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Lira general ward building collapses before handover
Inspection. Lira District leaders inspect a kitchen at Abala Health Centre in Agweng Sub-county on September 3. PHOTO by Bill Oketch
What you need to know:
Shoddy work. The engineering department observed that there was under-design and under-quotation of the project
The collapse of a general ward at Aromo Health Centre III in Aromo Sub-county, Lira District, has raised questions among the leadership on the quality of building projects.
Mr James Omara Elem, a member of the district health committee, last Friday said the sub-county had allocated Shs16 million to rehabilitate the unit but it collapsed before its commissioning.
A health services monitoring report by Global Forum for Development (GLOFORD) released on Friday blamed the collapse on “shoddy work and rotten wood”.
Mr Francis Ariong, the district engineer in-charge of building, admitted that some of the materials used were weak.
“The facility did not have the rim beam that should have tied the ceiling board. The timber joints which are supposed to carry the ceiling were driven on weak blocks. And when the ceiling was loaded, it collapsed,” Mr Ariong said.
Old timber
“Even the timber used for the ceiling work was not strong. The contractor did not buy new materials. Some of the timber was reused,” he added.
Mr Ariong said the mess could have been avoided if a proper assessment was done.
“There was under-design and under-quotation. The building should have been decommissioned and a new one built,” he said.
Mr Denis Francis Owera, the LC5 councillor for Barr Sub-county, blamed the engineering department for failing to provide technical guidance.
Mr Patrick Ebil, the district senior procurement officer, said the services of the contractor, Atimo Construction, were terminated when the matter was presented to contracts committee.
“But other disciplinary issues and measures will be taken by the accounting officer on the firm that did that work,” Mr Ebil said.
“I think the supervising engineer is better placed to explain what went wrong in terms of the quality of the work because it was under his docket that supervision was given,” he added.
Ms Judith Atengo, the chairperson of the health and education committee, warned the district against “misusing” money on structures that cannot be rehabilitated.
The health services monitoring report also revealed that a staff house at Abala Health Centre started leaking three years after it was handed over to the facility.
The report also noted that a contractor received full payment for an incomplete staff house built at Ongica Health Centre III in Ngetta Sub-county.
Other Projects
In September 2018, residents rejected two classroom blocks at Ocamonyang Primary School in Agali Sub-county over shoddy work. The Shs60m blocks were constructed under Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP), a northern Uganda redevelopment programme. Locals demanded that all those involved in the implementation of the project be held accountable for the millions of shillings used. The six-month project that commenced in February was supposed to be handed over to the community in August 2018.
