Balaam grills Buliisa CAO over delayed completion of Kihungya Seed School
Businge also alleged that the district procurement officer awards contracts to himself, citing the Kihungya Health Centre III project as another example.
Buliisa: The Minister for Local Government, Dr. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has questioned Buliisa District Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Prof. Levi Musinguzi, over the delayed completion of Kihungya Seed Secondary School in Kihungya Sub-county.
Government awarded CMD Investments Limited a contract to construct the school in 2021 at a cost of 3.5 billion shillings, with the project expected to be completed within 18 months.
However, during an inspection of the project, Barugahara raised concerns about the delay and the utilisation of funds released for the construction.
In his response, Prof. Musinguzi said he inherited the project after construction had already started, with a balance of 1.6 billion shillings remaining.
He said the district currently has 78 million shillings left on the project account, adding that the school is approximately 95 per cent complete.
However, Barugahara questioned the progress of the project in relation to the funds released and called for investigations into the conduct of the CAO and the district engineer.
Buliisa District Council Speaker Gilbert Kalibagwa said the contractor was expected to complete and equip the school with all the necessary requirements.
Kalibagwa alleged that the district council had directed the CAO not to make further payments to the contractor before completing the project, but the directive was allegedly ignored.
Former school board chairperson Edward Byoona Businge accused the CAO of withdrawing money from the project account and paying the contractor before the school was completed.
Businge also alleged that the district procurement officer awards contracts to himself, citing the Kihungya Health Centre III project as another example.
Meanwhile, Buliisa District LCV Chairperson Atuhaire Wandera Twari told the minister that significant amounts of money meant for the school project had allegedly been misused.
Wandera said local leaders had unsuccessfully attempted to access the project’s bill of quantities, claiming that the CAO had denied them access to the documents.
He warned that the alleged irregularities could lead to financial losses for the government.
Wandera also questioned the conduct of the district accountant, alleging that the official only reports to work when the school receives project funds and resides in neighbouring Hoima District.
Barugahara directed Prof. Musinguzi to ensure that the project is completed as soon as possible.
The allegations against the district officials have not been independently verified, and the officials accused of wrongdoing were not reported to have responded to the specific allegations.
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