Communities of Katakwi and Amuria districts petition Office of the Prime Minister over poor road works in their districts
KAMPALA - Communities from Katakwi and Amuria districts on December 2nd petitioned the Office of the Prime Minister over the roads constructed under the Emergency Repair of Roads Programme preceding the 2007 floods and subsequent damage in North and North Eastern Uganda.
The Communities, organized by Uganda Debt Network (UDN) and Church of Uganda Teso Dioceses Development and Planning Organization (CoU-TEDDO), are concerned that the works on the roads are a clear sign of corruption, misuse and mismanagement of public funds. The communities are concerned that the road works that should have taken five months lasted for over a year but with many roads still in a worrying state.
Under the Project, the Government, through the Office of the Prime Minister released 1,039,291,368 Uganda shillings to the Ministry of Works and Transport for repair of Magoro-Ngariam road and Toroma-Magoro road in Katakwi district and Okude-Orungo-Morungatuny to Obalanga and Orungo to Amuria road in Amuria district but findings from the communities reveal that there was no value for the money.
The Communities are concerned that the district leadership was not involved in the planning and implementation of the project which saw the contract being awarded to Ms Mukalazi Technical Services.
According to the Monitors, work on Magoro-Ngariam was done in a shoddy manner and not according to the specifications and past the time when the contract was to end. All culverts were poorly fitted with nothing placed on their bases, no head walls and no wing walls as per the specifications in the contract. About 85% of the 600mm culverts installed on the road were silted and deformed even before project completion. Monitors noted that there was no gravel poured on any section of the road. Catch water drains were not dug while the head walls, wing walls and aprons were not built.
The monitors’ finding were reaffirmed by Mr. Opella William, the Magoro Sub County Chief who expressed dissatisfaction of the road works, saying the culverts were poorly fitted and there were no head walls any where and therefore recommended that the work be improved
The communities in the petition have asked the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Preparedness explains to the communities about issues of M/s Mukalazi Technical Services and revive hopes of the beneficiaries that the road works will be completed before the end of 2009. They want M/s Mukalazi Technical Services to fully implement the said four roads expeditiously as per the specification, before the end of 2009.
In their recommendation, community want M/s Mukalazi Technical Services to be blacklisted from taking up any more contracts in Teso sub region for the non-responsiveness exhibited in their empty promises and poor conduct before the Local Government authorities and the communities who are the intended beneficiaries of such good interventions of government.
The monitors were organized under the auspices of Uganda Debt Network (UDN) and Church of Uganda Teso Dioceses Development and Planning Organization (CoU-TEDDO). The two organisations work closely to advocate for pro-poor policies and full participation of poor people in influencing poverty focused policies, monitoring the utilisation of public resources and ensuring that borrowed and national resources are prudently managed in open, accountable and transparent manner so as to benefit the Ugandan people.
See full petition
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