Africa-Press – Uganda. The Deputy Inspector General of Government (DIGG), Ms Patricia Achan Okiria, has issued a two-month ultimatum to Multiplex Limited to complete construction and tarmacking of western cluster roads. The 8.02km roads in Kabale, Ntungamo and Mbarara City are under Uganda Support for Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID).
The contractor accused local governments of failing to accord them necessary support to complete the works.
“The biggest problem we encountered is that the government did not prepare for these projects at all. When we reported on site, they gave us plans that could not be read and implemented on the road,” Mr Moses Bbosa, the managing director of Multiplex Limited, said.
Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi said residents are blaming the city council for taking too long to deliver.
“This project gives us accountability issues in terms of what people expect. As a city council, we have supported the contractor, held several meetings to have this work completed but we failed because he does not have money,” he said.
But Mr Bbosa added: “We could not build and I do not want to blame Mbarara City, Ntungamo Municipality or Kabale because everything was made from Kampala not the municipalities or cities.”
However, Mr Kakyebezi said what they want now is having the roadworks completed for the residents to do their businesses normally and reduce dust in the city.
“This clustering of the project should stop because it disorganised us. Due to clustering, three government entities are struggling with one contractor,” he said.
Mr Joshua Namanya, the Ntungamo Municipality Development Forum head, said they were disappointed with the government over the delayed roadworks, which have affected their business.
“The roadworks were supposed to take a duration of 12 months but as I speak, it is almost three years and they have not done anything. We are losing businesses in that area, which should not have happened,” he said.
The Ntungamo deputy resident district commissioner, Mr Robert Niwamanya Kamuntu, said the delays have caused rampant insecurity in the area because the roads have created hiding grounds for the thieves.
Ms Achan last Thursday explained that her intervention followed a complaint filed by the contractor against a decision by the supervising entities of Mbarara City, Ntungamo, and Kabale municipalities terminating the contract.
“We conducted our investigation as the Inspectorate of Government (IG) and at the end we found fault from both parties, which has led to delays of the roadworks by a whole two years,” she said, adding: “We are now in the last four to five months of the USMID project. And failure to have these works completed will lead to loss of these funds as they will have to be returned to the Ministry of Finance”.
After inspecting the progress of the roadworks on the roads and getting commitment from the contractor, Ms Achan said the remaining works can be done within two months.
“We are here basically for mediation between the contractor, stakeholders and the district technocrats to ensure that this work is done in the simplest time possible and we have given a deadline of one month for Ntungamo and two months for Mbarara City. In the event that he does not, the IG shall swing into action because the law gives us powers,” she said.
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