MPs summon IGG govt Internet project

Jan 28, 2010

THE parliamentary committee on information technology has summoned the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to explain why he cleared the controversial Government Internet project worth over sh201b.

By Madinah Tebajjukira

THE parliamentary committee on information technology has summoned the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to explain why he cleared the controversial Government Internet project worth over sh201b.

The committee chairperson, Nathan Igeme Nabeta, said IGG Raphael Baku should also explain the terms and the competence of the technical people who handled the investigation.

Baku is expected to appear before the committee next Thursday.

“We want him to tell us the terms of reference he based on and identify the technical people who were involved and their previous performance, because we suspect something went wrong during the course of the investigation,” Nabeta said.

The committee has also summoned ICT minister Aggrey Awori to explain why he defied a parliamentary directive to suspend the second phase of the project.

The ministry, according to MPs, went ahead with the second phase on grounds that the contractor had threatened to sue the Government.

The IGG early this month cleared the sh200b Government Internet project, despite objection raised by Parliament.

The project, which consists of three phases, involves building a 2,100km fiber optic cable network. The project is meant to link Uganda to the submarine cable on the East African coast and provide faster and cheaper Internet access.

The Auditor General found several anomalies in the implementation of the project and questioned if there was value for money.

“By not subjecting the proposal to proper evaluation, the ministry exposed itself to the risk of high pricing and unfavourable contract terms,” read his December report.

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