Fort Portal mayor queries award of municipal tenders

The Fort Portal municipality Mayor Rev Kintu Willy Muhanga has tasked his committee of finance and administration to probe into the procedure followed while awarding tenders in Fort Portal Municipality.

During a council seating on Monday, Muhanga said that most tenderers who have failed to meet the expectations of Fort Portal Municipality have continuously had their contracts renewed.

"I need a report on how these tenders are awarded. The same people who default are at the same time awarded more tenders. I find it so disappointing because why should a tenderer who has failed to meet council's expectation be given another tender" Muhanga wondered.

John Rugamba a member of the committee stressed the need for evaluating all tenderers dealing with Fort Portal Municipality before action is taken.

"We have to identify the tenderers who are defaulting so that they can be blacklisted not to operate in Fort Portal Municipality again" Rugamba said.

During the council meeting it was established that the municipal executive committee had tasked the town clerk Paul Emukol to extend the award of tenders but he did not.

Willy Magezi the east division chairperson accused the technical staff in Fort Portal for failing to implement council resolutions.

"The town clerk is causing financial loss to this institution because every resolution he fails to implement council loses huge sums of tax payer's money" Magezi said.

The town clerk informed council that he was partly to blame for the mess in Fort Portal.

"My office was supposed to cause the contracts committee seat and resolve on the award of tenders but that did not cause that meeting" the town clerk said.

Gilbert Kayondo the municipal speaker ruled that the finance and administration committee be given only two weeks to investigate the award of tenders in the municipality.

Kayondo also decried the disrespect between councillors and the technocrats which he said is affecting the chain of command.

"The town clerk seems to have lost grid with some of his technical staff. Everyone seems to be a boss of him or herself" the speaker said.