Officials from Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) on Thursday officially took over the reins as Indian consultancy firm Energy Infratech PVT Limited (EIPL) stopped supervising construction works on Isimba hydro power plant.
This follows the owner’s engineer fallout with their bosses UEGCL under chief executive officer Eng. Harrison E Mutikanga over visible incompetencies and failure to execute supervisory role well at the ambitious 183 MW dam in Kayunga District.
“The company (EIPL) was hired to help government supervise works and after 40 months of works the contract was not renewed, Eng. Mutikanga told journalists at Isimba on Thursday adding, “We gave them the notice sometime back, but they have been hesitant to hand over and vacate the place; a thing that is causing government extra costs.”
“The issue about your families is not a big one. You have offices and a guest house in Kampala. You can take them there as to make further arrangements. As for the final reports, you will also have to complete them at your offices in Kampala. There is no more space for you here at this site,” Eng. Mutikanga was then quoted by Chimpreports.
Also present at Isimba was Dr Badru Kiggundu, chairperson of the project steering committee who warned EIPL officials that government do not have any more time for their excuses and would not tolerate any more delays at the dam which alongside Karuma are expected to double the country’s power output.
The company, whose contract government has chosen not to renew after 40 months of work, has for weeks been claiming it wants its dues estimated at 500 million shs paid by government. UEGCL approves or rejects payments for contractors under the full administration powers they got after replacing Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development in 2016.
According to officials, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will be visiting Isimba dam.
