Mbarara City Town Clerk, Assy Abireebe Tumwesigire, is facing allegations of defying directives from the Inspector General of Government. In a September 28, 2023 letter, signed by Deputy Inspector of Government Patricia Achan Okiria, the Town Clerk is accused of failing to comply with orders issued in two previous letters dated May 15, 2023, and August 10, 2023.
The May 15, 2023 letter from the Inspector General of Government directed the City Clerk to cease charging liquidated damages on Multiplex Ltd- Ditaco International Trade and Contracting JV. In the August 10, 2023 letter, the Deputy Inspector General of Government instructed him to promptly settle the genuine claims of the contractors for work done. This was intended to alleviate liquidity problems that were hindering the progress of road works and to prevent further delays. Multiplex Ltd – Ditaco International Trade and Contracting JV had been contracted to rehabilitate USMID-Additional funding (Cluster 6) roads in Mbarara City at a cost of 23 Billion Shillings.
These roads include Major Victor Bwana (0.95 km), Galt Road (0.65 km), and Stanley Road (0.78 km). Initially scheduled for completion within one year after the contract was awarded in May 2021, the road works encountered multiple extensions due to justifiable reasons provided by the contractor. However, the final extension, expiring on March 28th, led to the imposition of liquidation damages. The contractor then reported to the Inspector General of Government’s office, alleging that Mbarara City had refused to pay the valuation claims.
In response, Deputy IGG Patricia Achan Okiria directed the City Town Clerk to settle all outstanding claims and gave the contractor a two-month deadline until the end of September to complete the works. Achan emphasized that the directives were issued with the goal of completing the road works by the end of September 2023. Actions contrary to these directives were deemed as disobedience, which is an offense under Section 14(4) of the Inspectorate of Government Act, 2002.
Despite the explicit directives, the Inspector General of Government’s office received complaints from the contractor that the Town Clerk had not paid a claim of over 2.2 Billion Shillings submitted on June 21, 2023, by the Project Manager. Another claim of over 909 Million Shillings was submitted on August 16, 2023, as interim valuation No. 9 was also allegedly unpaid. The Deputy IGG alleges that the Town Clerk has either willfully or unlawfully failed to comply with the directives.
Consequently, Achan has called upon the Town Clerk to provide an explanation for the delay in paying the contractor’s claims, which have been pending for over 92 days. She has also raised the possibility of his arrest and charges for defying the Inspectorate of Government directives, as stipulated in Section 14(4) of the Inspectorate of Government Act, 2002. When reached for comment, Tumwesigire confirmed receiving the letter and noted that he is yet to respond.