ARUA CITY COUNCIL TO SUMMON DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE OVER STALLED ARUA HILL STADIUM PROJECT

By Dramadri Federick

Arua City

Arua city council has threatened to summon the proprietors of Development Infrastructure over failure to comply with the legal requirements of developing Arua hill stadium.
 
In 2019, the then Arua municipal handed over the 9.7acre piece of land at Arua Hill grounds to Development Infrastructure as the contractor and Joadah Consultants Limited for the construction of a 20,000 seater mini-stadium and a business park under the Private Public Partnership arrangement with a lease offer for the land of 49-years.

However the construction works were expected to be for three years.

David Kyasanku the city town clerk notes that the delays are unnecessary and is putting the city council at stake in terms of accounting for its citizens.

“I understand the anxiety, the fears, the suspicion those who put money have, are they safe? What is they fate? We are now looking at the agreement with our lawyer for the council to see what some of the ingredients are, and also discuss how we can revoke some of the lines. We have to invite him to give us more information since there’s a lot of investment there, we cannot just chase him away like that.”

Salim Kumakech the Arua Resident City Commissioner has directed the Arua City Building Review and Control Board to take appropriate action against the developer once found in breach of the law.

“The Board is in place, what is the status of the permit they had given to the developer on the implementation at hand? So that if there’s nothing taking place, then the available laws guiding buildings in our city should apply.”

In October 2022, during a special Council Engagement with councilors of Arua City, the Executive Director Development Infrastructure, Joel Aiita requested for 13 Months to mobilize resources and adequately finish the remaining stadium components.

However, these elapsed without any activity taking place at the construction site but Aita through the Koboko Municipality Member of Parliament Charles Ayume, on February 2024 cried out to the government for a bailout saying he had run bankrupt adding that works at the facility still stand at 40%.

Andama Richard Ferua the chairman Arua district ask the city council to revise the terms of the commitments with Joadah Consults limited and Development Infrastructure and forge ways to find a better developer to quicken the processes.

“We should revisit the funding sources, so that we reactive them, if what council had decided doesn’t work then they should look for alternative sources to expedite the process.”

Several calls made to Joel Aita the Executive Director Joadah Consults Limited Went Unanswered.
 
 

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