Lack of funds frustrates road works in Mbarara City

MBARARA – The mayor of Mbarara City, Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi has said the completion of road works in the city is slow due to the delay in the release of funds from the central government.

Kakyebezi complained on Friday as state minister for Economic Monitoring, Beatrice Akello was in the area to gauge the progress of government projects including the construction of roads under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development [USMID] programme funded by the World Bank.

“The contractor [Multiplex Construction Company] is slow and his contract ended but also funds in the supplementary budget have taken long to be released. Multiplex will tell you I have not been paid. I submitted my certificates but my certificates have not been approved,” he said.

Kakyebezi said Shs 21 billion was asked during the last financial year to complete the projects but has never been wired to the city’s bank account.

He is concerned that even if the money is released now, only a few days are remaining to the reading of the 2023/2024 budget, making it hard to finish the road works. The new budget is expected to be read on June 14, 2023.

“Recently a supplementary budget was approved in parliament, but we have not yet gotten the money and this money must be utilised within this financial year. If not, it will be returned to the consolidated fund. Can you see the dilemma we are in?” Kakyebezi said.

He also said that the government erred by clustering local government roads where the contractors’ capacity and workmanship is low to complete the road works in time.

The mayor said that the contract period was just one year but the contractor has so far spent two years and no signs yet of finishing up the road works.

Supporting Kakyebezi, minister Akello said, “The supplementary budget is a big issue that has hindered development in local governments.”

Like Kakyebezi, she said it would be impossible for the roads in Mbarara City to be completed within 20 days even if they were given the money. “I can say without fear that it is close to impossible and this means the money will come and it will go back to the Consolidated Fund,” Akello said.

However, the minister said she had compelled Multiplex and KWED construction companies to complete the road works and beautification in Mbarara city within a period of one month.

“I have just given the contractor one month. We shall come back here to establish the progress of the work done,” Akello said, warning the companies not to sabotage government programmes.

She added that the clustering of road works has brought impediments in service delivery, thus appealing to the government to award small contracts which can be completed in time.

However, Eng. Moses Bbosa Ndege from Multiplex Construction Company said they can only complete the road works in time if the government releases the payments in time. The work can be done in just two months if government can release the finances. we can deliver by the end of August,” Bbosa said.

Mbarara City senior engineer, Hilary Mugisha said bureaucracy in the works ministry is partly to blame for the slow progress of the road projects in the city, especially when it comes to procurement of the road equipment.

Resident city commissioner, Lt Col James Mwesigye asked the minister Akello to always first deal with big shots in central government before coming for local technocrats, claiming that they are the masterminds of corruption in Uganda.

https://thecooperator.news/2023-2024-budget-govt-earmarks-over-shs-1trn-for-saccos/

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