Road repairs too slow - Works ministry

Feb 18, 2007

ONLY seven out of the 49 Kampala roads that are supposed to be repaired by the end of March have been completed so far, according to statistics from the Ministry of Works released yesterday.

By Herbert Ssempogo

ONLY seven out of the 49 Kampala roads that are supposed to be repaired by the end of March have been completed so far, according to statistics from the Ministry of Works released yesterday.

The works, that include repairs of the carriage way, the shoulders and the drainage, began on January 6 and are supposed to be completed in three months.

Of the four contractors, Dott Services proves to be the poorest performer, according to the list of the works ministry. Out of the 14 roads under their care, only one – Haji Musa Kasule Road – has been finished half way through the contract period. Works on eight roads have not yet started.

Second worst performer appears to be Spencon. None of the nine roads they were supposed to repair have been completed. Of those, six are being worked on, while three – Saddler Way, Bukoto Crescent and Square Loop – have not been touched at all.

Cementers is doing somehow better but not reaching half of the works supposed to be done by now. Out of their 14 roads, only two – Access Road and Kampala Road – have been completed. Works are in progress on 10 others, while two – Mackinon Road and Greenhill Loop – are still unattended to.

Stirling Engineering Services has proved to be the fastest and most reliable contractor. Out of the 19 roads they were supposed to repair, they have completed four and are working on seven.

Frustrated with the abominable state of the city roads, the Minister of Works, John Nasasira, late last year announced that the central government would take over their maintenance and repairs from the Kampala City Council.

The Ministry of Works yesterday defended the delays. “Some companies such as Dott Services started work late,” the spokesperson, Susan Kataike, commented.

“Also, the potholes are not evenly spread, which means that repairs on some roads take longer than others.”
She hailed the companies for the repairs done so far. “When you move in the city, you realise that there are fewer potholes and traffic is smoother than before the works started.”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});