Works Ministry impounds Kagadi road equipment over misuse
He says taking the grader back to the works ministry will negatively impact the maintenance of roads in the district.
Kagadi: The Ministry of Works and Transport has impounded a grader belonging to the Kagadi district local government on allegations of misuse and corruption among technical staff.
Last week, the grader with registration number UG 1706W was discovered working on a private site owned by a Chinese company in Rugashari subcounty.
This raised suspicions about its unauthorized use for personal gain.
The grader was allegedly hired out to the Chinese firm by its operator, Ambrose Tumwine, and the turner, Deo Bamanya, along with other unidentified district officials.
They reportedly charged the Chinese company one million shillings for this service. A whistle-blower alerted Kagadi police, leading to the operator’s arrest and the impounding of the road equipment.
Fred Byamukama, the Works and Transport State Minister, condemned the district officials’ actions. He emphasized that it was both wrong and illegal to hire out government-owned road equipment to private investors.
Byamukama revealed that the government had allocated 1.138 billion shillings to the district for road maintenance, but over 600 million shillings remained unused in the district account.
He suggested that this unutilized money could be returned to the consolidated fund.
Lilian Ruteraho, the Kagadi Resident District Commissioner, has taken a strong stance against the misuse of government resources.
She condemned the action by some leaders who connived and hired out the district grader. She says her office will take stern action against the culprits.
Eric Achaali Musana, the Buyaga East Member of Parliament, raises valid concerns about the sorry state of many roads in the district.
‘’It’s puzzling why district leaders would choose to hire out a government grader to a private investor, especially when road maintenance is crucial for the well-being of the community.’’
He says taking the grader back to the works ministry will negatively impact the maintenance of roads in the district.
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