Involve citizens in contract monitoring for increased value for money

Dec 10, 2014

In the fight against Corruption, the role of citizens during contract monitoring is paramount, if incidences of corruption and shoddy works in the construction sector are to be curbed.


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By Frank Basalirwa Kalema

In the fight against Corruption, the role of citizens during contract monitoring is paramount, if incidences of corruption and shoddy works in the construction sector are to be curbed.

Citizens need to be fully brought on board given that they stand to lose the most as beneficiaries and end users of such contracted services. Public involvement will also promote increased transparency and value for money in contract execution.

In Namutumba District, Bulange Sub-county has had one public health Centre for a long time, until recently when an NGO established a private one.

 The public health centre has been neglected for a very long time, with blown roofs, windows without shatters, no toilet facilities, name it! All this is in spite of the fact that it shares the same compound with the Sub-county headquarters.

Late in 2013, a mother of a well-to-do member of the local community fell sick and was rushed to the public Health Center. When the gentleman received the news of his sick mother, he rushed to her side.

On arrival, the state of the Centre shocked him so much that he was heard calling it a death Centre instead of a Health Centre, whereupon he quickly rushed his mother to Bugiri Hospital.

He, however, soon returned, met with the Health centre in-charge and a few members of the community and in that meeting promised to help refurbish the centre. He requested them to contact the District Leadership about the same, which they quickly did.

All arrangements were made and the funds were given to the District. This was the last time the community heard of it for a long time.

After some time had passed, a contractor came around and demanded to be shown the site and he started the work. The way he got the contract could not be established. After sometime when the work was almost complete, the contractor started demanding for his payments.

After fruitlessly being tossed left, right and centre, he remembered the importance of the local community, who at this time, were of no help to him. He did this many tines to no avail and continuously was asked for “Kitu kidogo” [ a bribe] in the offices he went to, as he claimed. Sense came to him to seek solace from the District Chairman.

The contractor claims that the chairman advised him to go and remove the doors form the structure. This he proceeded to do but before long, the community ganged up and pounced on him, clobbered him nearly to death save for the Police who saved him in the nick of time.

All along he was claiming that it was the Chairman who had told him to do so!

It was now incumbent upon the Chairman to clear the dust, and when he came to address the people, he clearly told them that he had advised the contractor to go and paint the doors not to remove them!

Damage had already been done! Up to now according to the chairman LC III of the Sub-county and Chairman LC I of the area, the project has not been officially handed to the community. It is such scenarios that frustrate local community members from benefiting from efforts to improve Social service delivery in their localities.

It is therefore of paramount importance that community members are involved in Contract monitoring processes if Value for money is to be achieved during social service delivery projects in the Communities.

The writer is Chairman of Community Based Monitoring and Evaluation System, Namutumba district

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