Uganda road toll fees to start in January 2020 on the Chinese-funded 51 kilometre Entebbe Expressway in Uganda.
The government of Uganda seeks to raise money to finance public infrastructure projects through toll fees.
Uganda National Road Authority (UNRA) is to start charging fees for the Kampala – Entebbe expressway that links the capital Kampala with the Entebbe international airport. This is following the enactment of the new road act that was passed by the Ugandan parliament.
Allen Kagina the executive director UNRA said the authority has already started on the process to procure an operator and by January 2020 they will start collecting the toll fees.
The expressway has been free to use since it was opened to traffic in June last year. Lack of tolling equipment and an operator caused the delay.
Ms Kagina said that reports show an increase in traffic on the road with the increase of people using Entebbe international airport and those surveyed are willing to pay the fee.
The government is seeking to collect money to repay a $476 million loan from the China Exim Bank, payable over a period of 40 years at two per cent interest per annum through the tolling fees.
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The Head of Network Design at UNRA Patric Muleme said once the new operator takes on the management of the expressway, security and safety issues will be under total control.
“The operator, in cooperation with the security agencies, will be in charge of ensuring that the users who will be paying are safe and secure on the road by providing security lights, cameras at different corners of the road as well as maintaining it,” Muleme said
The ministry of works in Uganda says that they are in the process of crafting the costs to be paid by particular vehicles. He said that the charges will be revealed to the public before the end of this year.
China communications construction company (CCCC) built the 51Km expressway, it connects Entebbe international airport to the Kampala Northern bypass at Biden’s. The expressway also connects Munyonyo through Kijjansi.
The Kampala-Entebbe expressway is Uganda’s only toll road. It provides a quicker getaway from Kampala to the Entebbe international airport which j’s the country’s only international airport.
