‘Rukungiri Councilors Corrupt’

Jul 24, 2003

Rukungiri district councillors and civil servants have been accused of illegally winning district contracts and doing shoddy work.

By Simon Mugenyi
Rukungiri district councillors and civil servants have been accused of illegally winning district contracts and doing shoddy work.
The resident district commissioner (RDC), Alinemary Kemerwa, recently said in an interview, that although it was hard to find evidence, because district officials do not include their names on the tendering papers, the reports were true.
Kemerwa said shoddy work, especially construction projects in schools, was endangering the lives of the children.
“These people should be investigated and jailed,” Kemerwa said.
“Pit-latrines fall on children because of some greedy person. This is expensive to the government and the district,” she added.
However, the deputy chief administrative officer, Wilson Tibugyenda, said they had not discovered that any of the councillors or civil servants were tenderers.
“These councillors are not fools and they are aware the law bars them from tendering for district work. They can’t do it openly,” he said.
Tibugyenda said councillors were supposed to monitor and correct work being done by contractors, and should therefore never tender for contracts.
“We have a supervisory role over the work in the district, that is why the law bars us from tendering for contracts,” he said.
He said if they found a contractor who had dealings with district officials, the tender board would cancel the bid.
Last week the RDC suspended use of pit- latrines at Nyamakuru Primary School, for fear that they would collapse on the pupils.
Ends

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