standard civil service disciplinary procedures, suggests the standard institutional channels were not moving fast enough.
What to watch
- Whether any contractors face separate legal proceedings or debarment from government projects
- Parliamentary inquiry findings on the full scope of the cost inflation
- AFCON 2027 project timeline updates and whether roads meet readiness targets