Government has invested heavily in infrastructure. From roads and dams to energy installations and public buildings. But without a professional framework to manage these assets, the longevity and value of these assets remain a challenge.
Public infrastructure accounts for a significant portion of government’s investment portfolio.
The Ministry of Finance puts the infrastructure stock at more than Shs200 trillion, spanning roads, power facilities, hospitals, and water systems. Yet many of these deteriorate long before their lifespans.
‘We have roads meant to last 20 or 30 years, but due to . lack of structured management, some fail within a decade,’ said Mr Chris Kakyo Kaganda, an asset management expert.
‘We build, but we do not plan for the entire life cycle of these assets,’ he added, noting that while asset management exists in some form, the practice remains largely informal.
‘Without clear structures, we cannot track performance, evaluate outcomes, or improve sustainability.’
The absence of structured asset management has turned public investment into a costly cycle of construction, degradation, and reconstruction.
Roads, power systems, and water facilities often fall short of their expected lifespans, affecting millions of Ugandans who rely on them every day.
‘Uganda is at a point where we must think beyond construction and focus on sustaining assets for generations,’ said Mr Horace Muhamya, the founding president of the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) Uganda Chapter.
‘Embedding structured management, life-cycle planning, and data-driven decision-making into infrastructure oversight will improve reliability and ensure investments deliver their intended benefits.’
The comments were made on Monday ahead of a November conference, in which more than 300 delegates from government, utilities, the private sector, and academia will discuss maintenance best practices, digital tools, and long-term planning frameworks, featuring case studies from the electricity subsector and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
For EACOP, now 72 percent complete, effective asset management is critical.
The 1,443-kilometre pipeline, stretching from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania, is one of the region’s largest energy infrastructure projects and will require decades of careful maintenance.
‘As construction progresses, sustainability and local capacity are central to our approach. We are working with IAM and our tier-one contractor, Cohesive Africa, to ensure Ugandan professionals understand the full scope of managing large-scale assets.” said Ms Merian Ahabwe, the EACOP national content manager.
Experts agree that adopting a structured approach to asset management could help Uganda avoid recurring maintenance crises, reduce wastage and improve service reliability.
From roads and power stations to pipelines and public facilities, planning for the full life cycle of assets ensures that public investments deliver value well beyond their construction phase.
‘If Uganda applies a structured, professional approach to asset management,’ Kaganda said, ‘we can expect fewer breakdowns, more reliable infrastructure and higher returns on public investment.’