What Nasasira said about bridges

SIR— I would like to refer to your story in The New Vision last Saturday under the heading “Nine out of 86 bridges repaired — Nasasira”.This story, attributed to the minister’s statement in Mbale, is incorrect. The facts are as follows:1. The minister said 86 bridges and culverts had been destroyed during El-Nino. Out of these, nine were in Mbale, of which two are already repaired.2. The World Bank was supporting the repairs under the El-Nino project; but only nine bridges throughout the country will be constructed. Out of these, three will be in Mbale. The minister asked the people to be patient as the procurement process involved designing and tendering. He never blamed the delay on the World Bank as stated in your story.3. The minister told the people of Mbale that construction would start in January 2003 after the heavy rains. The other bridges would be constructed through other programmes.J. MatovuPRO, Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications