Mpigi-Kanoni road works to start

By Moses Mulondo

The Government has outlined the various roads it has earmarked for construction in the course of 2014.

The works ministry has given out contracts to various companies to start constructing roads. According to Eng. Abraham Byandala, the works minister, roads whose contracts have just been given out are Mpigi-Kanoni and Mukono-Kyetume-Katosi-Nyenga.

The companies awarded the contracts are EnergoProjekt for Mpigi-Kanoni and Eutaw Construction Company for Mukono-Kyetume- Katosi-Nyenga. Other roads whose contracts will be awarded as soon as the ongoing evaluation exercise is completed include Musita-Lumino-Busia- Majanje, Kanoni-Sembabule-Viramariya, Oruyo-Anak-Gulu-Kitugum-Musingo and Ntungamo-Mirama Hills.

“We are in the final stages of completing evaluations for the above roads and the contracts will be given out by the end of this month,” Byandala explained.

The minister said the bids for Masaka- Bukakata road are expected to have been submitted by end of this month. Other roads the ministry intends to begin constructing later this year are Pakwach-Nebbi, Rukungiri-Kihihi-Kanungu, Kihihi-Ishasha, Kapchorwa-Swam, Mbale-Buburo-Lwakaka, Kabwoya-Kyenjojo, Tirinyi-Palisa-Kumi and Palisa-Kamonkoli.

Government also intends to add Kiryandongo-Kamudini-Gulu road to the list of roads being repaired. “All the roads mentioned above will be constructed this year.

Roads we had not included in this financial year’s budget will be constructed using loans from various international banks,” Byandala revealed.

He said the Government intends to borrow from the African Development Bank, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.

The transport sector was given sh2.3trillion, the lion’s share of the 2013/2014. Byandala said they also have plans to construct roads to and within Namugongo as the nation prepares to host the Pope in October on a tour of the Uganda martyrs’ sites.

On new initiatives for ensuring value for money in the road construction projects, Eng. Byandala said,:“I have given a directive to UNRA to ensure that each project, there should be UNRA engineers permanently part of the construction process to supervise the work done by the contractors.”

The minister said he was compelled to make the directive after discovering that much of the shoddy work done by contractors in the past was because only government engineers were supervising their work.