Museveni threatens to fire Sembabule CAO over bad roads

President Museveni has tasked Sembabule District Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Willy Batalingaya to explain why the district continues to have poor roads yet government procured road equipment units for all districts.
Mr Museveni said even though the CAO is not directly responsible for road maintenance in the district, he has a big role to play in monitoring such projects to avoid shoddy work.
“We have given each district road equipment to work on feeder roads within the district, but where I have passed, the road is muddy and impassable. But I managed to pass through using my guerrilla skills. The road was poorly done because they did not put murram,” the president said. This was in reference to the Sembabule-Mateete road which is currently impassable despite having being worked upon a few months ago.

“What is the chief administrative officer doing when road works are poorly done? What should I do to him [CAO]? Should I sack him because we cannot allow such shoddy works to be done when government representatives in the district are looking on?”
President Museveni in June last year commissioned the road equipment worth more than Shs500 billion to be distributed to the 121 districts.

Each district received a full unit of equipment consisting of one motor grader, one wheel loader, one vibro roller, one water bowser and two dump trucks.
Each unit was valued at Shs2.7 billion. However, most of the districts are ill-equipped to maximally utilise the equipment to maintain roads chiefly because the equipment was delivered without making the necessary increases in provisions for fuel, manpower and other requirements.

The president made remarks while addressing residents of Sembabule at Miteete playground on Saturday during a thanksgiving ceremony for Sembabule District Woman MP Hanifa Nawooya.

In his defence, Mr Batalingaya, who was in attendance, said the Sembabule-Mateete road which the president complained about is a national road under Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
Mr Museveni, however, said that though the road is under UNRA, the CAO as the head of civil servants in the district should be able to ensure that works are not poorly done.

"You should cooperate with the Ministry of Works to ensure that roads are well constructed because it tarnishes your name as a CAO. I strongly warn you to be serious. You are giving lame excuses. Start monitoring road works lest you will be fired," he added.
On the spate of kidnaps and murders engulfing the country, Mr Museveni said the situation has been put under control and applauded the current police leadership for apprehending some of the key suspects.
“There has been fear over increasing cases of insecurity but as I promised, we are working tirelessly to address this problem. We have been using rudimentary means to fight crime ,but we are now considering using CCTV cameras, but whenever we allocate some money to purchase cameras ,we are confronted by civil servants who demand for salary increments, “he said

He also took a swipe at MPs whom he said spend a colossal sums of money on foreign trips which money could have been injected in improving security of citizens.

At the same function, the president also commissioned two ambulances, a leadership training centre, nursing school and vocational institute - all projects initiated by the district woman MP under the Hanifa Kawooya Foundation.
Mr Museveni applauded Ms Kawooya for the initiative and pledged government support to ensure that the projects thrive.

Ms Kawooya said the projects being set up will help improve social service delivery in the district.
“I was overwhelmed by the number of school drop outs in the district and those that could manage to complete had nowhere to go, but with the introduction of these institutions - the vocational institute and the nursing school - a girl child will be empowered and educated," she said.
Mr Museveni also reminded residents about food security and improving house hold income.

[email protected]

[email protected]