ADJUMANI DISTRICT RISK REMOVAL FROM USMID BENEFICIARY LIST

Current state of Illa Road under construction through USMID project in Adjumani district.

By Dramadri Federick
Arua City

The Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban development department of Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development USMID secretariat has threatened to remove Adjumani district from benefiting under the USMID program after failing to deliver 10.2 billion road project.
 
The 3.1 kilometer road project that comprises of Market lane (1.09km), Illa road (0.66 km) and Administration road (1.43km) were awarded to Rock trust Construction Limited in March 2023 for a period of 6 months but to date the contractor has not yet reached 40% of the construction works.
 
Sheila Naturinda the communication specialist at USMID secretariat says that they had series of meetings with the contractor and Adjumani district local government and discovered issues related to mismanagement of funds, lack of capacity and no supervision by the local government.
 
She confirmed that the contract period ended in September 2023 and USMID project officially closed in December 2024.
 
“The Rock Trust (U) Limited (contractor) claimed he had cash flow issues, there’re so many issues surrounding that contractor but as USMID secretariat since the project closed we have let Adjumani handle their issues with the contractor and in the new phase of the project they are not going to be part if they don’t finish before the new program starts,” Sheila stated.
 
Irene Apii the secretary finance Adjumani district council noted that the information regarding the transactions of the road project remain closed to the contractor and the district Chairman as a result she has no clear information about the project.
 
“It is real long overdue by now it would have finished, the contract has been extended severally and yet the financial year is again ending. I don’t know what happened,” Apii explained.
When contacted Ben Anyama the district Chairman strongly believe that the deployment to deliver the project is attributed to lack of materials.
 
“What is causing delay is the Materials and the contractor has assured us that all these will be completed,” Anyama responded.
 
As per USMID secretariat records by September 2023 the contract execution was at 10% and the contractor pledged to finish works in December 2023. However no more developments were recorded by the secretariat.
 

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