Kampala Capital City Authority council has ordered the Authority’s Executive Director to cancel the contract that was signed between KCCA and China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Ltd citing the illegalities in the contract.
This followed the recommendation made by the Lord Mayor’s Executive after perusing through the contract document and discovered a lot of irregularities in the said contract as regard to the Road’s Act 2019.
The Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago while addressing the media after the council meeting, said that the Road’s Act is very clear and it clearly outlines the obligation of government and that of the contractor. He alleged that the in the contract government entered with the CSCEC Ltd shows that it government to meet the costs of relocating utilities such as water pipes, electricity lines.
‘’ We are not going to allow the US dollar 288 million (about UGX 1 trillion) to be spent on the illegal expenditures where in the end the people of Kampala get poor services. We shall fight using the available means to deter those who want to swindle the money borrow for roads.’’ Lukwago said.
He further said besides meeting cost of relocating utilities which are budgeted to cost over UGX 40 billion, in the contract government is even to buy luxurious vehicles for the managers of the construction company, mobile phones and condoms.
Lukwago also alleges that the company’s registration as an entity have already expired and this explain why the technical wing was hesitant to give a copy of the said contract to the political wing as to peruse through so as to advise accordingly.
At the beginning of this year, government borrowed US $288 million (about Shs1 trillion) loan from African Development Bank (AFDB) to reconstruct 29 roads in the city but this money has not yet been utilized yet many roads in Kampala are in very sorry state.
The Speaker Zahara Luyirika said that they received the contract document on March 31, 2023 and gave it to the Executive Committee to summarize it which brought to council meeting that decided that the city’s Executive Director with her team should attend the next council meeting and answer quells as regards to the contracts. She said that council gave the technical wing one month to set themselves.
“We are mandated to do the oversight role as elected leaders regarding the expenditures and services rendered to the population of Kampala but on many occasions the technical people undermine us and do things the way they want to do them. This has led to the loss of public funds and also getting poor services.’’ Luyilika said.
‘’The contractor have no physical address and others didn’t even sign the letters of acceptance after being awarded contracts something that makes council to think that they are ghost contractors.
She further said that council has decided to visit all the roads that are earmarked to be reconstructed and assess those that are in very sorry state to begin with and also be able to monitor after wards what kind of worker contractors were contracted to fulfil.
By George Bukenya
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