Joshua Nahamya
9 December 2021
Mbarara district leadership headed by the LC V chairman Didas Tabaro has officially awarded 17 construction projects to the local contractors totaling 1,148,476, 966.
This comes at a time; president Museveni had directed the Health and Education ministries to use the army construction brigade to undertake all government development projects.
In his July 1, 2021 letter addressed to the minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni and minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng, Museveni noted with concern that many government projects have stalled due to the lengthy procurement process and other challenges like corruption by some unscrupulous government workers thus ordering the army brigade to take over the projects
While commissioning the contracts at Mbarara district council hall on Monday, the district chairman noted that the local projects had been delayed because of the presidential directive allowing the army brigade to take over.
“The delay was because of the presidential directive that was affecting education and health contracts where the army was supposed to undertake such contracts. But in midway the president communicated that the contracts which are funded locally can always be advertised and awarded to the contractors” Tabaro emphasized
Good enough the president’s communication came when we had passed through the procurement processes and we are among the first districts to award the contracts, says Tabaro.
Tabaro warned contractors to be mindful of quality work to avoid risks of being blacklisted in the future.
“I call upon the service providers of those so-called contractors to make sure that they do quality work and failure to do so may lead to termination of the contract”. He said
“In case the shoddy work is observed when the contract has already been completed, I will arrest the contractor for the bleach of work of contract and the contractor can also be charged for false information with intent to defraud government”. Tabaro added
He also encouraged contractors to consider employing locals in the communities where projects are undergoing.
“For proper coordination and cooperation, they should always employ locals that are born within the area where the contract is going to be undertaken. At list eighty percent of casual laborers should come from the community and whoever fails to comply may not be able to get another contract in the subsequent arrangements” Tabaro warned
Kasaga Edward, the chief administrative officer (CAO) Mbarara confirmed that the commissioned projects will benefit primary schools and health centers in the district in the financial year 2021/2022.
“We have agreed that all projects of Mbarara district shall commence come 1st December, 2021. We are constructing two classroom blocks and one staff quarter in each primary school in 11 schools” Edward explained
He also noted that it’s the president who had delayed the projects to commence.
“We had delayed a little bit, simply we had a circular from the president who wanted to know which projects are being constructed and those to be constructed by the military brigade. Of course, for us we had moved a little bit ahead and this time we have commissioned and said let’s go and construct after been given this time limit” Edward said
He also appealed to the contractors to exhibit quality work while working on the said projects.
“Our emphasis is quality work in Mbarara district. Whoever does against our appeal, we shall move quickly and disqualify him. it is much better to do the best other than now to have moved a step and our district engineers moves around and finds that you’ve done the shoddy work” Edward insisted
The 17 projects in Mbarara will cost the government a total of Shs 114billion out of Shs 1.4 trillion loan funds from the World Bank meant to construct a public primary school and health center IIIs in each sub-county countrywide.
According to the CAO, the said projects will be constructed in 11 primary schools and a health center III from the six sub-counties of Rubindi, Bubaare, Bukiro, Kashare, Kagongi, and Rubaya.
Some of the projects include; a two-classroom block at Rukanja primary school in Rubindi Sub County, OPD building, five-stance-lined VIP latrine, and a placenta pit at Kashare HC III in Kashare Sub County, a 3-unit staff house at Kitengure P/S in Bukiiro Sub County among others.
The district gave the impatient contractors a green light to start the construction but the projects will be officially commissioned on Monday next week.
