We Won’t Allow Tax Payers’ Money To Go To Waste Just Like That! MPs Probe Into 2.5 Km Katabi Road Construction Valued At UGX14 Billion

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MPs Probe Into 2.5 Km Katabi Road Construction Valued At UGX14 Billion

By Uganda Online Media

Kampala: Members of Parliament from the Physical Planning and Infrastructure Committee are currently puzzled about the escalated cost of a 2.5 km road in Katabi town that connects to Entebbe-Kampala road.

The MPs have thus threatened to halt the construction and call for further investigation on a 2.5km road in Katabi town, saying the costs of the road were highly inflated.

“How can this particular road where we are now be costing Shs 14 billion yet it is just 2.5km?” Entebbe Municipality MP, Michael Kakembo questioned.

The two-lane road whose construction by Chinese firm Chine Wu Yi, is being supervised by Entebbe Municipality is funded at a cost of Shs 14.5 billion under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) project.

“We should really try to ensure we obtain value for money. We have so many community roads within the cities and municipalities that need to be carpeted. But what is special with this 2.5km road? We need to audit this very contract and see if all the parameters add up,” said Ronald Baliwezo, the Nakawa East MP said during the inspection.

USMID is funded by the World Bank under a $360 million blend of credit line and grant aimed at elevating the quality of road and transport infrastructure in 10 cities and 22 municipalities across the country.

State ministers Obiga Kania and Sam Mayanja, of Urban Planning and Lands respectively, led the MPs in the field inspection of the road works in Entebbe Municipality.

Apart from delayed works within some of the implementation cities and municipalities, there are also concerns over the actual costs per kilometer of road network being constructed under the USMID project.

Dr Isaac Mutenyo, the program coordinator of USMID, said the extra works such as wider and deeper drainage channels, the street lighting among others raises the cost per km unit of the construction works under the program.

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