Mukono officials are split over the dubious utilization of the borehole drilling equipment. The LC V Chairperson, Rev. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa accuses the District Water Officer, James Kalule of conniving with the Chief Administrative Officer, James Nkata to hire out the equipment to Wakiso district without their knowledge despite their earlier claim that it was grounded and needed serious repair.
Rev. Bakaluba says that upon realizing that the equipment had been hired to work in Wakiso district for six months without a memorandum of understanding between the two local governments, the executive instructed the CAO to retrieve it and hand it to the police for safe custody until they agree on the modalities.
He, however, says that they were surprised to learn later that the same machine had been hired out to Jinja district without their knowledge. “We learned that Jinja district paid the CAO’s office Shillings 36 million to use the machine to drill boreholes but the money doesn’t appear anywhere in the district treasury yet we had resolved that the machine be put to work again after agreeing on proper modalities,” he said. Adding that, “the resolution was ignored.
Mukono district procured the borehole drilling machine eight years ago from Thai Appropriate Technology Co. Ltd at Shillings 900 million to increase the number of boreholes in the district so as to address the problem of water scarcity especially in rural areas. The district also expected to hire out the machine to raise local revenue.
However, Rev. Bakaluba says records show that the machine has never been put to use anywhere in the district or generated any revenue as planned. Samuel Odongo, the Mukono District Production Secretary, says that the machine is needed more in most rural areas to solve the challenge of water scarcity before it is even hired out to other districts.
The Chief Administrative Officer, James Nkata blames the complaints of the political wing on a misunderstanding of the policy. He says that they hire out the equipment based on a policy set by the district.
He notes that he has agreed to seat with the district executive and review the policy.
“I strongly believe we will come out with a very good policy direction,” he said.
