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SFC resumes city roadworks after securing funds
Works on city roads resume. Photo/Andrew Bagala
What you need to know:
- Lt Kikomeko Kigongo, the assistant project manager for the SFCCR, said they are maintaining Old Kampala Road before they go to Nakivubo Crossing and Kyaggwe Road.
- In June last year, President Museveni ordered the SFC to take over the maintenance of city roads.
The Special Forces Command Construction Regiment (SFCCR) has resumed maintaining Kampala City roads months after they suspended work due to the delayed release of funds by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
Two weeks ago, the KCCA provided additional funds to the SFCCR, prompting them to resume the repairs and maintenance works.
Lt Kikomeko Kigongo, the assistant project manager for the SFCCR, said they are maintaining Old Kampala Road before they go to Nakivubo Crossing and Kyaggwe Road.
“The overall cost for section repairs and pothole sealing is Shs3.8b. This includes additional work in the form of concrete and drainage. We have so far received Shs2.2b from KCCA. We have done nearly all including drainage, which was in the second scope,” Lt Kikomeko said yesterday.
In June last year, President Museveni ordered the SFC to take over the maintenance of city roads. President Museveni said Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, now Chief of Defence Forces, had approached him to help in the construction and maintenance of the city roads at a lower cost.
In May last year, Gen Muhoozi toured some of the city roads that were in bad shape and promised to use the SFC units to improve them.
The SFCCR later secured a Shs2b deal from KCCA to fix potholes in the roads. The army engineers started the works at Kiyembe Lane, Kololo area and Rashid Khamis Road, but later the project was expanded to other roads.
Lt Kikomeko said their tasks are in two categories – section repairs and pothole sealing.
“We are certain that by the end of next week, we would have sealed nearly 98 percent of the sections. We have worked on Musajja Alubwa, Martin Road, Rashid Khamis Road, Queen Elizabeth Road and others. For the potholes, we have done 75 percent. We shall reach 80 percent by the end of this phase,” he said.
Lt Kikomeko said the drainage is still a big challenge to the durability of the city roads. “If you don’t solve the drainage issue, the roads will continue to develop potholes. We need to have drainage channels to prevent water from washing away the roads,” he said.
Lt Kikomeko said they are expected to cover around 20,000 square metres of potholes, 10,000 square metres of section repairs and some pavements by the end of the project.
Granting SFCCR a contract to maintain city roads generated a lot of opposition from some politicians who claimed that they had not gone through the lawful processes of procurement.
KCCA Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago said the KCCA administration should have subjected the repairs and maintenance projects to competitive bidding to allow other companies to participate.
The Chairman of the Roads Committee in KCCA, Mr Balimwezo Nsubuga, who is also the Nakawa East MP, said: “They were contracted to do work but they are using KCCA vehicles and equipment. KCCA has been telling us that they can’t repair roads because of a shortage of equipment and funds.”
