Members of Parliament (MPs) on Parliament’s Physical Infrastructure Committee have learnt that local contractor, Multiplex Limited has taken three (03) years to construct 3.59Km roads in Kabale Municipality!
According to the contract, the works were meant to be completed within a year at a cost of Sh21.722b.
Local Government officials from Mbarara City, Ntungamo Municiplaity and Kabale Municipality revealed to the MPs that when they questioned the contractor on the delays, he instead asked them if they knew how he came to win these three contracts!
In Mbarara City, Multiplex Ltd, was awarded a 7.3Km road contract at a cost of Sh23.606b within a year, despite receiving four extensions on the same contract, Multiplex Ltd hasn’t been able to complete works, three years later.
In Ntungamo Municipality, the contractor is yet to complete a 2.07Km road, works were valued at Sh11.390b, yet the works were meant to be done within a year.
Three years later, the work is incomplete yet World Bank has notified Government of requirement to close the project on 31st December 2023.
“Our powers to manage these contracts were usurped, we are implementing directives. We are not implementing the contract agreements that we signed between Kabale Municipal Council and Multiplex Limited, which directives defy the legal regimes of contract management. Technocrats are paying a contractor whose contract expired irrespective of the Attorney General’s order clearly stating that the contract does not exist. These things can only happen in Uganda, and people are left to move freely as if nothing happened, in another country, I don’t think these things can happen,” irritated Santaro Byamugisha, Mayor of Kabale Municipality, lamented.
