Kampala — A CHINESE construction firm, Ms Yanjian Company Limited, has arrived in the country to start building the President's and Prime Minister's office.

The office block will be financed with a grant of $25m (sh50b) from the Chinese Government.

The project is expected to take about two years starting from May, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

The statement said the agreement was signed on April 27 between the deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, and representatives of Ms Yanjian Company.

According to the design, the nine-floor twin-towers' will cover 15,900 square metres.

The plan was drawn by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design in April 2007 and has been consented to by China and Uganda, the release said.

The agreement requires Uganda to provide high pressure water supply and power to the site, which is located on Plot 9-11 Apollo Kagwa Road, next to Kampala City Council (KCC) offices and adjacent to Parliamentary buildings.

The land once housed the Police Criminal Investigations Department headquarters. The old structure was demolished and the land fenced off.

"Uganda will be responsible for paying taxes and duties for equipment and other materials required for the project, while China will bear the overall cost of the project, including paying the contractor," the statement said.

It will be a modern building with a conference hall that can accommodate up to 600 people," Muhakanizi said recently.

The offer was made following a visit by the Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, to Uganda in June 2006.

Works state minister Eng. John Byabagambi told Parliament sometime back that President Yoweri Museveni requested for the support.

Currently, the President's office is in the Parliamentary Building.

However, due to lack of sufficient space, MPs have repeatedly asked the presidency to relocate to create space for research assistants.

The project is the third of its magnitude from the Chinese government.

The $6.5m (about sh13b) foreign affairs ministry headquarters, the $36m (about sh72b Mandela National Stadium, the Nakawa industrial centre and rice growing in Uganda have been supported by China.