New details have emerged about the ongoing construction of the bridge to link Kayunga and Kamuli districts.
An investigation by TheUgandan reveals that the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) is making significant progress despite allegations by the speaker of parliament that the monies meant for construction were ‘chewed.’
The Works at Isimba started after a Tripartite MOU between MEMD, UNRA and UEGCL was signed on the 8th of July 2019. This gave UNRA the responsibility to Supervise the works of the 3.5 Km access road and Bridge at Isimba.
Our investigation reveals that the steel reinforcement for walls and top slab for cell No.2 and concrete casting for bottom slab of the 4th block is complete.
In addition, rock fill placement for the excavated works for the left back is complete and G30 placement has commenced.
On Wednesday, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga alleged that she had been following the matter since March 2019 and now feared that the funds (Shs24bn) had been swindled.
“By the way, at some stage Shs 24 billion had been chewed. I have been following up this matter and the money was eaten in the Ministry of Energy,” said Kadaga.
The Speaker said she had even furnished President Yoweri Museveni with names of individuals suspected to have swindled the monies.
“I even gave the President names of the eaters, I have been waiting for action since March but I have not seen it,” said Kadaga.
The completion date for the works on the bridge, a component of the Isimba Hydro Power Dam is for 2020, and despite reports that no construction has commenced, out investigation reveals that actually, total physical progress of the works stands at 17%.
Kadaga told MPs that despite forwarding the names of the ‘eaters’ to President Yoweri Museveni in March this year, no response or action has come from the Office of the President.
Commissioned on March 21, 2019, the 183MW Isimba hydropower project is located 4km downstream of Simba falls on the R.Nile, approximately 50km downstream of the source of the Nile. The project steering committee chairperson, Eng Badru Kiggundu, says China Water and Electrical Company Ltd was expected to construct a bridge across R.Nile that would link Kayunga and Kamuli districts.
Isimba dam was constructed at a whopping $568 million (about Shs 2 trillion) per cent with more than 85 per cent coming as a loan from China’s Exim Bank.
