IGG kicks out road contractor

Kampala

The Inspector General of Government has upheld the disqualification of Sinohydro Corporation from constructing Bugiri/Busia-Malaba road, saying the company had no capacity to implement the project. Sinohydro reportedly wanted to build the road yet it was trying to use the expertise of another company which had also bid.

The IGG’s May 12,2010 report says the allegations of irregular rejection of Sinohydro Corporation bid for design and build for rehabilitation of Malaba/Busia-Bugiri road could not hold because the company lacked capacity.
“Sinohydro Corp Limited bid was technically non responsive,” the IGG’s report reads in part.

The report says Sinohydro intended to associate with Guaff for the execution contract. The inspectorate received a complaint that the company was arbitrarily disqualified by the Contracts Committee of UNRA, at the technical evaluation stage of the bid for the contract for strengthening and rehabilitation of the road that was advertised in 2009.

Troubled road
UNRA head of public affairs, Dan Alinage told Daily Monitor that investigations have demystified the perception held by Sinohydro that they were sidelined. He said UNRA will not be forced to hire quack construction companies because of their low costing if they lack technical and financial capacities to carry on the work.

The road is part of the Trans-African Highway that government is reconstructing. However, this very road had problems with many companies abandoning its construction in 2005 due to numerous contractual disputes that stalled its construction for several years.