Prime
Local road contractors protest termination
The Kisule-Kapeeka road linking Luweero and Nakasekeke districts whose maintenance contract has been awarded to a major contractor LUSA Construction and Engineering company by UNRA. The road was formerly managed by labor-based contractors. Photo by Dan Wandera
What you need to know:
The labour-based contractors say government should consider that the programme was a poverty alleviation strategy.
Luweero- Labour-based contractors in Luweero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola districts are protesting government decision to terminate their contracts in favour of long-term contractors.
Government through Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has terminated contracts for more than 50 labour-based contractors previously hired to carry out maintenance of some roads in Luweero.
Labour-based contractors are cost effective because they use local methods to tackle road maintenance of equal quality to equipment-based methods.
“The labour-based contracts were introduced by government as a poverty reduction strategy for low income earners in rural areas. We are surprised the programme is being phased out. Some of us have already received termination letters,” Mr Painato Luwaga, one of the affected contractors, told Daily Monitor on Tuesday.
In an October 28, letter to Works minister Abraham Byandala, the labour-based contractors claim termination of their contracts has been done in bad faith considering the circumstances under which government hired them.
But UNRA corporate communications manager Dan Alinange said yesterday government has not phased out labour-based contractors but is handing over maintenance programmes for most of the major highways to well established contractors under term contracts.
“It has proved difficult to manage and keep good management records for road sections under the labour-based contractors. However, it is only the major highways that have been handed to well established companies,” Mr Alinange said.
