Kamwenge district has commenced civil works for infrastructure projects worth 16bn Uganda shillings under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure, Additional financing Program (USMID-AF), a program fully funded by the IDA of the World Bank, and implemented in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
At the ground breaking ceremony for the 8 projects in Rwamwanja, Nkoma-Katalebya subcounty, Honorable Minister Judith Nabakooba cautioned the contractors against shoddy works, and failing to complete the works according to the contract, saying that the projects are pledges by His Excellency President Museveni to the people of Kibaale East for their hospitality towards the refugees.
She also tasked the district leadership and her ministry technical team to ensure the contractors present the professional staff they presented in their bids, ensure they have working equipment, contracts for workers among other contractual requirements. She also tasked the contractors to recruit and employ youths from the project area instead of bringing foreigners to do the work in Kamwenge, yet the district has capable young people.
Hon Nabakooba, who is the political head of the USMID program told the people that the program is ending in December 2023, and that the works she flagged off should be ready in eight months, to give time for commissioning them and also the defects liability period which is contractual.
“The people of Kamwenge and in particular Nkoma-Katalebya town council you will have to ensure there is daily supervision and daily monitoring of the works because you have 6 different contractors doing work concurrently and ensuring they complete within the remaining program time span of 8 months.”
She added: “As you may be aware, the USMID program is ending in December 2023, and we do not have any plans for an extension. This means that as Kamwenge we have to work hard and work fast to beat the deadlines.”
The projects flagged off are; construction of Bwitankanja-Nsonosa Road, Burambira-Mikamba-Bwitankanja road and Mutwe-Kyamwera Road, a network that makes a total of 20kms, construction of a playfield at Nkoma-Katalebya town council, construction of a resource centre at Nkoma -Katalebya town council, another resource centre at Nkoma subcounty, a market shed at Nkoma subcounty and a market shed and taxi park at Nkoma -Katalebya town council.
The scope of works for the resource centres includes a community hall, walkways, landscaping and planting of trees, parking lots, VIP latrine blocks and fencing while the market sheds includes stalls, restaurants, shops, administration house, waiting sheds, VIP latrine for both males and females, gate house, walk ways, fencing and loading and offloading area.
The playfield on the other hand shall comprise of security cabins, dressing rooms for both males and females, a cafeteria, a VIP pit latrine with 6 stances for females, 4 stances for males and one stance for people with disabilities. It will also have a playground with 4 concrete pavilions for a football pitch48.5metres long, and with a sitting capacity of 287 people in each pavilion. It is also expected to have a volleyball court with a concrete pavilion sitting 150 people, and a netball court whose pavilion would also sit 150 people among other facilities.
Nkoma -Katalebwa subcounty is located in Kibaale East, which is represented in Parliament by Honorable Frank Tumwebaze, who also doubles as the Minister for Agriculture Animal husbandry and fisheries. In his remarks, Mr Tumwebaze who hosted Ms Nabakooba in his constituency asked the community to ensure they supervise the projects and support the district leadership in oversight.
Kamwenge is one of the 11 districts implementing the USMID program projects, because they host a large number of refugees. The other 10 are; Isingiro, Kiryandongo, Yumbe, Lamwo, Adjumani, Arua,Moyo, Obongi, Madi-Okollo and Terego. All the 11 districts are already implementing civil works projects that range from small road culverts and crossings, gravel roads rehabilitation, kilometers of sealed roads, play fields, resource centers and markets.
According to Minister Nabakooba, the choice of projects to be undertaken in the districts hosting refugees was informed by the need to create social cohesion and harmonious living between the host communities and refugees. “The support to the districts hosting refugees under this program is for three main purposes (i) to improve physical planning, (ii) land tenure security, and (ii) small-scale infrastructure investments targeting refugees and the host communities,” she said.
Under the USMID-AF program, the support to Refugee hosting districts is a grant that the world bank extended to Government of Uganda because of the Government’ strong policy commitment to promote investments and socio-economic developments in the areas hosting refugees so as to respond to the challenges of inadequate service delivery in the districts simply because of the population influx that comes about when we get these our friends. Kamwenge, according to the statistics from the office of the Prime Minister hosts about 60,000 refugees.
In their project report brief to the Minister, the district Engineer Kamwenge, Ms Annet Kobusinge said she had put up a supervision team which she chairs, and it comprises of the district community development officer, district natural resources officer, the district labour officer and the district environment officer who will be supported by other staff at the subcounty and town council level.
The ground breaking was witnessed by all Kamwenge political, technical, civic and religious leaders, while the USMID program secretariat was represented by the Program Coordinator Eng Dr Isaac Mutenyo, Ms Olive Nalugo, the Engineer incharge of refugee hosting districts subcomponent and Ms Sheila Naturinda, the Program Communications Specialist.
