(URN)
Dott services has failed to beat the two-month deadline to fix the defects long Mugisu Hill lane and Nabuyonga Rise in Mbale City. On October 14th, 2021, Mbale City Council suspended traffic from Mugisu Hill and Nabuyonga Rise to pave way for rehabilitation works after developing serious defects shortly after commissioning.
Mugisu Hill and Nabuyonga Rise roads are part of the four roads constructed under the first phase of the World Bank-funded Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) project. However, the roads developed cracks and huge potholes that made them impassable, less than two years after they were commissioned.
During the handover of the roads for rehabilitation, Eng. Moses Were Happy, a Consultant Engineer from UB Consultants, which supervises Dott Services, said the rehabilitation will take them between one to two months. However, two months later, the contractor is yet to complete the works on the road as the works still stand at excavation level.
A few weeks ago, motorcyclists resumed using the road, saying that the traffic jam in the central business district is disturbing since heavy trucks that were using the road were diverted to Mbale-Soroti Highway, which goes through the central business district.
Joel Wesonga, a resident of Mbale town, says that the heavy trucks going through the city center have given thugs a chance to rob people of their properties. He also says that there is an increase in accidents within town due to the heavy traffic noting that the current problem wouldn’t prevail if Nabuyonga rise and Mugisu hill lane were functional.
Abdallah Magambo, the Mbale City Deputy Speaker and LC V councilor Northern Division West, says that he has raised complaints about the insecurity in town resulting from the heavy traffic and urged the concerned authorities to expedite the rehabilitation works in vain. He said that the contractor abandoned the road works shortly after receiving the sites from the city authorities in October.
Johnson Gimuyi, the Mbale City Engineer told our reporter that there are delays in the completion of the rehabilitation works because Dott services had diverted all its manpower to handle works on Naboa road where they are putting asphalt.
He, however, says that they have since resumed the works and he is optimistic that they will finish soon and reopen the roads. Mario Christobal, the Project Manager Dot Services, said the works are ongoing. He also says that they are still within their timeline since rehabilitation falls within the main contract of Naboa and Cathedral roads project whose works are still ongoing.
