Tororo Municipality is facing scrutiny over alleged inflated procurement prices for cement and culverts used in road maintenance and drainage works, with Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara putting the potential financial loss at about Shs128.4 million.
The concerns emerged during Barugahara's anti-corruption tour of Tororo Municipality, where he assessed the use of public resources and raised questions about procurement practices in municipal projects.
According to findings presented during the visit, the municipality purchased a bag of cement at Shs50,000, compared with a reported market price of about Shs32,000.
Six-millimetre culverts were also allegedly procured at Shs245,000 each, against a reported market price of about Shs90,000.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Based on the differences in the reported prices, the cost of the two materials was estimated to have resulted in a potential loss of about Shs128.4 million.
Balaam questioned the justification for the procurement prices, particularly because cement is manufactured locally in Tororo.
"One culvert purchased at Shs245,000 is abnormal. You also costed a bag of cement at Shs50,000, yet you have cement factories here in Tororo," Balaam said.
The allegations have placed the municipality's road maintenance expenditure under scrutiny, with questions about how the materials were procured and whether the municipality obtained value for the money spent.
Peter Ekikina, president of the Municipal Development Forum (MDF), described the alleged amount as significant and called for accountability.
"Shs128.4 million is quite a lot of money for people to just eat like popcorn. In government, I think this is impunity of the highest order," Ekikina said.
Tororo Municipality Mayor Benard Ochieng also questioned why municipal authorities would have allowed the reported procurement prices.
"Where on earth do you have a mayor and then you sit when a technical staff is telling you they are going to buy a culvert at Shs245,000 and you just allow it? That's really unbelievable," he said.
The controversy comes amid persistent flooding and poor road conditions in parts of Tororo Municipality, where heavy rains regularly leave several roads submerged, disrupting the movement of people and goods and affecting businesses.
Manyadi Al-Jamal Jayz, chairperson of the Western Division, attributed some of the road problems to inadequate drainage.
"When you look at the roads, they are eaten up with water because it doesn't have direction. The roads are always impossible. It causes accidents because people always lose control. Secondly, people have lost property each time it rains," he said.
Municipal authorities have attributed the recurring flooding largely to inadequate and blocked drainage systems.
In the last financial year, the municipality allocated Shs683 million from its Shs1 billion road fund for road maintenance and related works.
Part of the allocation was used to purchase 680 six-millimetre culverts and 1,275 bags of cement for drainage works.
During a visit to some areas where the culverts had been installed, sections of the drainage network were found already in place, indicating that some of the planned works had been implemented.
However, stakeholders argued that the completion of some works does not resolve questions about the prices paid for the materials.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Manyadi said the money allegedly lost through inflated prices could instead have been used to open more roads in the municipality.
"This money could help open up new roads. In the last financial year, they opened four new roads using Shs100 million, and this money was beyond that amount," he said.
Ekikina called for reforms in the management of public servants, arguing that stronger performance-based systems could improve accountability in local governments.
"I call upon government to review the employment policy for public servants such that instead of saying permanent and pensionable, staff should be employed on contracts based on their performance," he said.
The allegations have increased scrutiny of Tororo Municipality's road fund expenditure and procurement practices, with stakeholders calling for accountability and recovery of any funds that may ultimately be found to have been misused.
