Railway probe goes to China
Committee chairperson Kafeero Ssekitoleko sharing a moment with the deputy counsellor political and economic affairs US Embassy Ms Carla Benini after a meeting at Parliament recently. PHOTO by Geoffrey Sseruyange
What you need to know:
Tracking the money. The committee investigating the scandal will travel to China and has applied to go to Ethiopia as well as Kenya.
Parliament. The Parliamentary committee investigating the botched procurement of a contractor for the $8.5b (about Shs22 trillion) Standard Gauge Railway line has travelled to China to interrogate two Chinese firms wrangling over the deal.
The seven-man committee will this week interrogate officials from China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Harbour and Engineering Corporation (CHEC) to ascertain their financial and technical capacity to pull off a mega-project that will stretch from Malaba, on the Kenya border to Nimule, South Sudan.
CCECC had originally signed a Memorandum of Understanding to construct the eastern line but the Works State minister Eng John Byabagambi cancelled their MoU and handed over the deal to CHEC, stalling the project.
CHEC will explain whether it conducted a feasibility study on the project since witnesses have told the committee that the firm benefitted from a study conducted by Gauf, a consultancy firm hired by the government, instead of independently conducting its own study.
CHEC will also show evidence of the railway projects it has handled with available information indicating that its experience lies in bridges and harbours. The design life of the line they want to construct will also be explained as the government had initially proposed 100 years though CHEC was unclear on this.
Parliament has had to fork out more than Shs158m to facilitate the China trips.
Mr Kafeero Ssekitoleko, the chair of the committee, said they will meet officials from the two firms to back up testimonies they have received from witnesses attached to the firms in Kampala.
“The committee will ascertain the strength of the two companies and see the projects they have carried out to ascertain their strength and financial muscle,” Mr Ssekitoleko said.
It is not clear whether the committee will also interview officials from the Exim Bank of China, where one of the two firms intends to get $8b (Shs 22 trillion) loan to fund the project.
The committee had also planned to visit Kenya, a request the Kenyan government rejected. While a visit to Ethiopia where a similar project is underway is yet to materialise.
But as the committee travels to China, MPs under the African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption (APNAC-Uganda Chapter) are pressuring Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to disband the committee accusing it of bias.
Last week, Mr Theodore Ssekikubo, one of four MPs who raised the red flag over the deal accused committee chairperson Ssekitoleko of underperformance.
Ms Kadaga is yet to react as she has been away in Turkey attending an inter-parliamentary conference.
The numbers
Shs158m
Amount to be spent on the trip to China. The committee includes: Mr Kafeero Ssekitoleko ( Nakifuma) Ms Susan Amero (Amuria Woman), Mr Maxwell Akora(Maruzi ), Mr Ongalo Obote (Kalaki), Mr Amuriat Oboi (Kumi) Ms Rosemary Nyakikongoro (Sheema Woman) and Mr Xavier Akampurira (Ibanda).
