Uganda’s infrastructure pipeline is expanding rapidly, with government spending on roads, energy, housing and public facilities now estimated at more than Shs10 trillion annually. However, behind the growth in physical infrastructure lies a persistent challenge: rising project costs, budget revisions, stalled contracts and delays that have raised concerns over the country’s ability to deliver value for money.
In some cases, project costs increase by between 20 and 50 percent from initial estimates to completion, driven by inflation, design changes, procurement delays and weak cost planning. Ministry of Finance and infrastructure agencies have repeatedly warned that projects approved under one budget cycle often require additional funding during implementation due to inaccurate initial estimates and changing project requirements.
The challenge has placed greater focus on cost management professionals, who argue that stronger financial planning at the design stage can help reduce overruns and improve infrastructure outcomes. According to the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 financial year, several government infrastructure projects experienced cost escalations during implementation. Some Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) projects recorded contract variations linked to design adjustments and procurement delays, raising questions about the accuracy of initial cost estimates. The audit also highlighted cost and time overruns on the Kira-Kasangati-Matugga road project and selected road rehabilitation programmes, where delays and scope changes contributed to increased expenditure beyond approved budgets.
In the 2023/24 audit cycle, the Auditor General raised concerns over implementation delays under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP), noting that procurement and execution challenges affected timelines and expenditure planning. The Ministry of Water and Environment also came under scrutiny over delayed rural water supply projects, where weak supervision resulted in payments for partially completed works. Across sectors, the Auditor General has consistently pointed to weaknesses in planning, procurement and contract management, warning that without stronger cost controls, infrastructure investments risk losing value. It is against this backdrop that quantity surveyors are seeking a stronger role in Uganda’s infrastructure planning and delivery systems.
Victor Odongo, a quantity surveyor and interim chairman of the newly launched Construction and Infrastructure Consultants and Quantity Surveyors of Uganda, says the profession’s previous structure limited its ability to address emerging challenges. ‘We have been quantity surveyors in Uganda for decades. But we operated under the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda together with other disciplines. A fit-for-future review in 2018 and 2019 recommended that these professions should separate into independent associations because each had become too specialised,’ he says. Uganda, Odongo says is producing many trained quantity surveyors, but the number entering regulated practice remains low.
He estimates that universities produce close to 150 quantity surveying graduates annually, while fewer than 30 are formally registered each year. ‘That means a large number of trained professionals are not entering regulated practice, while infrastructure demand is rising sharply. At the same time, government continues to face cost overruns and disputes because cost expertise is not consistently embedded at the planning stage of projects,’ he says. Therefore, he argues that Uganda’s infrastructure challenge is no longer only about financing projects but ensuring that resources are efficiently managed. ‘A quantity surveyor manages cost planning, procurement advice and contract systems. Without that input, projects are more likely to exceed budgets and experience disputes,’ he says.
Duncan Tayebwa, assistant commissioner, quantity surveying, says the creation of Construction and Infrastructure Consultants and Quantity Surveyors of Uganda is a new phase for a profession that has traditionally worked behind the scenes.
‘For many years, quantity surveyors have prepared estimates, bills of quantities, valuations and payment certificates. Yet the impact of that work has often gone unrecognised,’ he says, noting that Uganda’s growing infrastructure investments require stronger cost governance systems. Without realistic budgeting, transparent valuation and disciplined certification of payments, projects become vulnerable to overruns, delays and loss of value for money.