Busia District in Uganda has initiated the construction of its first quarter roads, but the project is marred by a dispute over the number of kilometers to be worked on and the associated costs.
The primary source of contention lies between the district chairperson, Stephen Mugeni Wasike, the district council, and the line technical staff, focusing on the cost per kilometer of the roads undergoing rehabilitation.
Mugeni, a former contractor, argues that by using district road equipment and staff, the rehabilitation cost per kilometer should be UGX 7.5 million, as opposed to the UGX 15 million approved by the district council for similar work.
Under Mugeni’s proposed approach, a total of 127.8 kilometers of roads are slated for rehabilitation during the financial year 2023/24. In contrast, following the council’s rate of UGX 15 million per kilometer, only 80 kilometers of road would be addressed.
Mugeni alleges that this difference in costs is a deliberate move by technical officers and some politicians to allocate funds to themselves, which could otherwise have been utilized to address the extensive poor road network in the district, causing dissatisfaction among residents.
Stanley Wejuli, the chairperson of the works committee, and district engineer George Mwidu, contend that they are adhering to the guidelines provided by the works ministry. They opted for the lowest cost of UGX 15 million per kilometer, even though some districts are budgeting UGX 25 million per kilometer.
As a result of this dispute, Mugeni and district executive committee members boycotted the launch event held in Busiime sub-county. Mugeni also sent instructions to Sicola Alupo, the acting chief administrative officer, to cancel the launch, but she proceeded with the exercise as planned, presided over by Michael Kibwika, the Busia Resident District Commissioner.
Status of Roads
Mwidu revealed that 40% of the road network in the district is in poor condition, with many roads having been damaged by heavy rains. Busia has over 800 kilometers of district, sub-county, and community roads.
In the first quarter, the district received UGX 250 million, which will be used to rehabilitate the Nahayaka-Masaba-Lumuli-Omenya road (23 km), Masafu-Butote-Busikho road (3.6 km), and Tiira-Makina-Buda road (4.4 km). The poor state of the roads is attributed to inadequate funding, as the district received only UGX 400 million from the Uganda Road Fund.
Mwidu expressed concern about having only one functional grader, which will slow down the work, as it has to complete one road before moving to another. The heavy usage of district roads by trucks in sand and minerals mining areas has exacerbated the situation.
Samia Bugwe South MP, Godfrey Odero Were, stated that area MPs are frustrated with the ongoing disputes in the district, which have significantly impacted service delivery. He appealed to politicians to resolve issues amicably instead of resorting to legal action to halt road works.
Due to these disputes, work that could have been completed in the first quarter has now extended into the second quarter. Kibwika expressed gratitude to the government for providing grants to the district and urged the public to actively participate in road monitoring while discouraging theft of materials.
Alupo appealed to the area MPs to lobby for more funds, considering Busia’s status as a border export district with a wide road network that requires accessibility.
A resident of Busiime sub-county, Denis Ouma, expressed excitement about their road being the first to undergo rehabilitation but pointed out the urgent need for attention to three other district roads in the area and sub-county roads.
