Education officials warn over slow works for UTC Bushenyi

Ministry of Education officials at the hostel construction site on Tuesday. PHOTO | ALFRED TUMUSHABE

BY ALFRED TUMUSHABE
The construction works of a four-storey hostel, which includes three classroom blocks, toilets and a generator house at Uganda Technical College in Bushenyi is behind schedule, Ministry of Education officials have said.
The work was contracted to Sarick Construction Ltd at Shs7.6 billion.
The groundbreaking was done on February 5 by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Alex Kakoza, and construction was to take nine months.
The ministry officials during a tour of the site on Tuesday said only 13 per cent of the work has been done, with only three months of the contract period left.
The construction is being done under Uganda Skills Development Project funded by the World Bank.
“The work done is about 13 per cent. There are stoppages, which are unexplained and we are demanding explanation. On the site, there are no construction materials and workers have been on strike. Why is there stoppage when the client is not aware?” Mr Sam Kagwisage, the project engineer from the ministry, asked during the visit.
Ms Roy Abeine Muhwezi, the assistant Commissioner Technical Education, said the contractor is not doing anybody a favour and that there are many people who could have done the work.
“I have been disappointed by what is at the site; the work progress is almost zero, six months after commencement. On July 10, the minister of Education visited this place and unfortunately the look is still the same. It’s a disappointment that the contractor can take all this time without finishing the work,” Ms Muhwezi said.
She said the money being spent on the project is a loan and urged the supervisors of the project, including local leaders, to get involved so that there is value for money.
The deputy Principal, Mr Benard Tuhabwe, said the work is being done slowly, which he partly blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said there are no construction materials on site, adding that the workers went on strike because of non-payment.
Ms Doreen Lwanga, the project manager and the assistant Commissioner in the Construction Management Unit at the ministry of Education, said the contractor has been paid 30 per cent of the money.
Ms Lwanga also accused the contractor of dodging the meeting at the site.
“We don’t know why he didn’t turn up for this meeting. He was informed and we expected him to be at the site. We have given him money, including payment for first certificate,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Sarick, Mr Sam Okurut, however, told Daily Monitor on Tuesday that he was not informed about the meeting.
“I was asking them why they never informed me [about the visit], I don’t have any letter, whether on email or a hard copy, the contract manager was also not invited. We are asking ourselves what was their intention,” Mr Okurut said.
He said the outbreak of Covid-19 also affected the construction. He also said the ministry pays less money and that the quarry in Sheema District, where they had been getting aggregate, was closed by the RDC.
“The quarry was closed over issues of mining licence and clearance from Nema [National Environment Management Authority]. Even the community was asking for compensation. This is where we were getting aggregate, hard core and stone dust; and we were at the stage where we wanted them most, we were frustrated and we couldn’t do much,” Mr Okurut said.
He added that the quarry was just reopened last week.
He claimed the ministry paid them money for first certificate in August yet he had submitted the request in April. Mr Okurut added that he was given only Shs146 million of the Shs600 million he had asked for.
“The second request is where we wanted Shs486m, which was submitted on July 24, but to date, we have no communication from the ministry. These works depend on cash flow, approvals for construction materials also take long,” he said.
“But we have mobilised ourselves, we are back on the ground. The delay in paying wages has been addressed. We also started paying workers on Monday and we have assured the client that we are going to complete the project,” Mr Okurut said.