Uganda’s railway records show billions of shillings have been invested over the years, yet a continuous and transparent account of the assets remains missing.

An analysis tracing the history of the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) from the 1977 breakup of the East African Community through the Rift Valley Railways concession to the present day has highlighted major gaps in asset tracking.

After the collapse of the EAC, the division and management of shared railway assets became complicated. Later, under the Rift Valley Railways concession, additional challenges emerged around the maintenance, ownership and eventual location of locomotives, wagons and other infrastructure.

Today, questions persist about missing wagons and other critical assets that were once part of the national railway network. The lack of a complete and updated ledger has made it difficult for the public and oversight bodies to fully account for the value of investments made over several decades.

The findings have renewed calls for a comprehensive audit of Uganda’s railway assets and stronger systems to track public infrastructure investments.

Tags: Uganda Railways, URC, Missing assets, Railway wagons, Accountability, Infrastructure