Parliament’s Committee on Government Assurances has threatened to summon officials from the ministries of Finance and Works to explain delays in completing 30 bridge projects across the country.
Committee chairperson, Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality MP, said the officials would be required to appear before the committee this week to explain discrepancies between information submitted to Parliament and findings from the committee’s recent inspection of the projects.
Zaake spoke to journalists after the committee returned from an inspection tour of bridge projects in central Uganda, West Nile, eastern Uganda, the south-west, northern Uganda and the Rwenzori sub-region.
“We are here to condemn the officials in the Finance ministry for declining to attend our committee and answer queries relating to our recent oversight on the ongoing 30 bridge works countrywide,” Zaake said.
He was flanked by the committee’s deputy chairperson, Anna Adeke, the Soroti Municipality MP, and Esther Acom, the Serere district Woman MP.
Zaake said the committee had repeatedly invited officials from the Finance ministry, but they had failed to appear and provide explanations about the release and utilisation of funds for the bridge projects.
He warned that continued failure to appear could lead to the officials being summoned under the committee’s powers.
“The committee has powers of the High Court, but we have not yet reached there,” Zaake said, adding that the committee would continue inviting the officials before considering stronger measures.
He said the Finance ministry has four ministers and argued that at least one of them should have been available to respond to the committee’s questions.
The committee is seeking explanations on funding for the bridge projects, particularly after the inspection revealed delays and other challenges affecting their completion.
Zaake said the committee’s findings would be compared with information earlier presented by government officials. The discrepancies would then be documented in the committee’s final report.
Among the projects inspected by the committee are the Dunga, Mahoma, Mpanga, Nyabuswa and Perepa bridges along the Bukuku-Rubona road in Kabarole district in the Rwenzori sub-region.
The committee also inspected the Kinyamaseke-Kisinga and Kajwenge bridges along the Kyarumba-Kibirizi road in Kasese district.
In the south-west, the committee inspected the Kamirwa and Nyakambu bridges along the Kabwohe-Bwizibwera road in Sheema district, as well as the Kiruruma bridge on the Katojo-Kihihi road in Kanungu district.
The Maziba bridge on the Kigata-Kabunyonyi-Nyakigugwe road in Kabale was also among the projects inspected.
In central Uganda, the committee examined the Lugogo swamp crossing along the Kyamukonde-Kasozi-Ngoma road.
In northern Uganda, the committee inspected the Amodo bridge in Dokolo district.
The inspection also covered several projects in West Nile, including the Alla, also known as Anzuu, bridge under the West Nile Strategic Bridges Package in Arua district, the Gazi bridge on the Inde-Rhino Camp road and the Aca bridge in the Rhino Camp area of Madi-Okollo district.
Other bridges inspected in the region included Osu on the Arua-Biliafe-Otrevu road, Odrua on the Arua-Vurra-Custom-Paidha-Goli road and Kochi on the Keri-Midigo-Kerwa road in Yumbe district.
In eastern Uganda, the committee inspected the Nabukhaya, Nambola, Nametsimeri, Sahana and Khamitsaru bridges along the Kafu-Lwakhakha road in Manafwa district, as well as the Rubongi bridge on the Tororo-Nagongera road in Tororo district.
Adeke said the committee wanted officials from the Works and Finance ministries to appear before it as soon as possible because the information presented by the Finance ministry on the release of funds appeared inconsistent with what the committee found during its field inspections.
She said the committee needed to establish whether the delays were caused by inadequate funding, contracting challenges, compensation of people affected by the projects or other factors.
“We need the officials to come and explain the discrepancies between what they presented to us and what we found on the ground,” Adeke said.
Committee member Berunado Kimeze, the Budyobe MP, also raised concern about delays in completing some of the projects.
He said some bridge projects had made progress, but others were being affected by challenges related to financing, procurement and compensation of project-affected persons.
The committee said it would use the explanations from the Finance and Works ministries, together with its field findings, to prepare its final report to Parliament.
