Uganda: Leaders concerned over slow works on Shs2.7b govt school

The leadership of Otuke District has expressed concern over the slow progress of construction works at Okum Seed Secondary School in Orum Sub-County.

This school project is financed by the World Bank to a tune of Shs2.7 billion under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer (UgIFT) programme.

Last year, the contract for constructing the school was awarded to M/S Mesco Ltd and in January 2023, the site was handed over to the said contractor with the expectation that it will be completed in July 2024.

During a project monitoring visit by a team from the Directorate of Socio-Economic Monitoring at the president’s office on November 1, 2023, local leaders raised red flags over the slow progress of the works.

Isaac Keno, clerk of works for Okum Seed Secondary School, confirmed the site was handed over to the contractor in January 2023.

“The contractor has spent approximately 11 months. That is about 61 per cent of time already spent, and the physical progress according to my calculation is about 12 per cent,” he said, adding that when the contractor is done with the slabs for all the structures, “it puts us at 20 per cent of the work”.

“The delivery of materials is a little bit sluggish and you know when materials are not there it affects work but we have been engaging him,” Keno added.

James Bwire Ogoola, the contractor’s representative (site engineer), told the team that “internal weaknesses have hugely affected the progress of the work.”

“I am unhappy with the slow progress,” he added.

Acting district engineer Jimmy Marks Alany,said they already gave the contractor advance payment of Shs524million towards the closure of the Financial Year 2022/23.

OSimon Akileng, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), revealed that the same contractor is doing a similar project in the neighbouring Agago District.

“Agago has two projects of this nature but as we talk now, I think the Agago projects are not progressing because whatever he (contractor) has got small from there, he is now bringing this side. Now we will pay him from here, he will run to the other side. That is now the challenge we have,” the CAO said.

John Robert Adiama Ekaju, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), noted that the contractor maybe resource strapped due to handling two projects at ago.

“Between January and June, that site had been abandoned. But, from the contractor seriously picked up work that you are seeing there,” the RDC observed.

Beatrice Akello Akori, the minister of state for Economic Monitoring, Office of the President, urged local leaders to walk together to make the most of government projects.