Lira council stuck with Shs11b for park upgrade

Lira Municipal Council is stuck with Shs11 billion that was allocated to it under the World Bank-funded Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) programme to develop a park.

Mr Samuel Ahabwe, the outgoing town clerk, said the council cannot use the money since they are battling a court case over a project the money is meant for.

“We have been with Shs11b in the account since August 21, 2019. Part of that money is meant to work on Lira Coronation Park. I have not been able to advertise this project because it is hampered by court cases,” he said while handing over office to Mr David Kyasanku on Monday.

Mr Ahabwe said the case arose out of a contract irregularly awarded to a company to manage the park.
Saving Grace Ltd was awarded a one-year contract to manage the public space at a cost of Shs5 million per month.

The park is due for upgrade and beautification to expand infrastructure and improve service delivery in selected municipalities across the country.
In October last year, the World Bank threatened to withdraw funding for the project due to unresolved dispute over its management.

Mr Martin Onyach Oola, the World Bank urban development specialist, warned that the dispute could jeopardise the USMID project implementation in Lira if not resolved.
Municipal authorities were then given a two-week ultimatum to explain why the funding should not be withdrawn. Although Mr Ahabwe promised to sort out the matter, it remains unresolved.
Mr Kyasanku declined to comment on the matter until he has read a full report on the project.

Authorities say they have been notified of a planned visit by World Bank Mission to follow up the matter. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Water and Environment has allocated Shs3b towards the completion of Agoro irrigation scheme in Agoro Sub-county, Lamwo District.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Alfred Okot Okidi, said the funds will be used to buy pipes and expand the areas.

Irrigation scheme boost
Government has now invested a total of Shs30b in the irrigation scheme. Under the first phase, government secured Shs27b from the African Development Bank to rehabilitate the scheme.
“So, in the next phase, which we are now doing, we are labelling and moving away from the tunnels because they are being tapped illegally by some people,” Mr Okidi said last week.

“We are introducing pipes and we are going to label the fields. We are also going to expand the command areas so that more people are served,” he added.
Mr Okidi asked the community to own the scheme and protect it from vandals. Last year, unidentified people vandalised the fence, gate and some water pipes.

He said the contractors are supposed to have adequate security to protect all the irrigation sites.
“The sites are in the hands of the contractors and it is their responsibility to protect them. If there are thefts at the sites, those would be unfortunate,” Mr Okidi said.

Currently, Uganda has the lowest percentage in East Africa in terms of utilising its irrigation potential.
Tanzania is at 3.6 per cent, Kenya is at 2 per cent and Burundi at 1.6 per cent.
To fill the gap, the Ugandan government plans to construct more than 70,000 small scale irrigation schemes countrywide to improve agricultural production and productivity.

Mr John Twinomujuni, the assistant commissioner in charge water for production at the Ministry of Water and Environment, told Daily Monitor that the irrigation schemes will be constructed in each parish in Uganda.
He said the project will benefit organised farmer groups comprising the youth and the elderly. Progressive and commercial farmers will also be supported under the project to be implemented in the next 21 years.

Uganda has one the highest irrigation potential in the world with more than 15 per cent of its surface area covered by fresh water resources, according to the National Irrigation Policy 2017.

Funders take
Ms Sheilla Naturinda, the USMID communications officer, said the project cannot kick off not until contentions over the park are resolved. “The contentions first have to be resolved then the engineering designers will decide what is needed to complete the project,” she said.

[email protected]