Why the Adjumani World Bank funded road project is delaying

The Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Additional Funding (USMID-AF) funded by the World Bank for the construction of the 3.1 kilometers of roads worth Shs10.2billion will not be completed within the project period if the contractor does not sub contract the work.
 
The contract period is six months and the contractor is left with three months, but the completion rate stood at 10 per cent by the end of September 2023, according to the consultants and engineers. The project is expected to be completed by December 31, 2023.
 
During a press conference held at Adjumani Multi-Purpose Training Centre on Wednesday, the Resident Engineer of Segamu 14 and Hersun Consultants Ltd, Eng Buzibwaa Luswata said: “The work progress makes us very unhappy. The contractor should have progressed but with almost two months left there is certainly no chance the project will be completed.”
 
Buzibwaa said out of the total three box culverts to be installed each is expected to take four weeks excluding the duration for filling and the most critical part which is pre-casting them. These are to be laid under the road surface that requires about 200 culverts which he notes could be difficult to accomplish in two months.
 
“The work is not progressing well, we are devastated and stuck and I think the contractor has issues that we are not understanding. Our major concern is that, USMID is ending by December 31, 2023, we are proposing that as a remedy, the contractor (Rock Trust Construction Limited) sub contracts 30 per cent of the work or even more,” Buzibwaa said.
 
The Adjumani Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Grandfield Oryono, said they have tried everything possible to financially empower Rock Trust (U) Limited but the management has failed to fulfill requirements leading to release of funds.
 
“As I talk now, the Shs10.3 billion allocated for the contract is intact in the district account because the management of Rock Trust has failed to make requisitions for the work done which is less than 20 per cent,” he said.
  
Response
Mr Francis Ssembatya, the Director of Rock Trust, assured the public that the road works would be completed within the timeframe.
 
“By next week, we shall be able to get the funding that we have been waiting for and we shall start to request for the money from the CAO,” he said.
 
Background
On June 12, 2023, Rock Trust Contractors Uganda Ltd signed an agreement with Adjumani District Local Government to upgrade three kilometers of the road to bituminous surface at a cost of Shs10.2 billion. The roads cover the Administration road which is 1.43km, Illa Road (0.66km) and Market Road (1.09km).
 
The scope of work according to the design document that was authored by AB Consults includes; a carriage-way, solar-powered street lights on both sides and walkways on the drainage.