Contractors decry corrupt officials
Iganga- Local contractors in Iganga District at the weekend accused the chief administrative officers and procurement officers of seeking kickbacks between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of their contract money.
During a one- day training workshop organised by Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) at Hotel Continental in Iganga, which drew local contractors and stakeholders, Mr Ali Gasemba, the managing director of Bugema General Enterprise in Iganga District, said: “If it had not been for these accounting officers seeking kickbacks from us, the shoddy work witnessed in local governments would be no more.”
Hajj Abubaker Walubi, the managing director of Kasokoso Building Enterprise, who doubles as the Iganga District National Resistance Movement chairperson, said it is a disgrace that accounting officers, instead of fighting corruption, are propagating the vice.
“Much as we do government jobs, we are businessmen working for profits. So any more money paid leads to poor services,” he said.
Mr Walubi fears that if these officials continue seeking kickbacks from contractors, shoddy work will not end.
“I was forced to arrest a procurement officer for denying me a contract after paying a non-refundable fee of 10 per cent and he gave the contract to some one who had paid more,” he said.
He appealed to PPDA to intervene.
The Iganga CAO, Mr David Kawooya, however, dismissed the allegations as ‘baseless intended to damage their reputation’. “I do not react to such allegations because I do not have shoddy work in my district,” he said.
Mr Ronald Tumuhirwe, the manager of Capacity Building at the PPDA, said the authority has received such complaints. “We condemn acts of shoddy work because they make government lose a lot of money,” he said.
Adding: “Our feelers are on ground to detect more of such complaints.”
