The Minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has tasked Kamwenge leaders to supervise contractors and ensure successful implementation of the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development-Additional Financing (USMID-AF) programme.
Speaking at the commissioning of the programme in Kamwenge District on Wednesday, 30 November 2022, Nabakooba said from the past experiences in other districts, the contractors also delay to complete works over issues such as changing of the staff they present in bids and lack of equipment.
“Unlike the other urban areas Municipalities and Cities that have Supervising consultants, and Municipal or City Development Forums, at the Local Government level, supervision and monitoring of the works falls entirely on the shoulders of you both technical and political local leaders. Ensuring that all goes well is your work because the people who elected you are looking to you, to deliver these services to them because His Excellency President Museveni has promised these services to the people of Kamwenge,” she said.
Under the programme, a total of 8 projects which range from resource centres, market sheds, playfields to roads, will be constructed.
Nabakooba also said Kamwenge was chosen as a beneficiary of the programme since it is a refugee hosting district.
“As many of you may be aware, the support to the districts hosting refugees under this program was for three main purposes (i) to improve physical planning, (ii) land tenure security, and (ii) small-scale infrastructure investments targeting refugees and the host communities,” she said.
“The choice of the civil works projects in the district hosting refugees was informed by the need to enhance social cohesion between the refugees and their host communities that is why we have markets, resource centers, playfields, and some other projects like roads and culverts are to enable the communities and refugees’ easy access to social services,” she added.
The minister further explained that the projects will be undertaken by 6 different contractors doing work concurrently, who are supposed to complete the work within the remaining program time span of 13 months.
“As you may be aware, the USMID program is ending in December 2022, and we do not have any plans for an extension. This means that as Kamwenge we have to work hard and work fast to beat the deadlines,” Ms Nabakooba said.
To the district leaders, the minister said she hoped that they have provided encumbrance-free land to the contractors.
“… because if this has not been done, it means we are already headed for delayed implementation and back-and-forth meetings that will frustrate the project, and deny the people of Kamwenge their projects,” she said.
She said the district leadership must ensure registration and documentation of vendors prior to building the markets.
“Kamwenge district has 3 markets. I am aware the market sites already have vendors, who must be properly relocated, and later resettled into their new market once it is complete. Has the district registered them, and kept a list of the vendors who will occupy these markets? Mr. Chairman, let us avoid rush resettlement and deny our women and young people who originally were in these markets space in the new markets, for new entrants. This, my Ministry will not accept, and therefore I want the district project team to submit to my office the lists of vendors because my team will also be here to guide in the vendor occupation when that time comes,” the minister said.
Minister Nabakooba also tasked the district leaders to ensure that the contractors stick to the terms of the contract.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the works in refugee hosting districts are already ongoing in 7 of the other districts, and we have made several observations. As I have already said, the USMID program has only 13 months to close, so this means that once a contractor starts at a slow pace, we may have to close the program without the project being completed. This also means that the Kamwenge district will have to commit funds to complete the project,” she added.
The minister also thanked Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze, who hails from the district, for lobbying for the area residents to have land titles.
“I want to also use this opportunity to recognise the role your Honorable Member of Parliament and Minister, Frank Tumwebaze played in lobbying for Kamwenge. You were the first district to benefit from the USMID program, through the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification (SLAAC) process, where the Minister of State for Lands, Hon Dr. Sam Mayanja was here last year to issue the first phase of the titles under the program. The other phase of titles is in process and we should be coming back soon to handle them to you, and to your leaders, most probably this coming month of December because my team is working hard to process the remaining 1000 titles,” she said.