Kamwenge district benefits from Shs 16bln USMID project
KAMWENGE-The Lands minister, Judith Nabakooba has launched the eight projects under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Programme [USMID] aimed at boosting social services in Kamwenge district.
The Shs 16 billion USMID project fund will see the construction of three roads which include 5.6 kilometres [kms] Bwitankanja-Nsonosa, 6.7kms Burambira-Mikamba-Bwitankanja road, and 7.4kms Mutwe-Kyamwera road, construction of a market shade, taxi-park and a playground.
According to Nabakooba, Kamwenge is one of the seven districts that have benefited from USMID programme that will last for 13 months ending in December 2023.
She however warned contractors against shoddy work and delays.
Kamwenge located in Western Uganda is home to many refugees who have since settled in the area.
According to Nabakooba, the project will have six different contractors doing the work concurrently in the interest of time.
“From past experience in other districts, contractors tend to delay completion of works over issues like changing of the staff they present in bids and lack of equipment. Am tasking you leaders to supervise these contractors and ensure proper implementation of this project,” she said.
She said unlike in municipalities and cities that have a supervising consultant and municipal or city development forums, at local government level, supervision and monitoring of the works fall entirely in the hands of both technical and political leaders.
Nabakooba appealed to leaders to supervise the projects thoroughly and avoid any errors which may delay or lead to the closure of the project.
The Kamwenge district engineer, Annet Kobusinge Birungi said the projects were challenged by poor financial flow, system failure and slow progress with no payment of advance requests by the contractors.
She said the poor financial flow has affected the supplementary budgets that were submitted and have not been approved by the Ministry of Finance.
However, Isaac Mutenyu, the USMID project coordinator in the Ministry of Lands said USMID project has been facing the challenge of beneficiaries returning money to the treasury at the end of the financial year which affects their work.
https://thecooperator.news/fort-portal-city-risks-missing-out-on-more-usmid-funds/
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