Council conned of sh28m

Aug 31, 2003

A local firm has conned Kampala City Council (KCC) of sh28m meant for completion of a classroom block. The directors are on the run.

By Solomon Muyita

A local firm has conned Kampala City Council (KCC) of sh28m meant for completion of a classroom block. The directors are on the run.

“This is sheer frustration of the Government’s efforts. We've already asked the Police to arrest the proprietor of the company, Simon Kaziba. He’s on the run, but he won’t run for ever,” Kampala deputy RDC for Nakawa Division, Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka, said recently.

The money was given to KCC by the Government under the School Facilitation Grant (SFG) programme.

Hashaka was recently addressing KCC officials and the school’s administration at the school where he was supposed to open the block.

The company was contracted in 1999 to complete a five-classroom block at Kyambogo Primary School for three months beginning November 2001. However, the company abandoned the work after getting the money, sources said.

He said KCC should not have paid the company was almost the full amount before completion of the work. The company was supposed to install doors, shutters and other finishings.

For four years, some children have studying under trees and sheds, awaiting the completion of the classrooms.

The school headteacher, Jane Kansiime, said the children were being squeezed in the old seven classrooms.

The school has 950 pupils under UPE programme.

Construction of the block was started by parents in 1997.

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