Mukono reinstates sh134b road works after compliance review

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Mukono Municipal Council has lifted the suspension of civil works under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program (GKMA-UDP) by China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) with immediate effect.

"Recognition is made of the efforts to proactively provide responses to the issues raised in the letter of suspension of civil works," Mukono Town Clerk Francis Byabagambi stated in a letter to CCCC authorized representative Xiong Pailiang on March 7, 2025.

"Your response matrix is an outcome of a series of engagements through which your progress to address our concerns on environmental and social (E&S) safeguards compliance was successively assessed."

The council had suspended CCCC’s work on the same day following a review of its performance, which revealed systemic non-compliance with contract terms, technical guidelines, and E&S safeguards.

The suspension stemmed from several concerns, including failure to meet contractual obligations for worker and public safety, inadequate incident reporting and management, and withholding of critical project-related information.

Other red flags included the absence of proper health and safety structures, failure to ensure worker welfare, and non-compliance with grievance redress mechanisms.

The affected projects included Anthony-Kame, Kame Annex, Albert Cook Cathedral Rise, Kame-Nabuti-Katosi Road, Admin Link, Access Road, and Link Road.

Following the suspension, CCCC submitted a comprehensive response matrix outlining corrective measures. The matrix addressed concerns related to vehicle and equipment standards, health and safety protocols, emergency response plans, safeguards team composition, grievance redress mechanisms, and worker welfare management.

Byabagambi emphasised that lifting the suspension is tagged to several conditions, including setting up a health and safety committee with clear terms of reference chaired by the project manager and installation of adequate signage within the project area; these should also include speed limits, warnings and alerting signage.

The conditions also included enhancement of the performance of the grievance redress committee and ensuring that proper medical treatment, welfare and payment of wages and salaries are given by the contractor to workers with injuries sustained on the project.

Other conditions required the company to implement all commitments in the CCCC response matrix continually and to ensure timely information sharing and incident reporting to inform adequate responses for effective incident management.

The letter also added a condition for CCCC to "manage all the E&S Safeguards requirements as per (the) Contractor's Environmental and Social Management Plan, relevant national laws and regulations, and World Bank Safeguards standards".

GKMA-UDP operations

The GKMA-UDP is a Government of Uganda initiative aimed at improving mobility, environmental conditions, local economic development, and service delivery coordination in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

The programme is implemented by nine entities: Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Wakiso, Mukono, and Mpigi district local governments, as well as the municipal governments of Kira, Nansana, Makindye-Ssabagabo, Mukono, and Entebbe.

Safeguards and compliance

The participating entities oversee planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting while ensuring that the programme adheres to sustainable public procurement principles, including environmental and social safeguards. They are also responsible for inspecting and auditing contractors annually, in line with legislative requirements and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) certificates.

A comprehensive Program Operations Manual (POM) guides the initiative, providing detailed procedures for implementing and harmonising works. The manual includes stringent Environmental and Social Safeguards to systematically manage risks and project impacts, aligning with national policies and World Bank standards.

Code of conduct

All contractors under the programme must adhere to the Environmental, Social, Health and Safety (ESHS) Code of Conduct from contract award onwards. The Code of Conduct outlines the obligations of all project staff, including contractors, subcontractors, and casual labourers, to ensure compliance with ESHS provisions.

The Code is a legally binding part of the contract, and failure to adhere to it constitutes a breach of contractual obligations.