KABALE, UGANDA: The Minister of State for Economic Monitoring in the office of the President Ms Beatrice Akello has directed the state house anti-corruption unit to investigate the reasons behind the alleged slow construction works at Bwankosya, Bushekwire and Rushoroza Roads.
Minister Akello who is currently in the Kigezi Sub-region to monitor the implementation of government projects made the directive on Thursday, May 11, at the site monitoring of the said three roads in Kabale municipality.
The roads in question were in May 2021 awarded a 21.7 Billion shillings contract to tarmac the 0.76 kilometres of Bwankosya 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 been extended three times since the expiry last year and the company is now the 100 days of liquidated damages which started on 27th March this year.
The minister’s directive followed complaints from the Kabale municipal leaders led by the mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha and the town clerk Justine Barekye who said that they received an order last week from the Ministry of Lands, housing and urban development stopping them from terminating the contract when the day liquidated damages expire on 3rd August 2023.
Akello, therefore, directed that the company be investigated to ascertain who is behind the delays in the construction works.
On his part, Byamugisha said that he has received what he called unconfirmed information that the contractor is highly connected to the state house which is empowering them to defy the contract terms.
The Kabale Diocese Vicar General Rev Fr John Vianny Sunday said that they lost hope in the project since there are signs of completing the project soon adding that the road becomes impassable when it rains.
However, the assistant resident engineer for MBJ technologies limited Benjamin Mushabe, a consultant to the contractor conceded the delays but promised to have finished the works by the end of the liquidated damages.
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: [email protected] Or join the Daily Express WhatsApp channel for all the latest news and trends or join the Telegram Channel for the latest updates.
