Rukiga district officials are under the spotlight for receiving Rwamucucu Seed Secondary School Kihorezo from the contractor with an incomplete playground. On January 11, 2022, Rukiga district officials led by the Chief Administrative Officer, Eliab Ntarwete Begumya, and area member of parliament, Purikeria Muhindo Mwiine received Rwamucucu Seed Secondary School Kihorezo from GESES Uganda Limited, which started construction in 2019.
The Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni is expected to commission the school early next month. The ministry constructed the Shillings 2.168 billion school found in Nyakagabagaba parish under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer (UGIFT) Program. Other schools constructed under the programs are Nyamweru Seed Secondary School in Nyamweru sub-county, Rubanda district, St. Joseph Buhara Seed Secondary School in Buhara sub-county, Kabale district, and Nyakinama SEED Secondary School in Nyakinama sub-county, Kisoro district.
According to parents of Rwamucucu Seed Secondary School Kihorezo and local leaders, the district agreed with the contractor to grade a playground measuring 105 meters long and 68 meters wide. They also reveal that they agreed that the district provides road construction equipment to help the contractor dig soil from the adjacent hill and backfill the edges of the playground to make the measurements accurate.
They also agreed that the contractor shifts part of Mubwaara-Nyakagabagaba road and
extend the playground to the required measurements. However, the parents say that they were shocked to see the district officials receiving the project with an incomplete playground. The parents and local leaders allege that the district team allowed the playground, which isn’t to the specifications agreed upon. They also claim that the contractor did not backfill the unlevelled part as agreed.
Phenehansi Tibategyeza, the Nyakagabagaba parish LC 2 Chairperson and one of the concerned parents, says that as parents and local leaders, they sat and agreed with district authorities and the contractor to work on the playground according to the required plan. He, however, says that he was surprised to see the district officials receiving incomplete works from the contractor. Tibategyeza says that his efforts to get an explanation why the contractor didn’t deliver as required didn’t yield any results.
Charity Monday, the Rutooma Village LC 1 Chairperson, and Livingston Tumwesigye another concerned parent want district authorities to explain why they received incomplete works.
Eddie Mugisha, the Rwamucucu sub-county LC 3 Chairperson, says that Shillings 50 million out of the Shillings 2.1billion allocated to the school was meant for the construction of a standard playground. He wonders where the remaining money has gone since the playground is incomplete.
Robert Mbabazi Kakwerere, the Rukiga District LC 5 Chairperson also wonders why Ntarwete was convinced to receive the whole project yet there were still many unanswered questions about the status of the playground. He confirms that they indeed agreed with the contractor to excavate soil from the adjacent hill to backfill and level the incomplete playground.
However, Eliab Ntarwete Begumya, the Rukiga Chief Administrative Officer, says that backfilling part of the unleveled playground is outside the scope of work, which requires additional funding. Ntarwete also says that expanding the playground up to the required
standard will require tampering with Mubwaara-Nyakagabagaba road, which needs clearance from the ministry of works and transport.
Ntarwete also strongly rubbished claims that he received a bribe from the contractor to receive an incomplete playground.
Peter Nkurunungi, the Executive Director of GESES Uganda Limited, which undertook the works, says that he is innocent because he contacted district authorities about backfilling the unlevelled part but was told that the district has no road equipment to excavate the soil. He, however, says that he is ready to expand the playground provided the district provides the equipment.
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