Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Roads and Bridges in the Refugee Hosting Districts/Koboko-Yumbe-Moyo Road Corridor Project? What does it aim to achieve?
The World Bank approved financing of the Roads and Bridges in the Refugee Hosting Districts/Koboko-Yumbe-Moyo Road Corridor Project (KYM project) on September 20, 2020. The KYM project is fully funded with a grant of $130.8 million that the World Bank, under its International Development Association (IDA) Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR), is extending to the Republic of Uganda. This is the first road project in the world to be funded from the WHR. The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) is implementing the project on behalf of the Government of Uganda (GoU). The project aims to enhance: (a) road transport connectivity in select refugee-hosting districts of Uganda; and (b) the capacity of UNRA to manage environmental, social, and road safety risks. The World Bank has a responsibility of ensuring that the project is implemented in accordance with its policies and procedures (as reflected in the requirements set forth in the legal agreement between the World Bank and the Republic of Uganda for financing this project).
How is the project structured?
The KYM project has four components, namely: road upgrading works which include tarmacking of about 105 kilometers of Koboko–Yumbe–Moyo road corridor; institutional strengthening, which includes reinforcing UNRA’s capacity for managing social and environmental risks; road safety, which includes development and operationalization of road accident database management and road safety awareness campaigns in the project area; and contingent emergency response.
What are the benefits of the KYM project?
Once completed, the road will provide improved transport connectivity for nearly 1,000,000 Ugandans and more than 360,000 refugees that they host. It will improve the livelihoods of inhabitants of these agriculture-intensive districts by enhancing access to markets, creating direct/indirect job opportunities, improving access to social services, and enhancing private sector investment. The road will also boost trade in the sub-region including regional trade with the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
What has been done so far on the KYM project?
In preparation for implementation of the road works, GoU is responsible for ensuring availability of the required corridor for the road. Where the GoU does not own the land, it is acquired in accordance with World Bank policies pertaining to implementation of the resettlement action plan. About 92% of the project-affected persons have been compensated and nearly 90% of the right of way acquired. Both the civil works contract and the consultant services contract for supervision were signed on March 14, 2024, and March 24, 2024, respectively, between UNRA and the respective representatives of the contractor and consultant. A six-month long value engineering exercise under the design review phase will now be undertaken. This will, however, be done in a phased manner to allow works to start on sections already reviewed. The Prime Minister of Uganda is expected to launch the project on May 17, 2024.
How is the procurement for goods, works, consulting, and non-consulting services governed on this grant-funded project?
UNRA, representing GoU, is the project’s implementing agency. Therefore, UNRA carries out procurement for the KYM project in accordance with the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” and “Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants”. It also carries out other provisions stipulated in the Financing Agreement signed between the World Bank as the financier, and the Republic of Uganda as the recipient. Procurement processing under all World Bank-funded projects globally are subject to the Procurement Framework.
What is the importance of the World Bank Procurement Framework?
The Procurement Framework comprises mandatory requirements set out in the World Bank Procurement Regulations, Policy, Directive and Procedure. The regulations govern the procurement of goods, works, non-consulting services, and consulting services for operations funded in whole or in part by the World Bank through its Investment Project Financing (IPF) vehicle. The framework promotes procurement approaches that emphasize choice, quality, and value for public spending, while enabling adaptation to country contexts. Its Core Procurement Principles are: value for money; economy; integrity; fit for purpose; efficiency; transparency; fairness.
What is the role of the World Bank and the borrower (GoU/UNRA)?
Borrowers are responsible for implementation of the project including procurement, contract management and administration, and upholding environmental and social safeguards in line with the legal agreement. The World Bank, through assigned staff (or task team), plays a supervisory role and provides specialist support to ensure that project implementation is compliant with its policies and procedures. The World Bank works closely with the borrower to resolve issues identified during implementation, including procurement-related ones such as abnormally low bids and fraud and corruption. It also helps in managing risks associated with the environment and people such as adequate and timely compensation of project affected persons.
What is an abnormally low bid and how is it treated?
The World Bank defines an abnormally low bid as one in which the bid price, in combination with other elements of the bid, appears so low that it raises concern as to the capability of the bidder to do the work at the offered price. When a borrower such us the GoU/UNRA identifies a potentially abnormally low bid, the borrower seeks written clarification from the bidder. If the bidder’s explanation is unconvincing, then subject to the World Bank Procurement Regulations, the bid must be rejected.
How are procurement complaints handled under World Bank-financed projects?
All procurement-related complaints are submitted to the borrower (GoU/UNRA). World Bank Procurement Regulations provide the time limits for submission and resolution of various types of complaints.
How does the Bank ensure confidentiality and fair competition in its procurement processes?
The World Bank policies require the borrower (GoU/UNRA) to treat information relating to the examination, clarification, and evaluation of applications/bids/proposals in such a way as to avoid disclosure of their contents to any other bidder/proposer/consultant participating in the selection process, or any other party not authorized to have access to this type of information, until the borrower announces the evaluation outcome.
How does the World Bank deal with fraud and corruption?
All World Bank-financed projects, including the KYM project, are subject to the World Bank’s anti-corruption policies. The World Bank does not tolerate corruption in any form whether from its staff or from those implementing any project it is financing. Proof of corruption could result in the suspension or cancellation of the affected project. If the corruption is perpetrated by a contractor, that company may be blacklisted and therefore unable to bid for work on World Bank-financed projects globally. Corruption undermines the ability of a project to attain its objective and broadly the World Bank's ability to deliver on its mission and mandate. Corruption has a disproportionate impact on the poor and most vulnerable, increasing costs and reducing access to services, including health, education, and justice.
Who are project stakeholders and how are they engaged?
Stakeholders are people directly affected by the implementation of a project. For example, for KYM, these include refugees and host community members living along the road corridor; district and sub-county local governments along the corridor; national government ministries, agencies and departments (such as the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, National Environment Management Authority); and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. There are also other interested parties such as civil society organizations that work in the project area. Stakeholder engagement is therefore important because it increases public understanding and builds support for, and ownership of, a project; improves project design; contributes to successful project implementation; and improves the environmental and social sustainability of the project. Stakeholder engagement is a continuous process carried out over the life of the project. It includes seeking feedback on the project's performance and implementation; providing information in cases of significant changes and consulting with affected parties on how risks/impacts will be lessened. Stakeholders may also engage directly with the contractors and consultants working on the project.
What redress mechanisms exist for the KYM project stakeholders?
The project is operating a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and has established more than 100 community-based Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) which are active along the road corridor. The local councils coordinate with UNRA and the GRCs to enable effectiveness and accessibility of the GRM.
The GRM allows stakeholders to register grievances, concerns, suggestions, inquiries, and complaints at multiple locations. The GRM is open to all people regardless of their social, cultural, or economic standing.
Where can the public obtain information on the KYM project?
Documentation on the project — such as the project appraisal document, implementation status and results reports, and environmental and social impact assessments — is publicly available on the World Bank’s project web page.
What is the way forward on the KYM project?
The World Bank is committed to the attainment of the project’s objective and will continue to provide implementation support to UNRA for timely completion of the project.
* The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s low-income countries by providing grants and low-interest loans to help these countries invest in their futures, improve lives, and create safer, more prosperous communities around the world.