Karamoja Region – Concerned residents in Karamoja have called for a special qualification audit of all engineers in the Ministry of Agriculture, alleging that some engineers are holding positions they do not understand.
Patrick Lokut, a Civil Engineer, stated that most of the so-called engineers from the Ministry of Agriculture lack the qualifications for dam design and construction and are merely mechanical engineers.
“I know of five engineers in the Ministry of Agriculture who are not fit for their current positions, yet they are surprisingly assigned to monitor the construction of dams in Karamoja despite their lack of knowledge in this field,” he said.
John Luke Apule, another qualified engineer from Makerere University, told this publication that he knows some engineers hailing from Eastern Uganda with qualifications in mechanical engineering (repairing tractors), but they are now appointed as senior engineers, “messing things up beyond.”
The Ankole Times will publish the names of these engineers and their qualifications in a subsequent story.
According to Apule, the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) and other relevant bodies should investigate the qualifications of engineers from the Ministry of Agriculture who have caused significant suffering to the people of Karamoja.
He noted that as a result of this incompetence, Karamoja has lost billions of shillings due to poorly constructed dams and other projects.
The Ankole Times learned that three years ago, the World Bank released more than 50 billion shillings under the Resilience Project in Karamoja. This funding was channeled through the Ministry of Agriculture for dam construction, cattle market construction, and animal holding grounds across all nine districts of Karamoja. However, due to the incompetence of those holding engineering positions within the ministry, these projects have not been implemented effectively, and the funds have been mismanaged.
Kaabong District was supposed to benefit from dam construction at a cost of UGX 7.8 billion. A site was cleared in Morungole Hills by the Chinese contractor, Zhongaho Company Limited, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture’s so-called engineers. However, the contractor abandoned the site, and work remains incomplete to this day.
Kotido District was supposed to receive a dam, animal holding ground, and cattle market under the same funding, but not a single dam was constructed, and UGX 8 billion disappeared.
Moroto District was also supposed to receive a dam, with a site cleared in Nakonyen at a cost of UGX 14 billion, but this project was also abandoned under the Resilience Project, overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Animal holding grounds and markets were planned for Namalu, Moruita, and Lemusui sub-counties in Nakapiripirit District, but none of these projects have materialized.
Mr. Jino Meri, the District Chairperson of Kaabong, stated that many projects funded by the World Bank, particularly under the Resilience Project, have not benefited the people of Karamoja and instead have only served the interests of a few individuals within the Ministry of Agriculture and Water.
“We don’t understand why the government continues to protect the corrupt officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water. They are all thieves,” he said.
In 2019, Parliament approved a UGX 75 billion supplementary budget for the construction of dams in Karamoja and the border districts of Katakwi and Amuria. However, these funds were allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture, and no significant impact has been observed.
In November of this year, General Peter Elwelu toured the region and raised concerns about the poor implementation of multi-billion-shilling water projects in Karamoja, revealing a grim reality on the ground.
He visited Napak and Moroto districts and expressed frustration at discovering that government-constructed dams had dried up and several boreholes remained incomplete despite the release of funds for their construction.
“There is very little to show in terms of project implementation,” he said.
General Elwelu, the Special Presidential Advisor and Coordinator of Development Projects in Karamoja and Teso, pointed to the dry dams and stalled other dam constructions throughout Karamoja.
During President Museveni’s tour of the Parish Development Model in Kotido, District Chairperson Mr. Paul Lote Kacheriboy criticized the Ministry of Water and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture for misleading the President about the construction of dams in the region.
Mr. Lote told the President that there were no new dams constructed by the two ministries in Karamoja, except for four older dams built during the time when the First Lady, Janet Museveni, served as Minister for Karamoja Affairs.
These dams include Kobebe in Moroto, Arecek in Napak, Longoromit in Kaabong (which is drying up), and Kaicom in Amudat (which also requires attention).
The Ankole Times will be publishing the personal assets owned by some of the engineers from the Ministry of Water and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture for evaluation.
