Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road

Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road
Route information
Length: 46 mi (74 km)
History: Designated in 2014
Completion expected in 2018
Major junctions
West end: Mukono
  Kisoga
East end: Nyenga
Highway system
Roads in Uganda

Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road is a road in Central Uganda, connecting the towns of Mukono, Kyetume and Katosi, in Mukono District to Nkokonjeru and Nyenga in Buikwe District.

Location

The Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road starts at Mukono, a rapidly growing urban area, with a population of 161,996 in 2014,[1] located approximately, 22 kilometres (14 mi), by road east of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.[2] The road continues through Kyetume and Kisoga; one branch continues south to Katosi on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, and another branch runs east, through Nkokonjeru and Buikwe, to end at Nyenga in Buikwe District. The total length of the road is approximately 74 kilometres (46 mi).[3] The coordinates of the road near Nkokonjeru in Buikwe District are:0°14'40.0"N, 32°54'43.0"E (Latitude:0.2444; Longitude:32.9119).[4]

Overview

This road which was gravel-surfaced until 2014, has been a concern of the Ugandan government since the National Resistance Movement came to power in 1986. In 1996 the Ugandan president publicly promised to find resources within government to tarmac the road. For many years, during the reading of the National Budget, this road has been earmarked for widening and upgrading to bitumen surface.[5] And each year, the project has been postponed due to lack of funds.

In 2011, after an International bidding process, a company called Eutaw Construction Limited, allegedly a subsidiary of Eutaw Construction Inc., a Mississippi-based entity, presented the winning bid of USh165 billion (approx.:US$66 million in 2011 money). The work would be supervised by Arab Consulting Engineers, from Egypt.[6]

On Monday, 7 July 2014, President Yoweri Museveni officially commissioned the beginning of construction of the road, with work projected to last three years.[7][8]

Controversy

The first sign of trouble was when it was discovered that the company carrying out the work on the road was not Eutaw Construction Limited, which had won the bid, but rather a different company, Chongqing International Construction Corporation (CICO), which has Chinese roots. Although CICO is a well-known company in Uganda, where it has built a number of roads, it had been knocked out of the bidding for this road. The work itself was progressing well,[9] but subcontracting without the consent of UNRA was expressly forbidden by the contract agreement between EUTAW and UNRA. Also, if subcontracting is approved, it cannot exceed 30% of the work load. In this case the entire contract (100%) had been subcontracted.[10]

Then it came to light that Eutaw Construction Limited did not exist; it was a "briefcase" company.[11] Uganda's Inspector General of Government (IGG), intervened and halted CICO from proceeding with the work.[12] Uganda's Attorney General at the time, one Peter Nyombi opined that the IGG did not know what she was doing, recommending that CICO be allowed to continue with the work.[13] Accusations and finger-pointing among government bureaucrats ensued.[14][15][16]

Fall out

As a result of the tendering scandal, investigations by the Uganda Police Force and the IGG are continuing. During the process the following have taken place, as of April 2015:[17]

  1. Litigation has been initiated against the perpetrators of "Eutaw Construction Limited" in Uganda.[18][19]
  2. Chongqing International Construction Corporation has been stopped from working further on the road and has been kicked off the site.[20][21]
  3. The Managing Director, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Planning Officer and the Chief Finance Officer at Uganda National Roads Authority were interdicted while investigations continue.[19] [22]
  4. During the cabinet reshuffle of 1 March 2015, Peter Nyombi, the Attorney General was dropped from cabinet and was replaced by his former deputy Fred Ruhindi.[23]
  5. While kept in the cabinet in the 1 March 2015 reshuffle, the former Minister of Works and Transport, Abraham Byandala was removed from the ministry and replaced by his former deputy, John Byabagambi. Byandala was named the new Minister without Portfolio.[24]

Remedies

The road contract was re-tendered, with CICO excluded from the process.[25] A new consortium, comprising two companies, Solel Boneh International (SBI) and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), emerged as the best bidder. Work has resumed, starting where CICO left off in September 2014. The new contract price is USh179 billion (approx. US$61 million), to complete the work that CICO started. Another USh68 billion (approx. US$23 million), will be put in escrow to cover additional roads, not originally included in the cancelled EUTAW contract. New roads include the tarmacking of the Nyenga-Njeru Road, measuring approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to connect with the New Jinja Bridge and relieve the main Kampala-Jinja Highway.[26] Other roads include access roads to Katosi Landing Site and an access road to Buikwe District Offices at Buikwe.[27]

Points of interest

The following points of interest lie along or near the Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road:

See also

References

  1. ↑ UBOS (27 August 2014). "The Population of The Regions of the Republic of Uganda And All Cities And Towns of More Than 15,000 Inhabitants". Citypopulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Road Distance Between Kampala And Mukono With Map". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Osike, Felix (2012). "US Firm Petitions Museveni Over Roads". New Vision Mobile (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Google, . "Location of Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road At Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Kiwanuka, Maria (12 June 2014). "Budget Speech: Financial Year 2014/15". Uganda Media Centre. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Dan Kitakule Alinange, . (2014). "Clarification On Allegations That USh:24 Billion Has Been Lost On Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road Project". Uganda National Roads Authority. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Yoweri Museveni Facebook Page, . (7 July 2014). "President Museveni Commissions USh165 Billion Mukono–Kyetume–Katosi–Nyenga Road Works". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  8. ↑ Uganda State House, . (7 July 2014). "President Commissions Shs165 Billion Mukono-Katosi Road Works, Tells Ugandans To Concentrate On Household Income". Uganda State House Website. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Staff Reporter, . (24 September 2014). "Soiled By Conmen Katosi Road Works Progress". The Uganda Insider. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Ssekanjako, Henry (22 August 2014). "MPs Tour Mukono-Katosi Road, Quiz Contractors". New Vision (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Musisi, Frederic (16 November 2014). "IGG Says Government Officials Covering Up Katosi Mess". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  12. ↑ Mulyagonja, Irene (9 November 2014). "There Was High Level Collusion Between CICO, Eutaw In Katosi Road Project - IGG". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Kagenda, Patrick (16 November 2014). "Should Attorney General Nyombi's Advice Be Trusted?". The Independent (Uganda). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Kiwawulo, Chris (25 November 2014). "Katosi Road: IGG Rejects AG Representation". New Vision (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Matsiko, Arthur (14 November 2014). "Katosi Road: Mukono Leaders Plead for CICO". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  16. ↑ Bwambale, Taddeo (5 January 2015). "New Katosi Road Contractor Wants Shs254 Billion". New Vision (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Red Pepper Reporter (20 January 2015). "Eutaw Fails To Block Katosi Road Investigations". Red Pepper Uganda. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  18. ↑ Bagala, Andrew (18 September 2014). "Katosi Road Saga: Detectives Seize Suspects’ Property". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Chris Kiwawulo, and Simon Masaba (2014). "Katosi Road: Police Writes To Bank of Uganda Over Suspects’ Accounts". New Vision Mobile (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  20. ↑ Musisi, Frederic (4 November 2014). "IGG Orders Chinese Firm Off Katosi Road". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  21. ↑ Kasozi, Ephraim (10 January 2015). "Court Allows IGG To Kick CICO off Katosi Road Project". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  22. ↑ Simon Masaba, and Chris Kiwawulo (31 August 2014). "Katosi Road: Four UNRA Bosses Suspended". New Vision (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  23. ↑ Wesaka, Anthony (15 March 2015). "Outgoing Attorney General Nyombi Numbers Pending Legal Areas To Ruhindi". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Kafeero, Stephen (2 March 2015). "Why Museveni Shuffled Cabinet". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  25. ↑ Musisi, Frederic (11 January 2015). "UNRA To Sign New Katosi Contractor". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Road Distance Between Nyenga And New Nile Bridge With Interactive Map". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  27. ↑ Alinange, Daniel (20 January 2015). "Press Release: Constitutional Court Dismisses Eutaw/Apolo Senkeeto Application To Stop Mukono-Kyetume-Katosi Road Project". Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) via Facebook.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 00°14′40″N 32°54′43″E / 0.24444°N 32.91194°E