1305702074 Management of Road Main Ten Ace of National Roads by the Uganda National Roads Authority

8/3/2019 1305702074 Management of Road Main Ten Ace of National Roads by the Uganda National Roads Authority

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Management of Road Maintenance of National Roads by UNRA 1 | P a g e

Report on The Management of Road Maintenance of National Roads by UNRA 2010

THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT REPORT ON THE MANAGEMENT OF ROAD

MAINTENACE OF NATIONAL ROADS

BY THE UGANDA NATIONAL ROADS AUTHORITY

MARCH 2011


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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................................................... 8

MOTIVATION............................................................................................................................................................... 8

Findings ..................................................................................................................... 9

UNRA Strategic plan for road maintenance .................................................................... 9

Establishing the cause of road failures .......................................................................... 9

Grass cutting on the carriageway and shoulders ...........................................................10

Maintenance of Edge of mat (Road edges) ...................................................................10

Maintenance of Culvert and Culvert Bridge cleaning ......................................................10

Maintenance of Running width and Shoulder drainage ..................................................10

Bridge maintenance ...................................................................................................10

Axle load control points on the National Road Network ..................................................11

Absence of portable or mobile weighbridges .................................................................11

Offloading Excess Load...............................................................................................11

Non-deterrent and discretionary Penalties ....................................................................11

Maintenance of Signs and Traffic Safety Facilities .........................................................11

Recommendations .....................................................................................................11

CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................................................. 14

1.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 14

1.1 BACKGROUND:............................................................................................................................................ 14

1.2 Motivation ......................................................................................................14

1.3 Mandate ..........................................................................................................15

1.4 Vision .............................................................................................................16

1.4.1 UNRAS Vision ..................................................................................................16

1.5.1 UNRAs Mission ...............................................................................................16

1.6 Objectives ......................................................................................................17

1.6.1 UNRAs Objectives ...........................................................................................17

1.7 Activities of MoWT by Department ....................................................................17

1.8 Organisational Structure ..................................................................................20

1.9 UNRA Funding ................................................................................................21


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1.10 SCOPE ............................................................................................................21

1.11 Audit Objectives ..............................................................................................22

CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................................................ 23

2.0 METHODSOFDATACOLLECTION .......................................................................................................... 23

2.2 Document review: ...........................................................................................23

2.3 Field visits .....................................................................................................23

2.4 Interviews .......................................................................................................24

CHAPTER THREE............................................................................................................................................. 25

3.0 SYSTEMSANDPROCESSDESCRIPTION ......................................................................................... 25

3.2 PROCESS DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................26

3.2.4 Maintenance of Bituminous Surfaced Road .......................................................30

3.2.5 Maintenance of Signs and Traffic Safety Facilities ..............................................32

3.2.6 Maintenance of Bridges ..................................................................................32

CHAPTER FOUR............................................................................................................................................... 34

FINDINGS .............................................................................................................................................................. 34

4.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 34

4.1 Planning Road Maintenance .............................................................................34

4.1.1 UNRA Strategic plan for periodic road maintenance ............................................34

4.1.2 Establishing the cause of road failures ...........................................................36

4.2 EXECUTION ....................................................................................................40

4.2.1 Routine and Periodic road Maintenance .............................................................40

4.2.1.1 Grass cutting on the carriageway and shoulders ................................................40

4.2.1.2 Maintenance of Edge of Mat (Road edges) .......................................................44

4.2.1.3 Maintenance of Culvert and Culvert Bridge Cleaning .........................................46

4.2.1.4 Maintenance of Running width and Shoulder drainage ......................................48

4.2.1.5 Bridge maintenance .......................................................................................51

4.2.1.6 Maintenance of Signs and Traffic Safety Facilities .............................................55

4.3 ROADS MONITORING AND CONTROL ...............................................................56

4.3.1 Axle load control points on the National Road Network ...................................56

4.3.2 Absence of Portable or Mobile Weighbridges .................................................58

4.3.4 Offloading Excess Load ...................................................................................59


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4.3.5 Non -deterrent and Discretionary Penalties .......................................................60

CHAPTER 5 ....................................................................................................................................................... 63

5.0 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 63

5.1 UNRA Strategic Plan For Road Maintenance .......................................................63

5.2 Establishing the cause of road failures .............................................................63

5.3 Grass cutting on the carriageway and shoulders ...............................................63

5.4 Maintenance of Edge of mat (Road edges) ........................................................63

5.5 Maintenance of Culvert and Culvert Bridge cleaning ...........................................63

5.6 Maintenance of Running width and Shoulder drainage ........................................64

5.7 Bridge maintenance........................................................................................64

5.8 Axle load control .............................................................................................64

5.8.1 Axle load control points on the National Road Network ...................................64

5.8.2 Absence of portable or mobile weighbridges .....................................................64

5.8.3 Offloading Excess Load ................................................................................65

5.8.4 Non -deterrent and discretionary Penalties .....................................................65

5.9 Maintenance of Signs and Traffic Safety Facilities ..............................................65

CHAPTER SIX.................................................................................................................................................. 66

6.0 RECOMMENDATION ........................................................................................................................... 66

6.1

UNRA Strategic Plan for Road Maintenance .......................................................66

6.2 Maintenance of the Road .................................................................................66

6.2.1 Establishing the Cause of Road Failures ............................................................66

6.2.2 Grass Cutting on the carriageway and shoulders under routine and periodic road

maintenance. ............................................................................................................66

6.2.3 Maintenance of Edge of mat (Road edges) ........................................................66

6.2.4 Maintenance of Culvert, Culvert Bridge Cleaning and Replacement ......................67

6.2.5 Maintenance of Running width and Shoulder Drainage .......................................67

6.3 Bridge maintenance........................................................................................67

6.4 Axle load control ............................................................................................67

6.4.1 Axle load control points on the National Road Network ......................................67

6.4.2 Absence of portable or mobile weighbridges .....................................................67

6.4.3 Offloading Excess Load ................................................................................68


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6.4.4. Non -deterrent and discretionary Penalties ..........................................................68

GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................................................................... 69

LIST OF APPENDICES:

APPENDIX 1 ORGANOGRAM..

APPENDIX 2 DOCUMENTS REVIEWED .............................................................................................. 70

APPENDIX 3 SCHEDULE OF INSPECTED ROADS ............................................................................ 71

APPENDIX 4 POSSIBLE ROAD STRETCH REQUIRING WEIGHBRIDGE ON UGANDA

NATIONAL ROAD............................................................................................................................................ 72

LIST OF TABLES:

TABLE 1 FUNDING OF UNRA..20

TABLE 2 VEHICLE LOAD ON UGANDA'S NATIONAL ROAD RECORDED

ON 6 WEGH BRIDGE STATIONS55

LIST OF GRAPHS:

GRAPH 1 .52

LIST OF PICTURES:

PICTURE 1.35

PICTURE2...37

PICTURE 3..37

PICTURE 4..38

PICTURE 5..38

PICTURE 6... ..40

PICTURE 7......41

PICTURE 8..42

PICTURE 9..42

PICTURE 1043

PICTURE 1145

PICTURE 1247

PICTURE 1348

PICTURE 1449

PICTURE 1550


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PICTURE 16 52

PICTURE 1753

PICTURE 1853

PICTURE 19554


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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AFROSAI E African Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (English Speaking)

AAG Assistant Auditor General

AG Auditor General

CG Central Government

ED Executive Director

HR Human Resource

ICT Information and Communication Technology

INTOSAI International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions

MOFPED Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development

MoWT Ministry of Works and Transport

OAG Office of the Auditor General

TC Technical Committee

UGX Ugandan Shilling Currency

UNRA Uganda National Roads Authority.


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The function of road maintenance was transferred to the Road Agency Formation Unit (RAFU),

a semi-autonomous body from the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) in FY 2005/06. The

unit has since been transformed into a Statutory Authority; the Uganda National Roads

Authority (UNRA) by an Act of Parliament with the responsibility of managing the National

Roads Network including its maintenance and development. The authority is responsible for:

New road development,

The management of road maintenance,

Road machinery management and

Axle load control.UNRA was established in July 2008 and the MoWT was left with the responsibility of providing

strategic management and oversight functions such as policy formulation, regulation, planning

as well as monitoring UNRA performance.

The funding of UNRA at the time of audit stood at, Shs.1,392, 476,269,782 comprising Shs

746,399,000,307 for the F/Y 2008/09 and Shs.646,077,269,475 for F/Y 2009/2010.

Motivation

Uganda is a landlocked country and roads are the backbone of the economy since all produce

and merchandise in and out of the country are transported by road.

The road safety condition in Uganda is still unsatisfactory and road accidents, fatalities and

injury have been increasing during the past 10 years. It has been estimated that road accidents

in Uganda cost about 2.7% of Uganda GDP in terms of lives, injury, vehicle and other property

loss. Analysis of accident statistics reports in Uganda indicates that 5% of the accidents are due

to road condition, including: bad road surface, pot holes, poor road designs and inadequate

road furniture1. The Government set up UNRA in 2008 as an independent body

1 Hon. John Nasasira, Minister of Works and Transport; Launch of the second report of commission of

Global Road Safety: 5th May 2009,Rome,Italy


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responsible for new road development, management of road maintenance, road machinery

management, axle load control, among others, and to address the road infrastructure

challenges. During the F/Y 2008/9 and 2009/10, the Works and Transport sector received

Shs.1, 083.7 billion and Shs.1,214.8 billion which represented 18.5% and 17.25% of the total

national budget for the two financial years, respectively. In the year 2009/10, 14% of the

funding to UNRA was for road maintenance.

Despite the creation of UNRA and the allocation of a big part of the national budget to the

Works and Transport Sector, the condition of roads remained unsatisfactory, and according to

the Budget Monitoring Report by the Ministry of Finance

Planning and Economic Development (MOFPED), the absorption of funds by UNRA was rated

as poor2.

It was against this background that the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) decided to carry

out a value for money study on the Management of maintenance of National Roads by UNRA.

Findings

UNRA Strategic plan for road maintenance

UNRA has no documented strategic plan covering periodic maintenance activities. Some roads

whose life span would have been prolonged through periodic maintenance are left to

deteriorate to levels that will require major rehabilitation to make them motorable.

Establishing the cause of road failures

All the five stations visited out of the twenty two UNRA stations country-wide do not have

reports on the causes of distress on all the sampled roads covering 2,300 kms. Carrying out

maintenance works without ascertaining causes of distress results into repeated works on the

same spot every other time which leads to wastage of human resources, time and financial

resources.

2 Budget Monitoring Report, October-December 2009, page viii by MoFPED


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Grass cutting on the carriageway and shoulders

All the 2,300 km roads inspected during the study revealed, at various locations, that grass had

grown beyond the tolerable height. The tall grass diverts storm water onto the carriage way,

destroying the shoulders and narrowing the roads.

Maintenance of Edge of mat (Road edges)

A number of roads out of the 2,300km inspected during audit have edge of mat failure. The

edge of mat failure is hazardous to users and if not attended to, leads to more extensive

deterioration of the remainder of the carriageway as the edge support becomes eroded.

Maintenance of Culvert and Culvert Bridge cleaning

Not all culverts on the 35 roads inspected are adequately maintained to serve the intended

purpose. Failure to maintain the culverts leads to blockage resulting in stream water washing

away the roads. This shortens the lifespan of the roads, destroys investment on the

infrastructure and denies the road users the social and economic benefits of improved road

access.

Maintenance of Running width and Shoulder drainage

Several sections of the gravel roads inspected do not have smooth running width. The road

sections have deep rutting and gullies running along the drive way and narrowing of the

running width. This causes water to collect on the road surface during the rainy season, and

leads to rutting, depressions and pot-holes which delay traffic movement and increase vehicle

maintenance costs.

Bridge maintenance

Of the 217 bridges countrywide, UNRA did not have information on the status of 109 (i.e.50%)

bridges, 58 bridges (i.e. 27%) are regularly maintained while 50 bridges (i.e. 23%) are not

maintained. Failure to maintain bridges reduces their life span and wastes the heavy investment

that is used in bridge construction.


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Axle load control points on the National Road Network

Not all the national roads handling heavy commercial vehicles have permanent or mobile weigh

bridges on them. Of the 22 roads inspected, only six are served by weighbridges.

The absence of axle load control points on some of the roads exposes them to excess load

resulting in the need for frequent periodic maintenance works and high vehicle maintenance

costs.

Absence of portable or mobile weighbridges

Five stations sampled out of the existing twenty two have no mobile weigh bridges. Mubende

and Mbale stations that have mobile weighbridges are utilizing them as permanent and fixed

weighbridges. The absence of mobile weigh bridges is encouraging transporters to overload and

avoid the few existing permanent weighbridges leading to destruction of roads, reduction in the

average life span of the road network and increase in the overall transport costs.

Offloading Excess Load

Only two of the four sampled weighbridges enforce offloading excess load on identified vehicles

as statutorily required. Allowing excess axle load on the road reduces the lifespan of the road.

Non-deterrent and discretionary Penalties

The fines and penalties being given to offenders are neither consistently applied nor deterrent.

Preferential treatment was offered to local transporters as compared to foreign transporters.

This is encouraging the transporters to continue overloading aware that they will continue

paying the non-deterrent fines and penalties.

Maintenance of Signs and Traffic Safety Facilities

Not all road signs and traffic safety facilities are being maintained at all times on all national

roads. This is likely to result in accidents as drivers approach obstacles and changed road

priorities without prior warning.

Recommendations

UNRA should formulate a Strategic Plan that covers the entire road network, detailing the

type and frequency of maintenance.


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UNRA should ensure that the causes of distress are always established first before any

intervention method is decided upon.

The management of UNRA should step up its supervisory role by ensuring that there are

foremen and road overseers on every road as per their staff establishment.

UNRA should ensure that road-maintenance funds are remitted to the Stations on time and

in accordance to the work plans.

UNRA should stick as far as possible to the technical specifications enshrined in their

Technical Specification Maintenance Manual on grass cutting and bush clearing.

The management of UNRA should equip stations with the relevant maintenance

equipments.

Station managers should ensure that surveillance activities are regularly carried out to

locate failed and failing road structures for immediate attention.

Station Managers should ensure that there are maintenance plans for all roads under theircharge and should strive to adhere to the plans.

The management of UNRA should establish a prudent maintenance and replacement

program for culverts and culvert bridges, especially on the gravel roads, and station

managers should ensure that they adhere to its implementation.

UNRA should ensure that the capacity of the Contractors is adequately evaluated before

awarding them contracts.

Contract managers at UNRA should monitor closely the works of Consultants to ensure

that works are executed as per the terms and conditions of the contract agreements

between UNRA and the Contractors.


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The management of UNRA should prioritize bridge maintenance and repairs among its

major activities. There is need to emphasize cost-effective proactive strategies from the

start, when the bridge is still new.

UNRA Stations should step up their surveillance function on bridges.

UNRA should endeavor to control axle load on the roads with heavy traffic count.

UNRA should establish a mechanism of working with other stakeholders in controlling axle

load on the road network.

UNRA should ensure that mobile weighbridges are introduced to supplement permanent

weighbridges. This will ensure that, transporters who avoid fixed weighbridges are

effectively pursued.

UNRA should ensure that all its stations offload excess load without compromise as per

Regulation 14 (1), (2) and (3) of the Traffic and Road Safety (Weighbridges) Regulations

2010.

UNRA through the MOWT, should make amendments to the existing laws to ensure that a

more deterrent Law is enacted.

UNRA should further work with the relevant Ministries (Internal Affairs- Police and Ministry

of Justice) on the enforcement of Regulation 16(1-4) of The Traffic and Road

(weighbridges) Regulations 2010.


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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background:

The Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) was recently restructured by transferring

the Communications and Housing functions to the newly created Ministries of

Communication and Information Communications Technology and Lands, Housing and

Urban Development, respectively, leaving the original Ministry with the Directories of

Works and Transport.

Until FY 2005/06, funds for road projects financing were appropriated to the road

Agency Formation Unit (RAFU), a semi- autonomous body under this Ministry. The unit

has since been transformed into a Statutory Authority: the Uganda National Roads

Authority (UNRA) The authority is responsible for:

New road development,

The management of road maintenance,

Road machinery management and

Axle load control.The ministry retained the responsibility of providing strategic management and oversight

functions such as policy formulation, regulation, planning and monitoring the

performance of UNRA.

1.2 MotivationRoads are the backbone of the economy of Uganda since all produce and merchandise

in and out of the country are transported by road. Roads connect the countryside to

urban centers for marketing the produce.

The road safety condition in Uganda is still unsatisfactory and road accidents, fatalities

and injury have been increasing during the past 10 years. It has been estimated that

road accidents in Uganda cost about 2.7% of Uganda GDP in terms of lives, injury,

vehicle and other property losses. An analysis of accident statistics reports in Uganda


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indicates that 5% of accidents are due to road condition including: bad road surface, pot

holes, poor road designs and inadequate road furniture3.

The Government set up UNRA in 2008 as an independent body to be responsible for

new road development, management of road maintenance, road machinery

management and axle load control, among others, to address the road infrastructure

challenges.

During the F/Y 2008/9 and 2009/10 the Works and Transport sector received

Shs.1,083.7 and Shs.1,214.8 billions which represented 18.5% and 17.25% of the total

national budget for the two financial years, respectively. In the year 2009/10, 14% of

the funding to UNRA was for road maintenance.

Despite the creation of UNRA and the allocation of the biggest part of the national

budget to the Works and Transport Sector, the condition of roads remained un-

satisfactory, and according to the Budget Monitoring Report by Ministry of Finance

Planning and Economic Development the absorption of funds by UNRA was rated as

poor4.

It was against this background that the Office of the Auditor General decided to carry

out a value for money study on the management of road maintenance of National Roads

by UNRA.

1.3 MandateThe mandate to manage and construct roads is vested in both the MoWT and UNRA

The mandates are presented below:

The MoWT Mandate is to:

Plan, develop and maintain an economic, efficient and effective transport

infrastructure;

1 Hon. John Nasasira, Minister of Works and Transport; Launch of the second report of commission of

Global Road Safety: 5th May 2009,Rome,Italy

4 Budget Monitoring Report, October-December 2009, page viii by MoFPED


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Plan, develop and maintain an economic, efficient transport service by road, rail, and

air;

Manage public works including government buildings; and

Promote standards in the construction industry.

UNRAs Mandate is to:

Manage the provision and maintenance of the national roads network in an efficient and

effective manner,

Rendering advisory services to Government on national roads network development

and related matters;

Managing the axle load control; and

Collaborating with international organizations, inter-government organizations and

foreign agencies of other states and the private sector on issues relating to the

development and maintenance of roads.

1.4 Vision

The Ministrys Vision is to have a reliable and safe infrastructure in works and transport

that will deliver timely, quality, cost effective and sustainable services to the people of

Uganda.

1.4.1 UNRAS Vision

To operate a safe, efficient and well-developed national roads network.

1.5 Mission

The Ministrys mission is to promote an adequate, safe and well maintained works and

transport infrastructure and services so as to effectively contribute to the socio-

economic development of the country.

1.5.1 UNRAs Mission

To develop and maintain a national roads network that is responsive to the economic

development needs of Uganda, ensure the safety of all road users, and enable the

environmental sustainability of the national road corridors.


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1.6 Objectives

MoWT has the following objectives:

To provide a safe and efficient road network capable of meeting the present and

future traffic demand while harmoniously integrating road safety and environmental

protection requirements and social impact concerns;

To continue with the establishment and development of a robust administration for

effective and efficient management of the national road network as a major

component of the road sub-sector;

To enhance the road development construction industry that can meet the required

construction standards, health and occupational health requirements while

generating gainful employment for the people.

1.6.1 UNRAs Objectives

UNRA has the following Objectives:

1. To ensure all year round safe and efficient movement of people and goods on thenational roads network;

2. To enhance road safety through improved road design and education of the users;3. To optimize the quality, timeliness and cost effectiveness of the road works

interventions;

4. To improve private sector participation in service delivery;5. To use innovative and creative techniques and strategies to optimize the

performance of the road system;

6. To attract, develop and retain a quality team;

1.7 Activities of MoWT by Department

MoWT activities are summarized below by department:

Quality Management (Construction Standards and Quality Management)Department

The Department is responsible for setting standards and conducting materials testing

whilst integrating cross-cutting issues in sector plans and programmes. It offers the

following services:


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Conducting technical and management audits on road construction and maintenance

projects implemented by the ministry;

Monitoring the implementation of the ministries quality management (business

excellence) systems in all departments;

Development maintenance and review of engineering standards ,manuals and guide-

lines for the ministry;

Integration of environmental, gender, HIV/AIDS occupational health and safety and

disability concerns in the ministrys plans, programmes, activities and monitoring

compliance;

Testing of construction materials and quality control at construction sites to ensure

compliance with specifications;

Conducting geotechnical investigations to establish ground (soils) conditions at

construction sites;

Evaluation of road pavement to determine pavement conditions relevant for

planning and designing maintenance and remedial measures;

Carrying out structural evaluation of buildings to establish the residual structural

integrity and functional performance;

Conducting research on local construction materials aimed at promoting their usage

by developing appropriate specifications and guidelines and

Coordination of the developing of the local construction industry.

Building (Public Building) Works Department

The Public Works Department is responsible for the management of public works,

including: government buildings and stadia and is to ensure standards in the Building

Construction Industry. This department carries out the following services:

Initiating and developing feasibility studies, standards, policies, appropriate laws and

specifications for building construction and maintenance;

Supervising and monitoring construction works on government buildings through the

provision of information and supervision of consultants and contractors;

Ensuring building safety, efficiency and adherences to standards;

Assisting low income earners to access affordable descent house-type plans;


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Rendering technical advice and handling any delegated work towards reducing the

shortfall of office space by 130,000sq.

The Directorate of Transport

This directorate develops implements and monitors policies and strategic plans for the

Transport Sub-Sector. It also regulates and monitors transport services. It provides

policy guidelines and offers monitoring services to Public Corporations and Regulatory

bodies under the Transport Sub-Sector. The Directorate has two Departments, namely:

Transport Planning (Transport Development) and Transport Regulation.

Transport Planning (Transport Development) Department

The Department formulates transport policies and plans for road, rail, air and water

modes of transport. It implements the following activities to achieve these objectives:

Carry out strategic planning, coordination and monitoring Transport Sub-Sector

performance;

Coordinate activities of sub-regional and international organization concerned with

the various modes of transport;

Monitor projects and programmes carried out by the public corporations(such as

Uganda Railways Corporation(URC) and Civil Aviation Authority(CAA) as well as their

business operations;Carry out socio-economic studies on the different modes of transport to determine

the impact of the various innervations/inventions visa vie poverty reduction;

Collect, process, analyze, interpret, store and disseminate data on all modes of

transport for strategic planning and timely decision making.

Transport Regulation Department

The department is responsible for evolving laws and regulations, which govern

transport. It also monitors the enforcement of laws and regulations. The activities under

this department are as follows:

Monitor the performance of CAA, East African Civil Aviation Academy

(EACAA),National Roads Safety Council (NRSC) and Transport Licensing Board (TLB)

so as to ensure adherence to laws and regulations;


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Coordinate the review and conclusion of Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) in

accordance with The 1994 CAA and Chicago convention;

Initiate, advise and assist with enforcement of appropriate traffic and road safety

legislation;

Sensitize the public about road safety and discipline in the transport industry (Road

Rail, Water and Air);

Monitor the inspection and licensing of goods and passenger transport in the country

to maintain set safety standards;

Monitor the movement of heavy vehicles to ensure compliance with regulation for

axle load controls, vehicle weights and dimensions;

License and monitor the operations of drivers/instructors in training schools.

1.8 Organisational Structure

UNRAs performance and activities are influenced by other external organizations, such

as, the MoWT, which is the parent ministry of the Transport Sector. The ministrys role

is policy formulation, regulation, setting standards, strategic planning, monitoring and

evaluation. These activities have a direct impact on UNRAs planning and

implementation of programmed activities.

UNRA operates under an organizational structure as approved by the Board in 2008. The

Authority is headed by an Executive Director (ED) appointed by the Minister of Works

and Transport. In the UNRA organizational structure, there are five Directorates, each

headed by a Director who reports to the ED. The Directorates are: (i) Planning, (ii)

Projects, (iii) Operations, (iv) Finance and Administration, and (v) Internal Audit.

The Directorate of Operations is solely charged with the maintenance function of

National Roads. The maintenance activities are managed at regional level through

twenty two stations. The Stations are headed by station engineers who are supervisedby the Regional Managers. The Regional Managers in turn report directly to the Director

Operations. See attached oganograme as Appendix 1


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1.9 UNRA Funding

UNRA is funded mainly through Government votes. Other sources of funding for the

entity include Donations (Donor funding). The funding of UNRA at the time of audit

stood as tabulated below:

Table 1: Funding of NFA for two Financial years

YEARS

FUNDING

ACTUAL

2008/09

ACTUAL

2009/10

Total

Govt Grants (Shs) 500,249,365,048 341,393,975,457 841,643,340,505

Donor funding 245,451,116,285 237,861,850,918 483,312,967,203

Other Income 160,353,784 283,443,100 443,796,884

Transfers from

other government

department

538,165,190 66,538,000,000 67,076,165,190

Total 746,399,000,307 646,077,269,475 1,392,476,269,782

Source: Audited accounts of UNRA

1.10 SCOPE

Focus of the Audit

The MoWT has three Sub-Sectors which include: Transport, Communication and Public

Works. The Audit, however, focused on Roads as this is by far the most dominant mode

of transport and plays a pivotal role in supporting economic and social development

programs. The roads in general carry over 90% passengers and freight and provide the

only form of access to rural communities5.

It is worth noting here that the focus of the study was on Uganda National Roads

Authority, a body that was specifically established by an Act of Parliament in 2006 with

the responsibility of managing the National Road Network. The study focused on the

Management of Road maintenance.

5 10 year road sector development programme, march 2002


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1.11 Audit Objectives

The Management of National Roads by MoWT and UNRA Audit was conducted to assess

whether:

UNRA and MoWT were providing a safe and efficient road network capable of

meeting the present and future traffic demand;

UNRA was optimizing the quality and timeliness of the road works interventions;

UNRA was properly managing and controlling the use of the National Roads.


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CHAPTER TWO

METHODOLOGY

2.0 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

The audit was conducted in accordance with the Standards set by the International

Organization of Supreme Audit institutions (INTOSAI) and the Performance Audit Manual

of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Uganda. The Standards require that

performance audit be planned, conducted and reported in a manner which ensures that

an audit of high quality is carried out in an economic, efficient and effective way and in

a timely manner.

2.1 Sampling

20% of the 10,000km roads under UNRA mandate were sampled for this study. To

achieve a representative regional distribution of the roads, a stratified random sampling

method was applied. One UNRA station was picked from each of the five regions out of

the 22 maintenance stations countrywide. To make up the sampled roads, all main

roads that link or radiate from the stations were incorporated. Additional roads and

station coverage in excess of the sample were as a result of unavoidable proximity

arising from the stations already falling on the stretch of sample roads or the remaining

kilometrage to complete a road stretch. All axle load control points on roads entering the

country (2) were picked and at least one axle load control points on the selected roads

falling within interior roads were picked (2). Available UNRA data on 217 bridges was

scrutinized and the information therein corroborated with data obtained through site

visit of 15 bridges that fall on already sampled roads.

2.2 Document review:

To be able to gain an insight of the operations and processes of UNRA, the audit team

reviewed various records and documents as shown in appendix 2:

2.3 Field visits

The Audit team carried out field visit inspections of roads under five UNRA stations out

of the twenty two maintenance stations country-wide, with the aim of establishing the


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nature and state of roads constructed and maintenance works. See appendix (2) for

details of field visits.

2.4 Interviews

A total of 26 interviews were conducted with both UNRA and MoWT officials with themotive of assessing how UNRA was carrying out part of its mandate of Road

maintenance works.


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CHAPTER THREE

3.0 SYSTEMS AND PROCESS DESCRIPTION

3.1 SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION

3.1.1 Roles and Responsibilities

The MoWT is responsible for road development and management in the country, among

its other roles. It does this in conjunction with other government organs, such as: UNRA

and Local Governments. The ministry also supervises the activities of UNRA. The

Ministry is headed by a Minister who is the Political head. The day- to- day technical

supervision is done by the Permanent Secretary (PS) who is also the Accounting Officer.

The Ministry comprises two directorates, namely: the Engineering Directorate and theTransport Directorate. The two Directorates are headed by Directors who report to PS.

3.1.2 The Minister, MoWT

The Minister is responsible for providing overall management and policy direction to the

Ministry and the sector at large. He is assisted by two ministers of state.

3.1.3 The Permanent Secretary

The PS is the accounting officer who is responsible for the overall administration of the

Ministry.

3.1.4 The Under Secretary

The Under Secretary (US) is the assistant to the PS and is in-charge of finance and

administration in the Ministry.

3.1.5 UNRA Executive Director

UNRA operates under an organizational structure which was approved by the board in

2008.

The Authority is headed by the Executive Director (ED) appointed by the Minister of

Works and Transport.


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The ED is responsible for overall management and coordination of UNRAs five

Directories.

3.1.6 Directorate of Planning

The Planning Directorate is primarily responsible for planning UNRA,s activities and

monitoring their implementation. It is headed by a Director.

It has the following key activities among others:-

Maintain updated information on the inventory and condition of infrastructure assets

under UNRA,s care to enhance forward planning.

Automating UNRAs key business process to enhance monitoring and Evaluation.

3.1.7 Directorate of Operations

The Directorate of Operations is responsible for the maintenance of the national road

network, including the management of ferries and axle load control, with the aim of

preserving the investment made in roads.

The Directorate is headed by a Director and organized around three core functional

areas viz. (i) Road maintenance, (ii) Axle load control and (iii) Mechanical Services.

3.1.8 Directorate of Finance

The Directorate is responsible for the business financial control of UNRA.It is headed by a Director and comprises five functional Divisions.

The main function of Finance is ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of all accounting

information, budgeting, cash management, audit, and provision of financial information

as required by Government, Donors and the public.

3.2 PROCESS DESCRIPTION

3.2.1 Road Maintenance

The basic objective of road maintenance is to ensure that the road constructed, orimproved, is maintained in its original condition to the extent possible. Even with the


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highest possible quality of construction, maintenance is essential to get optimum service

from the road structure during its life period.6

3.2.2 Maintenance Stations

UNRA has Maintenance Stations in all of its twenty two regional offices headed by

Station Engineers. Each maintenance unit is made up of a superintendent, foreman,

supervisor, technician, artisan, engineer, stores clerk and nine general staff in addition

to the general maintenance unit at the central mechanical workshop in Kampala.

Every year, Station Engineers carry out road surveillance to determine roads that need

intervention. They generate reports that are sent to principal engineers in charge of the

districts at headquarters. Reports from all the districts are used to compile a

comprehensive plan for the maintenance of the roads. The departments then go ahead

to budget for the different maintenance activities. Once funds are identified, they are

dispatched to the various districts for the implementation of the prioritized activities

(maintenance works) under the supervision of the principal engineer. Road Maintenance

is divided into: Routine, Periodic and enhanced maintenance work.

3.2.3 Periodic Maintenance

Periodic maintenance includes carrying out activities to keep up the standard of the road

and to prevent its deterioration. The activities are required to be carried out only atintervals of five years and they include re-gravelling, resealing and carriage markings.

Additionally periodic maintenance may involve activities that increase the serviceability

and safety of the roads in a very cost effective way. These may involve elimination of

bottle-necks and black spots, the improvement of junctions, the provision of lay-byes

and bus stops, shoulder surfacing, the provision of culverts and the gravelling of earth

roads to give all weather conditions.

6 Rural road maintenance - sustaining the benefits of improved access. A publication of International

Labor Office, 2007. Page 17 Definitions and understanding of Maintenance


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3.2.3 Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance involves activities aimed at ensuring safe and regular flow of traffic

and these are given the highest priority.

This entails drainage maintenance, running width, grass cutting and bush clearing,

removal of obstructions from the carriage way, shoulders and drainage, edge of mat

repairs, maintenance of bridges and maintenance of signs and traffic safety facilities,

among others.

3.2.3.1Drainage Maintenance

The maintenance of drainage involves the prevention of wash ways and erosion of the

side slopes or drains, avoiding silting up of water courses, culverts or drains. The poor

drainage system will result in saturated soils which have very poor load-bearing capacity

and leading to failure. The main objective of maintenance of drains is to ensure that the

drains continue to perform their function properly. The inspection of the functionality of

the drainage is done after heavy rainfall. In August and September the department

undertakes opening of mitre and side drains in preparation for the rainy seasons that

usually come around July, August and December.

3.2.3.2Maintenance of Running Width

For the running width, adequate camber or super elevation (shape) is necessary to allowstorm water to drain off the carriageway. In bituminous surfaced roads, minor

depressions that cause pounding are repaired as and when they occur. On gravel roads,

a grader is used in the maintenance of camber and super elevation.

3.2.3.3Grass Cutting and Bush Clearing

Where directed by the employer, all grass and other vegetation occurring within the

gravel carriage way or gravel shoulder shall be uprooted by pulling up each individual

plant or shoot, and all the arising shall be suitably disposed of at least 25 meters away

from the road centerline; without damaging the road formation pavement or structures

or adjacent public /private property in anyway and are to the satisfaction of UNRA.

However, if the aforesaid weeding disturbs the surface of the carriage way or shoulder

then the surface shall be watered and re-compacted to the satisfaction of the employer.


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All grass and other vegetation within a width of 10 meters from the road centerline or 1

meters beyond the limits of the side drains or earth works or structures, whichever is

greater shall be cut such that it is maintained at a height not greater than 150mm above

the in-situ ground level. All the cuttings shall be suitably disposed of at least 25 meters

distance from the road centerline, all without damaging the road formation pavement or

structures or adjacent public/private properties in anyway or the satisfaction of UNRA.

In addition, all vegetation within a width of 3 meters beyond the limits of the side drains

or earthworks or structures, whichever is greater, shall be cut such that it is maintained

at a height not greater than 500mm above the in-situ ground level, except only

throughout the inside of horizontal curves with radii of 500 meters in which case the

aforesaid vegetation control shall be extended to 10 meters beyond the limits of the side

drains or earthworks or structures, whichever is the grater, and all the cuttings shall be

suitably disposed of at least 25 meters away from the road centerline, all without

damaging the road formation pavement or structures or adjacent public/private property

in anyway and all to the satisfaction of UNRA.

Notwithstanding the vegetation control specified separately, all extraneous deposits on

the carriage way and shoulders and all assorted vegetation therein occurring above the

original as built formation level shall be removed without disturbing the remaining

formation which shall thereby be reinstated to its original level and cross fall, and allcleared spoil and other arising shall suitably be disposed of at least 25 meters distant

from the road centerline, or without damaging the road formation pavement, or

structure or adjacent public/private property in anyway, all to the satisfaction of UNRA.

3.2.3.4Removal of Obstructions from the Carriageway Shoulders and Drainage

Notwithstanding the removal of deposits specified separately, all extraneous items which

form or threaten to form an obstruction to the free flow of traffic or drainage of water

shall be removed without disturbing the remaining formation and all arising shall be

suitably disposed of at least 25 meters distant from the road centerline, all without

damaging the road formation pavement or structures or adjacent public/private property

in anyway and all to the satisfaction of UNRA. Where such obstruction comprises


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carcasses of dead animals, each carcass shall be disposed of by bury in a 1 meter dip

pit.

3.2.3.5Maintenance of Shoulder Drainage

Road shoulders are maintained so as to allow storm water to flow into the side drains

with the minimum of erosion to allow vehicles to pull off the carriageway in safety and

comfort. These are also used as safety measures for cyclists and pedestrians

3.2.3.6 Side Drains

Side drains are inspected regularly during the routine road inspections. Each year during

August or September all necessary work to prepare for the coming of the rains is

undertaken. The work involves the maintenance of mitre and side drains and the

clearing out of culvert and bridge waterways and stream channels. Repair of catch water

and down drains is done during this period.

3.2.4 Maintenance of Bituminous Surfaced Road

3.2.4.1Bituminous Surface Patching

Whenever patching of surfaced road is necessary the reason for the distress must be

established before repairs are carried out. The possible causation include excess

moisture, inadequate gravel cover, inferior sub grade gravels or surfacing, overloading

and traffic volumes in excess of those for which the road was designed.

3.2.4.2 Cement Stabilized Gravel Patching

This method is adopted in the case of serious failures, large potholes and deep

depressions (greater than 40mm).The distressed area is excavated to sound foundation

material and trimmed to a regular shape. The diamond shape is preferred, with the

diagonal line in the direction of the traffic flow, to eliminate any traffic bump. Suitable

gravel is mixed in a ratio of one wheelbarrow of gravel to one shovel of cement. The

mixed material is spread in 50mm-75mm layers in the excavation and hand tamped or

compacted with a vibrator plate compactor. They are screeded level with the adjacent

road surface, primed with wankie Prime or emulsion, sanded over and left under traffic

to cure and settle. After approximately one week, the patch shall be excavated to a


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depth of 15 mm and if it has not settled primed again, sealed with a well graded premix

and again hand-tamped or consolidated with a vibratory plate compactor.

3.2.4.3 Premix Patching

Manual premix must not be laid in layers thicker than twice the size of the coarsest

aggregate used in the premix. It is therefore inconvenient and also expensive to employ

premix patching to repair depressions deeper than approximately 40mm.Distressed

areas or slacks shallower than 40mm are repaired using premix with a minimum size

aggregate not exceeding 20mm.A tuck cot is used over the full area, both to achieve

effective bond and to close up any cracking which may exist. Bitumen emulsions are

used as the tuck coat and are applied at the rate of 0.55 to 0.82 liters per m2.

3.2.4.4Service Trenches

The engineer ensures that the backfilling over the service is well compacted, with the

final six inches being cement stabilized gravel. The surface must be screeded level with

the adjacent road surface, primed, sanded over and left under traffic to cure and settle

prior to surfacing.

3.2.4.5Edge of Mat Repairs

In the case of fretting or breaking of the edge of a bituminous surface, care must be

taken to finish off the patch with a neat, straight edge and to ensure that the gravelshoulder is made up with suitable material to the correct level and slope in order to give

maximum support to the edge of the surfacing.

3.2.4.6Resealing

The maintenance department carries out road resealing at intervals and the length of

the interval depends on the quality of previous work, traffic count and the actual

condition of the bituminous, for instance degree of cracking and/or patching and loss of

aggregate. Road resealing must be done after a period between every three to sevenyears. The object of resealing is to rejuvenate the bitumen in the original surface,

waterproof the wearing surface by sealing any hair cracks or breaks and restore as far

as possible the original riding qualities of the carriageway. The emphasis must be always

placed on cleanliness and precession. The department notifies other stakeholders of a

resealing programme, i.e. UMEME, Telecommunication Companies, NWSC and local


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authorities so that they can have the opportunity to lay any underground service before

rather than after the new surface is provided. This is normally emphasized in built up

areas.

During resealing traffic uses a temporary alternative route to allow for the resealing

exercise. The department uses typical sign posting of Detour. On wide mat roads where

no detour is possible the lane on which resealing is in progress is physically closed by

means of standard portable barricades as for detours. The barricades are sufficiently

clear of the start and finish to protect workmen and equipment. At each barricade a

regulatory temporary traffic control (Stop-Go) is erected.

3.2.5 Maintenance of Signs and Traffic Safety Facilities

Routine measures shall be carried out to provide adequate sight distance throughout the

year and to maintain the whole road servitude on wide mat roads. Lay-byes and edge

lines must be repainted every eight years. Distance markers must be kept clean at all

times and damaged markers are replaced within 24 hours. Markers are kept exposed by

special cutting of grass. Markers must be placed at 2 km intervals.

3.2.6 Maintenance of Bridges

The bridge maintenance unit is responsible for the maintenance of bridges. The

maintenance of bridges involves routine, general and periodic maintenance. General

maintenance involves uprooting all vegetation from roadway across bridges, as well as

expansion joints, tops of piers and elsewhere where structural damage may be caused

by established plants. Flood debris is also cleared from decks of the low level or semi-

level bridge which are liable to be overtopped by floods. Debris including trees, sand and

stones are cleared away from the waterway near the bridge. The Bridge maintenance

unit checks each year before the rain season to ensure the waterway is clear. The steel

bearings must be cleared of all foreign matter and grease applied in appropriate places.

Damaged structures of bridges are replaced within 24 hours.


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3.3 ROAD MONITORING AND CONTROL

3.3.1 Axle Load Control

Roads are designed to carry specific vehicle weight beyond which their lifespan isshortened. UNRA and MoWT are mandated to control and manage Axle load among

other roles.

3.3.2 Establishment of axle load control points

The axle load is normally checked at weigh bridges. This is intended to act as preventive

maintenance of the roads. UNRA is supposed to install weigh bridges at strategic

locations covering the entire national road network.

3.3.4 Operations of control points

The operation of weigh bridges ensures that vehicles plying the National roads carry the

load that is in accordance with the specifications of the road designs.

All heavy commercial vehicles are supposed to pass over the weighbridges and their

weights taken. In the event that a vehicle is not overloaded, it is left to go. But all

vehicles found with excess load are instantly impounded.

The impounded vehicles are registered stating the extent of the overload, and the

weighing time, the driver and the details of the vehicle.

The driver is then sent to court for Court to determine the Charges to the offender. After

paying the Court fine, the driver presents the receipt to UNRA weighbridge attendants.

Before the vehicle is released, excess load is offloaded and the vehicle re-weighed for

compliance.


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CHAPTER FOUR

FINDINGS

4.0 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, findings on the Management of road maintenance in reference to the

Audit objectives and questions are presented.

4.1 Planning Road Maintenance

4.1.1 UNRA Strategic plan for periodic road maintenance

Best practice in road maintenance is that periodic maintenance work should be

scheduled to ensure that works are carried out as a preventive measure at early stages

to keep the roads in a motorable standard and to prevent them from deterioration. The

scheduling should be at strategic intervals of 3 to 7 years depending on the quality of

the road and the level of wear and tear7. This necessitates having a strategic

maintenance plan to operationalise this action8.

Audit established that UNRA did not have a documented strategic plan scheduled to

cover the frequency and time for periodic maintenance for the sampled roads. However,

it was noted that UNRA had an annual operational maintenance plan for the 2,300 kms

of roads covered in our sample.

Management attributed the absence of a documented strategic plan to the fact that

UNRA is still in its infancy9 and inherited a system that was slow, ill-equipped and

underfunded. There was also inadequate staffing capacity.

7 ILO, Rural Road Maintenance-Sustaining the benefits of improved access,2007 page 20

8 UNRA road maintenance management manual 2008

9 Commenced business in July 2008


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As a result, 79% of the sampled roads totaling 1,638 kms had surpassed their

maintenance period, have deteriorated and are being handled by UNRA as backlog

cases. The UNRA approach to maintenance is reactive rather than proactive. For

example, the 45 km Tororo-Mbale road had surpassed its life span of 15 years without

undergoing enhanced maintenance according to UNRA. Delayed maintenance therefore

resulted in loss of investment and benefits accruing from the road such as access to

market for agricultural produce, health facilities and schools.

It was further noted that because of lack of proper planning, Ngettta Puranga road (64

km) in Lira (see photo 1), had failed despite government intervention with a contract of

periodic maintenance worth UGX 2.7 billion. Works at the time of field inspection stood

at 78% completion yet the contractor had already abandoned the site. The station

officer could not even carry out routine maintenance activities because the contractor

still had possession of the site. This may cause potential loss to government totaling 2.7

billion of the investment as a result of the contractor abandoning the site and thereby

making it difficult for the Station to carry out maintenance on the road.

Photo 1: A section of Ngetta Puranga from Km 2+00 to 27 where the entire carriage

way has potholes and rutting.

Managements Response

UNRA is in the process of developing a Strategic plan for road maintenance

which should be in place by July 2012. In the meantime, UNRA uses the plans

that are inbuilt in the works and transport Framework Paper.


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4.1.2 Establishing the cause of road failures

Best practice10 and the maintenance and Design Manual, require that the cause of road

distress should be established in order to identify the appropriate intervention method to

employ in addressing the distress. The causes of distress should be incorporated in the

station managers Annual road surveillance reports to the Principal Engineers, which

should be used to compile comprehensive plans for maintenance.

All the 5 out of the 22 UNRA stations visited country-wide did not avail surveillance

reports that show the causes of distress on the sampled roads which cover 2,300 kms 11.

Examples of cases of roads being worked on that lacked evidence of causes of distress

include: Mbale-Tororo road (25km),Lira Aduku road(37km), Kapchorwa-Kapkwata

Road(77km), KatookeKagadi Road (37km), Nyakahita-Rusheru-Rwakitura road (45km)

and Jinja-Kamuli road (59km).

Audit revealed that the causes of distress on both paved and gravel roads include

inadequate gravel cover, excessive moisture, and inferior sub-grade. Refer to illustrative

photos 2 to 4 below:

10Maintenance and design manual, US, department of transportation, November, 2000

11Appendix 2


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Photo 2: A section on Lira-Aduku Road at Banya swamp km 11 with visible inadequate

gravel cover that exposed the culvert. Such a culvert is a potential danger to motorists.

The culvert stands a danger of being blocked by gravel as evidenced by the developing

holes.

Photo 3: A section on Kapchorwa-Kapkwata Road which has a rough riding surface as

a result of compaction done under excessive moisture condition and loss of gravel.


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Photo4: A section on KatookeKagadi Road with inferior sub-grade that did not allow

proper bonding, causing poor riding quality due to stoniness

It was further observed that UNRA committed resources on maintenance (mainly

patching on paved roads) of spots on roads where the base had substantially failed. The

fundamental problem with patching is that, if not well handled, will not bond well with

the surrounding part and hence giving a temporary solution. It is difficult to keep the

workability of hot bituminous materials at/above a level where they are able to receive

full compaction, and without full compaction the life of the patched area will be greatly

reduced.


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Photo 5: A section on Fort-Portal Kyenjojo road with over-patching that did not have

lasting impression since the road structures had substantially failed. UNRA should have

established the cause of the distress and come up with the most appropriate

intervention measure instead of spending much time and money on patching.

The areas patched early in the day may be properly compacted but areas patched late in

the day may be poor because the temperature of the material is too low to achieve full

compaction. We further observed that UNRA often concentrated on patching roads and

paid little or no attention to other road structures such as shoulder and the edge of mat

especially on bituminous surfaced roads.

The failure to establish the causes of distress is attributable to reluctance by UNRA to

carry out the procedures required to determine the cause of distress by subjecting

samples from the failed sections of the road to laboratory tests. Audit further noted that

there was no budgetary funding to carry out this activity by the respective concerned

station engineers.

The effect of this weakness is that work has to be repeated on the same sport every

other month resulting in wastage of human resources, time and financial resources yet

the condition of the road remains the same or continues to deteriorate.Furthermore, some failed spots were found to be getting worse without management

intervention. And yet it is good practice to schedule maintenance works to ensure that

works are carried out as preventive measures at an early stage when the deterioration

of the road and damage are still limited. We noted that management had concentrated

a bigger part of its maintenance resources on maintenance of spots that had failed due

to collapsed road bases as a result of aging.


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Photo 6: A Section on Fort Portal-Kyenjojo Road that had developed crocodile-skin

cracks from Km 16+200 to 30 +500. This is a result of delayed intervention on a

weakened base. If not attended to, it will turn into multiple potholes. The solution is to

reseal the entire stretch of the road at a higher cost than would have been if

intervention had come earlier.

Managements response:

Management stated that, in most cases, the causes of the failure is known.

And that in the majority of cases the roads in question are overdue for

periodic maintenance or reconstruction. That a system will be put in place to

document the causes of failure on particular roads.

4.2 EXECUTION

4.2.1 Routine and Periodic Road Maintenance

4.2.1.1Grass cutting on the carriageway and shoulders

Specification M100-104 of UNRA Road maintenance Manual requires that all grass and

other vegetation occurring within the gravel carriageway or gravel shoulder be uprooted

and suitably disposed of at least 25 meters from the center line. For gravel roads,


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shoulders and drains require periodic and routine mowing or cutting of grass to 150 mm

above the in-situ ground level. In addition, all vegetation within a width of 3 meters

beyond the limits of the side drains or earth works or structures, should be maintained

at a height not greater than 500 mm above the in-situ ground level, and activity 1105 of

the maintenance manual requires the clearance of surface spills, obstructions, dead

animals and damage repairs on the carriageway as routine maintenance.

The field visits of our sample of the 2,300 km roads revealed lack of grading or mowing

of grass on the edge of the roadway at various locations. It was observed that grass had

grown beyond tolerable height to the extent of diverting storm water onto the carriage-

way, destroying the shoulders and part of the carriage-way. This scenario was very

prominent on the Ishaka-Katunguru road around Rutoto hill, at Igorora town board,

17km on Ibanda Mbarara road (see photo 7) and the 18 km stretch of Mbale Sironko

road.

P

h

o

t

o

7: An example of ungraded/ un-mowed road edge on km 17 Mbarara Ibanda road at

Igorora Town Board. The water had been diverted onto the carriageway and had eroded

the shoulder.


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Photo 8: An example on a section of Kyenjojo-Fortportal road where grass was cut but

not disposed of as per specification within the manual. Grass was instead dumped in the

drainage, blocking running water.

Similarly, the inspection on gravel roads revealed grass that was growing and narrowing

the carriageway and obstructing visibility, making the roads prone to accidents. A case

in point is Kamuli-Namasagali road (see photo 9 below)

Photo 9: A section on Km 11+800 (Kamuli - Namasagali Rd) has a narrow right of way

as a result of overgrown grass on the shoulders.


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Additionally, the audit observed several other obstructions like dead carcasses on the

road which were not removed as expeditiously as required by the manual. An illustration

of this is shown in photo 10 below:

Photo 10: A carcass of a dead animal at Busitema on Tororo-Busia Rd a road which

if not cleared could cause accidents to road users and ultimately, damage to the road.

The major reasons for inadequate maintenance of grass on the carriage and shoulders

under routine and periodic road maintenance are:

inadequate supervision human resource in form of foremen and road overseers;

late remittance of maintenance funds to station offices, which delays maintenance

works;

failure to observe local weather conditions that affect the road maintenance pattern;

Inadequate road maintenance equipment.

The effect of blocked carriageway and shoulders arising from inadequate maintenance

of grass on the carriage and shoulders is the destruction of the carriageway and

shoulder drains which makes the road un-motorable. This increases the cost of


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operating vehicles on the roads, which translates into high business costs which are

transferred to consumers and finally deny citizens the social and economic benefits of

improved access. Additionally, failure to remove dead animals and other obstacles poses

a threat of accidents to road users who try to dodge such obstacles and end up driving

in the line of the on-coming vehicles, which could also cause damage to the roads.

Management response:

The issue of clearing grass on the entire road width including the road

reserves has been brought to the attention of Station Engineers. UNRA is

going to reinforce its supervisory teams (Road Overseers, Road Inspectors

and Assistant Station Engineers) to ensure that the grass is maintained to

acceptable levels. Further, that removal of obstruction is allowed for in the

labor based activities and the Station Engineers were advised to ensure that

all activities are carried out promptly.

4.2.1.2 Maintenance of Edge of Mat (Road edges)

Specification M205 of UNRA Road maintenance Manual requires that bituminous surface

roads should be stripped of the carriageway to the correct level and slope in order to

give maximum support to the edge of the surface in order to provide good edge of mat

which is relevant in the preservation of the shoulders and hence a sound carriageway.

Audit discovered that a number of spots on the 2,300km roads visited had edge of mat

which remained unattended to and continued to eat into the road. The following road

stretches had the most common cases of this occurance: Kyenjojo-Mubende (a 110km

road stretch), Tororo-Malaba (10km road stretch)see photo 11 below), Mubende-

Mityana (90km), Mbale-Sironko (18.5km), Sironko-Kapchorwa (45.6km),Kampala-Kafu-

Karuma (253km), Kamdini-Gulu (62Km) and Tororo-Mbale (25kms).


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Photo 11: A section on the Tororo-Malaba Rd on the left above that is slowly eating

away towards the carriageway; and on the right, a section on Mbale-Sironko Rd that has

edge of mat failure up to the road centerline.

Deterioration of the road edge of mat can present a hazard to users and leads to more

extensive deterioration of the remainder of the carriageway as the edge support

becomes eroded.

The major reasons for failure to maintain edge of mat failure are:-

Absence of scheduled maintenance plan.

Use of untested materials which provide substandard work.

Failure by UNRA to adequately supervise the maintenance exercise.

For purposes of cutting on costs of construction, UNRA tend to use gravel

and a simple layer of surface dressing on the edges and shoulders, which

wear out faster than the carriage way, which is usually fairly done.


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Thefailed edge of mat has the potential of:

Causing accidents arising from vehicles failure to grip and get back to the road in

case of skidding off the carriageway.

Presenting a potential risk to pedestrians and cyclists of getting knocked as they

compete for the narrow road.

reducing the capacity of the road to accommodate traffic due to narrowing of the

road running width

Providing inlet for moisture and storm water into the road base which inflicts severe

damage to the road structure thus reducing the life span as seen in photo 10 above.

Increasing vehicle maintenance costs due to destruction of tyres that go over the

sharp and deformed edges.

Management Response:

The observation of the Auditors in respect of several roads having edge

failures is appreciated. It is indeed a challenge which UNRA is tackling using a

number of approaches in its maintenance works.

4.2.1.3 Maintenance of Culvert and Culvert Bridge Cleaning

Specification M105 of UNRA Road maintenance Manual requires that Culverts should be

free of any debris deposits and vegetation suitably removed within the culverts and their

inlets and outlets such that th

1305702074 Management of Road Main Ten Ace of National Roads by the Uganda National Roads Authority

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