RUBANDA, UGANDA: Construction works on three roads in Rubanda District have stalled due to the disappearance of contractors and alleged corruption.
The three roads in question are; 7.2-kilometer Kerere-Rwabumbe Rugyendabari Road in Hamurwa Sub-county Rubanda connecting Rubanda to Rukiga and Kanungu districts. Others are two choked roads including 14.4 kilometer Murutenga-Nyamasizi-Kerere and 6.6 kilometer Bugarama-Ntungamo-Kitojo roads that are being implemented under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP) is a partnership project of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries with from World Bank.
During the monitoring of government projects in Rubanda district on Monday, the State Minister for Economic Monitoring Beatrice Akello Akori discovered that construction works on the three roads have stalled.
The 7.2-kilometer road was contracted by Kethani Enterprises Limited at the tune of 629 million shillings whereas the two ACDP roads were contracted by Net Worth Consult Limited at the tune of 731 million shillings. It was found out that contractors of the three roads had only done 80 per cent of bush clearing and earth works respectively.
According to the contractual designs, Site clearing, heavy grading, spot gravelling, and drainage works among others were supposed to be done.
This forced the minister to grill the District officials including the Chief Administrative officer Alex Kwizera, the District Engineer Denis Twesigomwe and the ACDP focal person Roland Mwebesa Mugumywa to explain why the roads have gone unfinished despite the expiry of contract duration.
The Rubanda District Chairperson Steven Ampeire Kasyaba attributed the stalling of district projects to lack of engagement of the District political leadership by the technical staffs especially on contractors that are centrally procured. He vowed never to launch a project whose supervisory mandate is under looked by technocrats and contractors.
On their part, Mr Twesigomwe said that he was disappointed with the contractors who were hired to do works without the involvement of the District leadership.
However, the ACDP focal person Roland Mwebesa defended the contractors of the two ACDP road projects; the contractor is still working his extension period up to June this year.
Minister Akello directed the State House Anti-corruption unit to investigate the alleged corruption on the three roads and the reasons that forced the contractors to abandon the roads.
Our reporter was unable to get a comment from the contractors because their known phone numbers could not be reached.
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