Adjumani, Uganda: After nearly two years of controversy, technical delays, and mounting public scrutiny, Rock Trust Uganda Ltd has entered the final five-week countdown to deliver the Shs 11.8 billion World Bank-funded Adjumani Town Roads Project, whose contract deadline is set to expire on August 30, 2025.
The civil works, covering 3.18 kilometers of key municipal roads, Administration Road (1.43km), Illa Road (0.66km), and Market Road (1.09km), were contracted under the USMID-AF program (Uganda Support for Municipal Infrastructure Development – Additional Funding), supervised jointly by SEGAMU14 and HERSUN Ltd as project consultants.
The project was initially awarded to Rock Trust on June 12, 2023, at a contract value of Shs10.2 billion, but following unforeseen technical variances, it was later revised upward to Shs11.87 billion.
According to Adjumani Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Ocen Andrew, the works are now 90% complete.
“The stone base has been placed on Administration and Illa Roads, and final surfacing is ongoing along Market Road,” Mr. Ocen told DailyExpress in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, July 22.
“We anticipate that all substantial works will be completed by mid-August, leaving minor activities like road markings, signage, tree planting, and landscaping.”
Mr Ocen noted that solar-powered street lights have been installed and that auxiliary works such as manhole installation and kerbstone lining will be finalized in the last phase.
Eng. Francis Sembatya, the Managing Director of Rock Trust, admitted the project faced significant engineering hurdles due to what he described as “a 400% increase in project scope”—a factor he says was not anticipated in the original design.
“Contrary to the initial design, Market Road required swamp treatment and geo-gridding over 400 metres,” Eng. Sembatya said. “We had to excavate up to two metres in some sections and install three large box culverts, one of them a double chamber along Administration Road.”
He added that asphalt paving will be done using an Asphalt Paver Machine within 4–5 days, after which Rock Trust will handle finishing touches including barrier and edge kerbs, dustbins, guard rails, and road furniture.
Despite public criticism and two previous contract extensions (from Dec 30, 2024, to June 30, 2025, and now to August 30), Sembatya insists the contractor is now back on schedule and committed to delivering a standard-compliant, modern asphalt road network.
Public Outrage, Procurement Controversy
Sources DailyExpress spoke to revealed that the project has long been dogged by allegations of procurement irregularities, substandard works, and poor project supervision, a matter that escalated last year after local politician and social media whistleblower, Mr. Agwe Solomon, published photographs appearing to show road widths below the approved specification.
This sparked suspicion that the contract may have been fraudulently awarded to an underqualified firm and triggered outrage within Adjumani’s development-conscious civic community.
However, the office of Chief Administrative Officer has denied any wrongdoing, calling for tangible evidence to support the claims. “We have maintained transparency throughout. If there is credible proof of irregularities, let it be submitted officially,” a senior procurement officer told this publication.
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