Contractor quizzed over delayed works on athletics training centre

Monitoring. State minister for Sports Denis Obua Hamson leads a delegation during a visit to the National High Altitude Training Centre in Kapchorwa District on February 26, 2020. PHOTO BY FRED WAMBEDDE

What you need to know:

  • The project commenced in January 2017 and was scheduled to be completed by January this year.

Officials of China National Complete Plant Export Corporation (Complant), a Chinese company undertaking the construction of the National High Altitude Training Centre in Kapchorwa District, have been quizzed over delayed completion of the first phase of the project worth Shs26 billion.

The project is in fulfilment of President Museveni’s pledge to athlete Moses Kipsiro after he won two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The project commenced in January 2017 and was scheduled to be completed by January this year. But currently, the works stand at 85 per cent and the contractor has since asked for more six months to complete the first phase.

During a tour to the project by district and central government officials led by State minister for Sports Denis Hamson Obua on Wednesday, the company officials found a hard time to explain why the construction is taking a slow pace.
The company officials were led by project manager, Mr Lang Wanxi, and the project consultant, Mr Jasper Kipmukama.
The visit came after Daily Monitor published a story last week, highlighting challenges that have continued to hamper the completion of the facility in Teryet, Kwot Sub-county.

The district engineer, Mr Joseph Musobo, said the officials were giving lame excuses to delay the project.
“The contractor should stop delaying the project on excuses of a bad road. This road is motorable and construction materials can be transported to the site without any hindrance,” Mr Musobo said.
The company officials had on numerous occasions said the poor state of the 12km road from Kapchorwa Town to Teryet was hampering transportation of construction materials to the site.

The road is undergoing construction by another Chinese company, Chinese States Construction Engineering, which is also constructing the 75km Kapchorwa–Suam road.
Mr George Chepkurui, the Kapchorwa District secretary for production, said government should intervene and order the contractor to expedite construction.
“The construction pace is too slow and we only see serious work being done when government officials are visiting the site,” he said.

Mr Obua said President Museveni and the Education minister are passionate about the project and want it completed as soon as possible.
“If by June you will not have completed the construction of this first phase, I will be forced to hand you over to the higher authorities,” the minister said.
The project manager, Mr Wanxi, told Daily Monitor that they will try to beat the June deadline now that the road to the site is motorable.

COMPENSATION DEMAND
State minister for Sports Denis Hamson Obua also asked the Uganda National Road Authority (Unra) to expedite the process of compensating residents affected by the Kapchorwa-Teryet road project.
“I am happy the residents have allowed the construction of the road to go on as they wait for compensation but the process should be quickened,” he said.
Mr Henry Akuson, the Kwot Sub-county chairperson, said more than 1,000 residents are demanding compensation.
Ms Moreen Mayama, the Unra project engineer, said they have already identified the affected persons for compensation.