The news raised eyebrows among lawmakers, many of whom were surprised that a high-ranking official such as Kagina would not seek to continue contributing to Uganda’s road infrastructure development under the Ministry’s banner.
In a stunning revelation that has caught the attention of lawmakers, Bageya Waiswa, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport, disclosed that Allen Kagina, the former Executive Director of the now-defunct Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), never applied for a position at the ministry following the agency’s dissolution.
This revelation came during a session before the Parliament of Uganda’s Public Accounts Committee, where Waiswa was providing updates on the 2024/25 report from the Office of the Auditor General. The committee had been scrutinizing the government’s rationalization process, which saw the closure of several public agencies and the redeployment of their employees.
Mawogola South MP Gorreth Namugga who was chairing the committee raised a direct question during the session: “Why wasn’t Allen Kagina, a prominent figure in UNRA’s leadership, recruited by the Ministry of Works and Transport following the dissolution of UNRA?”
In response, Waiswa explained that Kagina had never shown interest in seeking employment at the ministry. Unlike the 1,254 former UNRA employees who applied for redeployment under the rationalization process, Kagina, it seems, chose to step away from the public sector entirely.
The news raised eyebrows among lawmakers, many of whom were surprised that a high-ranking official such as Kagina would not seek to continue contributing to Uganda’s road infrastructure development under the Ministry’s banner. Some critics of the rationalization process even speculated that Kagina’s decision to not apply for a new position may be linked to the controversial and often turbulent nature of the agency’s closure.
Kagina had headed UNRA during a time when the authority faced significant challenges, including issues of corruption and mismanagement. However, she also oversaw major road construction and rehabilitation projects across the country, making her one of Uganda’s most high-profile figures in the public works sector.
