By Catherine Bekunda

ICT ministry officials have revealed that some cables laid for the National Backbone Infrastructure Project, got destroyed due to shoddy work.

The officials, appearing before the parliamentary committee on ICT, admitted that in some instances the cable was not laid deep enough, exposing it to destruction.

“In some places, we did not follow the guidelines and the fibre was destroyed,” said Godfrey Kibuuka. “We are surveying and excavating the places to make repairs.”

According to contract guidelines, the cable was supposed to be laid at a depth of one meter but at some places, it was only 0.2 metres deep.

The committee has vowed not to release funds for phase II of the project until phase I has been completed. Phase I, which cost $30m (about sh60b), covered the laying of the optic fibre cable in Kampala, Jinja, Mukono, Bombo and Entebbe.

But two years later, the public has not yet benefited from the service. The project is expected to provide high speed interconnectivity at lower costs.

“We can’t release funds for the second phase yet you have failed to account for funds given in phase I,” ruled committee chairman Nathan Igeme Nabeta.

“Public officials responsible for this loss must pay,” said DP’s Sebuliba Mutumba.

ICT minister Aggrey Awori assured MPs that sanctions will be taken against the responsible officers. He, however, pointed out that Parliament should not hold him responsible for any wrongdoing done before he came into the ministry.

Uganda is expected to lay 2,130 kilometres of fibre optic cable at a cost of $126m (about sh252b) to connect only 28 sites.

MPs were concerned about the high cost considering that Rwanda is laying 2,300km at a cost approximately $38m to connect 35 sites.

Uganda will approximately spend $30,800 per kilometre while Rwanda will only spend $16,622.

During a visit last week, MPs found that all transmission stations were not functional, generators for back-up power were missing and a shack was used to house the equipment.

“At the station in Entebbe, some of the equipment is already damaged,” said Nabeta.