Story by Osuta Yusuf.
Maracha District.
31-October-2024.
Robech Engineering Solutions Ltd, a construction company with the main office in Kampala City, Uganda, has taken over the continuity of Kololo Seed Secondary School construction project after the work stalled for over two years.
Under UGIFT project, Kololo Seed Secondary School, located in Vurra Parish, Tara Sub-county, Maracha East Constituency in Maracha District was awarded by Ministry of Education, Shs 1.9 billion construction project in the financial year 2018 / 2019 and the construction project was launched in 2019 with a contract period of one years which would have culminated into handing over and commissioning the project in 2020 upon completion.
However, the 1.9 billion shs project whose contract was awarded to ACHORU UNITED TRADERS LTD stalled along the way resulting into arrest and interdiction of six Maracha district officials (Chief Finance Officer Mr Candia Stephen, District Engineer Mr Ezatia Timothy Maluma, DEO Mrs Flavia Osoa, Internal Auditor Mr Abiribale T Paul, Clerk of works Mr Ezati Robert and Senior Assistant Engineer Mr Oneti William) in October-2022 over mismanagement of public funds and shoddy works.
Mr Lunyuta Jovanny John, Civil Engineer for Robech Engineering Solutions Ltd, upon saying there was shoddy work at the site, pledged to finish the construction works as soon as possible because of the adequate resources and man power they are having at the site.
Maracha District NRM Chairperson Ofekua Gabriel, who was one of the people at the helm of exposing shoddy works, confrontations and verbal exchanges which led to him having a physical fight with the LC5 Chairperson Hon Obitre Stephen on 15-June-2022 over the Kololo Seed Secondary School construction scandal, expressed happiness for what the new contractor has done by removing parts of the Buildings at the school, something the District NRM Chairperson said, it confirms their confrontations and alarm over the project scandal were not in vain.
The councilor representing workers in the district Hon Alema Dicky who doubles as the secretary for social services in Maracha District, while recounting the mystery surrounding the Kololo Seed Secondary School construction project when they just came newly into the district council, blamed the former contractor for that Project, ACHORU UNITED TRADERS LTD for doing a disservice for the people of Maracha District.
Hon Alema distanced himself from some politicians and technocrats in the district who might have in 2022, tried to blackmail those who were raising alarm over the shoddy works done in the 1.9 billion shs project at Kololo Seed SS.
Following some politicians and technocrats who quarreled, exchanged words, had physical fights, accusations and with others defending the corruption as a result of shoddy work by saying there was totally no component of corruption in the project even when the shoddy works were visible in an ordinary person’s eyes, the LC5 Chairperson for Maracha District Hon Obitre Stephen blamed those who wrote petitions to investigation authorities in Uganda over the project, adding that, they misfired the petition by alleging the whole money 1.9 billion shs meant for the work was embezzled.
Assistant RDC for Maracha District, Mr Collins Dramani, while casting hope on the new contractor, stated that, as RDCs office, they have agreed altogether to have weekly monitoring of the project to make sure there is value for money and the mistake which was done by the previous contractor does not repeat itself this time.
The government has sent 950 Million Shs to the district as an additional funds to complete the construction peoject which is expected to be handed over in January 2025
