Kabale Roads: Multiplex given three months to complete construction works

KABALE, UGANDA: Officials from the World Bank and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development have given Multiplex Construction Company Limited up to 3rd August this year to have substantially completed construction works at Rushoroza, Bushekwire and Bwankosya roads or risk having the contract terminated.

The construction company was in May 2021 awarded a 21.7 Billion Shillings contract to tarmac the 0.76 kilometres of Bwankosa road, 0.34KM Bushekwire road, and 2.49KM Rushoroza road that connects the Kabale Diocesan Headquarters to Katuna-Kabale-Mbarara Highway. The roads are being upgraded under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) project.

The contract has since the expiry of the contractual date been extended three times up to today when the contractor entered into liquidation damages.

Now, Multiplex Construction Company Limited officials were today (Tuesday) grilled during a fact-finding mission on the project progress and tasked to explain why there have been delays in the construction works. The officials were also tasked to submit contractual documents ascertaining their project capacities.

This forced the World Bank Mission Development Specialist Mission Stephen Ajalu to instruct the Kabale municipal council on how to proceed with contract termination should the company fails to complete the works.

Mr Ajalu added that failure to complete the works may even force the ministry to blacklist the company from taking any contracts from the government.

Multiplex Responds

In his response, the Managing Director of Multiplex Construction Company Limited Moses Ndege Bbosa said that delays in the completion of works were caused by unfavourable weather conditions and delays to get clearance from the National Environmental Management Authority for their quarry site in Ntungamo.

Mr Bbosa added that the construction works now stand at 52 per cent and he hopes to have fully completed construction works by August.

The Kabale municipal mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha commended the officials for the decision and intervention taken saying that delay in the construction works has greatly affected the business community.