Shs1.9b road in sorry state before commissioning

Local leaders and residents in Kyegegwa District are up in arms after a road network spanning 40km from Nabingoola in Mubende District to Kakaabara in Kyegegwa District was rendered impassable after the contractor allegedly abandoned the site.

The road, which connects the sub-counties of Kasule, Hapuuyo, Kigambo and Kakaabara in Kyaka North County, Kyegegwa District, is propped by Shs1.9 billion under the auspices of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP).

Pekesa company was contracted to rehabilitate the road but most sections of it have developed potholes and others have been swept away by the recent torrential rain.

Mr Wilber Atwijure, a resident of Minwa Village in Kigambo Sub-county,  told Saturday Monitor that the stretch at Kataturwa is impassable because the contractor just dumped murram in the middle of the road and made no attempt to grade it.

“In Kataturwa area, cars can’t pass there. We decided to create our own footpath such that we can have where to pass. I did not see graders working here; instead I see trucks ferrying murram, dumping it in the middle of the road,” Mr Atwijure said, adding: “It’s now over one month, we don’t see the contractor.”

Mr Umaru Nsubuga, the district councillor for Kakaabara Sub-county, said the entire road was poorly done by the contractor. He added that it is now two years since the road project was entrusted to the care of the contractor.

Swept away

The recent heavy fall of rain has compounded matters. A fortnight ago, a bridge at Nyakabiiso swamp—which is a tributary of River Muzizi—was swept away by floods. Travellers en route from Kigambo Sub-county to Kakaabara Sub-county now have to part with Shs2,000 to use a makeshift bridge constructed by locals.

“Our sub-county ambulance of Kakaabara is now parked at Gasan trading centre,” Mr Nsubuga revealed.

He added: “It can’t use the makeshift bridge at Nyakabiiso. Patients are stranded in villages. The contractor did shoddy work that is why the bridge was swept away.”

Mr Paul Asaba, the Kyaka North County lawmaker, said the district’s leadership is not satisfied with the construction works and is contemplating petitioning President Museveni.

“When I was still a district councillor—together with our current district woman Member of Parliament—our council blacklisted Pekasa for not doing any work in our district,” he revealed, adding that he was surprised that the company “got a job [despite having] never met our expectations.”

Mr John Kisoke, the Kyegewa District chairperson, said Nabingoola-Kakaabara road is still under construction ditto Nyakabiiso Bridge which was swept away.

“As district, we are going to sit as a roads committee with our Members of Parliament and contractor to look for the way forward because, as district contractor, [Pekesa] has not handed over the road to us,” he said.

Project deliverables

Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi, who is the area Member of Parliament, intervened by convening a meeting after the Prime Minister had recommended that the contractor be terminated.

The contractor was supposed to widen the road to achieve a carriage way of 5.4 metres, drain inside the slope of a 1.2-metre width on both sides and a 0.6-metre side drain width on all sections.

Pekesa was also supposed to do bush clearing, grading and shaping the road, and widen the road to allow two cars to pass. The company was also supposed to install culverts, erect drainage channels, do swamp raising at Mukyeeya as well as put gravel and murram.

Pekesa responds

When contacted last Wednesday, Mr Sande said the heavy rains negatively impacted their construction works. He further revealed that the contract he signed classifies the road as a Class B. This, he added, means the road can take on only a few vehicles.

“Do people want me to put things on the road that were not in the bill of quantities?” he asked, adding: “Nyakabiiso swamp that flooded … does not need culverts; instead it needs a bridge or box culvert, which is over Shs1 billion but such culverts are put on major roads which are Class A.”

Mr Sande said for sections of the road which had rocks that required blasting, they were unable to blast the rocks because they had no money to compensate people in case of any damage.

“We went to Nema (the National Environment Management Authority) [and] submitted our papers to allow us blast the rocks, but we were advised that we shall be held to compensate people in case their houses get damaged,” he revealed.

He added: “When we told district leaders and officials from Office of the Prime Minister, they said they don’t have money for compensation because the road’s funding comes from the World Bank and it has no money for compensation.”