Contractor given month ultimatum to complete Wadelai irrigation scheme
The minister said she was satisfied with the explanation given by leaders of the Pakwach-Wadelai Rice Irrigation Cooperative Society, who attributed the delay to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic rather than negligence by any individual.
The Minister of State for Water, Aisha Sekindi, has given Ambitious Construction Uganda Limited one month to complete outstanding works on the Wadelai Irrigation Scheme. (Courtesy photo)
_________________
The Minister of State for Water, Aisha Sekindi, has given Ambitious Construction Uganda Limited one month to complete outstanding works on the Wadelai Irrigation Scheme in Wadelai and Ragem sub-counties, Pakwach district.
Sekindi issued the ultimatum on October 30, 2026, during a fact-finding visit to Pakwach district in the West Nile sub-region to establish why the multi-billion-shilling irrigation project remains incomplete, eight years after construction began. The project was initially scheduled for completion within three years.
The minister said she was satisfied with the explanation given by leaders of the Pakwach-Wadelai Rice Irrigation Cooperative Society, who attributed the delay to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic rather than negligence by any individual.
The Wadelai Irrigation Scheme is being implemented under the second phase of the Farm Income Enhancement and Forestry Conservation Project (FIEFOC-2), executed by the Ministry of Water and Environment with financial support from the African Development Bank and the Nordic Development Fund.
The scheme is intended to improve food security and household incomes by enabling more than 3,000 farmers to grow rice, maize, vegetables and other crops throughout the year.
The ministry initially awarded the construction works to Coil Limited. However, the contractor failed to complete the project within the agreed timeframe, resulting in flooding in some canals and damage to nearby homes and gardens. Ambitious Construction Uganda Limited was subsequently engaged to complete the outstanding works.
The revised scope includes construction of the headworks, critical sections of the spillway and main canal works, as well as completion of the primary, secondary, tertiary and quadrant canals.
Dinesh Kara, the lead engineer at Ambitious Construction Uganda Limited, committed to completing the remaining works, particularly the spillway and drainage systems, within one month.
The President subsequently directed scientists to explore irrigation as a way of addressing the flooding while supporting agricultural production.
The scheme covers approximately 2,500 acres and has 2,500 registered farmers. It is divided into 20 blocks, with at least 36 farmer groups engaged mainly in rice production.
According to a report from the Office of the Prime Minister, the government has invested more than sh64 billion in the project.
Although construction is not yet complete, farmers say the scheme is already generating significant benefits.
Charles Opiyo, a rice farmer, said he earns more than sh3m from an acre of rice per harvest and can grow rice three times a year, potentially generating about sh10m annually from one acre.
George Wekoprae, the chairperson of the Wadelai Irrigation Users’ Committee, said the community had begun benefiting from the scheme as sections of the infrastructure became operational.
However, he identified several challenges requiring urgent attention. These include poor drainage, the lack of road connections to help farmers transport their produce to markets, the absence of reliable markets for their produce, and the need for standard demonstration plots for rice and fish farming to train farmers in improved production practices. He also called for the construction of storage facilities.
Wekoprae further called for refrigeration facilities for vegetables, a rice huller to support value addition, agro-input stores to improve access to quality seed, two boreholes for clean drinking water, land demarcation and an additional tractor, saying the one currently available to the cooperative was insufficient.
“The Ministry of Water and Environment has delivered the irrigation infrastructure and technology. It is now the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture to guide our farmers,” Cwinya said.
Farmers said only one agricultural extension officer currently serves the two sub-counties where the scheme is located.
Charles Muswa, the assistant chief administrative officer of Pakwach district, said the district had funds to recruit additional agricultural extension workers who would be deployed to support farmers at the scheme.
Pakwach LC5 chairperson Shaban Ofoi Kinobe called for the establishment of a weather station to guide farmers on the appropriate amount of water to release during rainy and dry seasons. He warned that excessive water could cause flooding and damage crops.
Marshall Alenyo, the Jonam County MP, encouraged residents to embrace irrigation technology and use it to improve their livelihoods and socio-economic well-being.
Sekindi directed the Pakwach district water and production departments to submit a detailed report to her office on the scheme's status, the challenges affecting its operation and recommendations on how it could also support activities such as fish farming.
The report will inform her ministerial brief to the President.
The minister said she would inform President Museveni once the work was completed so that he could commission the scheme, noting that the project was initiated on his directive and that he was closely monitoring its implementation.
She also directed the district to use its non-conditional grant to drill two boreholes at the irrigation scheme to provide farmers with clean and safe drinking water.