Highlights
- Security Threat in Moroto: Urgent investigation demanded as OPM-funded houses collapse, raising safety concerns for residents.
- Shoddy Construction Allegations: MP claims corruption led to collapsing houses in Moroto, emphasizing the need for accountability in OPM project.
Moroto, Uganda : Concerned residents in Moroto district are calling for investigations into houses constructed by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) at a cost of shs 3.2 billion that are now collapsing less than five years after completion.
The residents’ call follows the continuous collapse of the houses, with the latest incident occurring on Monday, where eight members of one family narrowly survived death in another house built for them by the OPM.
This marks the ninth house to collapse in less than four months, with no reported fatalities or injuries. Two months ago, another house collapsed while people were inside eating, fortunately resulting in no injuries.
Peter Lokol, the area LC1 chairperson, expressed gratitude that the collapse occurred in the morning when people were awake and others were away for garden work. However, he voiced concerns that more houses have developed wider cracks and are on the verge of collapsing, putting families at risk.
Lokol emphasized the need for investigations into the cement mixture used for constructing the houses, which now pose a security threat to their occupants.
In 2013, the South African firm Hydro-form, through the OPM and the Office of the First Lady, built 80 houses as a pilot project costing shs 40 million each. The total expenditure amounted to shs 3.2 billion, benefiting villages such as Loputiput, Nawonatau, and Nakapeliment in Moroto district.
Twenty additional houses were constructed in Lorengedwant Village in Lorengedwat Sub-county, Nakapiripirit District, where two have also collapsed.
However, the houses, each costing shs 40 million and built using interlocking blocks without a firm foundation and rim beam, have faced numerous challenges. John Nangiro, the Nakapiripirit District LCV Chairperson, highlighted the insecurity of these houses, attributing their collapse to the lack of rim beams and ground beams to strengthen them.
Efforts to obtain comments from Hydro-form technical officer Joseph Katuramu were unsuccessful, as his known phone was turned off.
Grace Nachap, a mother, expressed regret for destroying her locally built grass-thatched house, emphasizing that the government officials had urged them to move into these poorly constructed houses. She appealed to concerned authorities to conduct a special audit to assess the houses’ quality.
Kelementina Naru, another affected resident now sleeping under a tree, urged the government to recall the contractor to rebuild her house. MP John Baptist Lokii of Matheniko County claimed that corruption led to shoddy construction, stating that funds intended for supervision were misappropriated.
Repeated attempts to get a comment from Mrs. Christine Guwatudde, the permanent secretary in the OPM, were futile, as she did not respond to calls and SMS.
