Hoima city leaders are calling for the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Inspectorate of Government to investigate the city engineer and his team, whom they accuse of delivering substandard road works despite the funds allocated for each kilometer.
While the City Resident Commissioner, Badru Mugabi, has vowed not to allow these roads to be commissioned until they are built to standard, Engineer Julius Ssentamu accuses politicians of interfering in technical work they "do not understand."
According to the Hoima city road budget paper, the 2.5 km Kasasa to Kasingo road cost 71 million shillings; the 3 km Kichwamba to Buteberere road cost 93 million shillings; and the 2 km Kyakadongo road cost 91 million shillings. Additionally, the 4.6 km Kiduma to Kirubika then Kyabalyanga road cost 137 million shillings; the 5 km Kasingo to Kigarama road cost 154 million shillings; while the 3.2 km Karongo to Budaka road cost 109 million shillings.
The city plan was to clear the busy roads, open them up, improve drainage trenches, and add marram. Unfortunately, visits to these roads showed they were narrow, lacked drainage systems, and in many cases had no marram.
It's on this basis that area leaders want the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Inspectorate of Government to investigate the value for money on Hoima city roads, noting that some roads have become impassable in less than two months since completion.
"We pleaded for a budget increase from 500 million shillings, and we are now at 2 billion shillings. But looking at the quality of roads being delivered, it's way below standard. We can't accept this," said John Bosco Muhanuzi, Mayor of Hoima City East.
Patrick Isingoma, Hoima City East legislator and Chair of the Hoima City Roads Committee, also expressed dissatisfaction, saying they are not prepared to tolerate civil servants who fail to deliver quality work.
"I have heard several complaints about the engineer and the technical team. We are going to meet next week; they will have to explain why they should not be investigated by State House or the Inspectorate of Government. This is taxpayers' money, and we expect value for money," Isingoma said.
Badru Mugabi, the Hoima City Resident Commissioner, confirmed that many roads do not offer value for money and vowed not to allow these roads to be commissioned until they meet quality standards.
"We toured these roads, and most of us were shocked by the work done--it looks like a grader just passed through. We expected wider roads, proper drainage channels, and marram; all these are missing. I will not allow them to be commissioned, that I can say," Mugabi vowed.
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In response over the phone, Engineer Julius Ssentamu accused politicians of meddling in technical matters they don't understand, asking them to back off and let the engineers complete their work.
"I'm not in Hoima town, but I can speak to you on the phone. The problem is politicians are interfering with technical work. Who told them we are done when they complain about shoddy work? Let them focus on their politics and let us, the technical team, do our work. Who interferes in their politics? I will not dance to their tunes. My team and I are doing our job," Ssentamu said.
Ismail Kusemererwa, Executive Director of the Mid-Western Region Anti-Corruption Coalition (MIRAC), pointed out widespread collusion between some politicians and procurement officials who demand kickbacks from contractors.
In return, contractors, aiming for profit, may deliver substandard work within the constraints of the remaining funds.
"You see these politicians blaming the engineers, but most of them are part of the problem. It's a cartel. Some politicians work with procurement teams and city engineers, asking for kickbacks from contractors. But remember, a contractor is a private entity and needs to make a profit. They calculate what can fit into the budget and take away some profit. The contract awarding process needs to be streamlined," Kusemererwa explained.
