Stalled Busia Police houses project takes off after Monitor story

Construction of Police uniports at the Busia Central Police Station, which had stalled for about a year, has resumed.

The project, which is estimated to cost slightly over Shs1b, and is being undertaken by the Police Construction Unit, aims at providing accommodation for at least 200 lower-ranking officers.

The project is part of the multi-billion housing project announced by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Martin Okoth Ochola, which aims at providing about 53,000 housing units to police officers all over the country.

However, several Police officers last month told this publication that they were disappointed with the pace at which the housing units were being constructed.

“Last year, the Police Construction Unit demolished old Uniports that we were sleeping in to pave way for new ones; however, the project was abandoned at the foundation stage,” a Police Officer, who requested anonymity, said in an earlier interview.

But following that story in the Monitor, works have resumed with the ferrying of sand, stone aggregates, cement and relaying of the slabs that had been eroded by heavy rains.

A Police Constable, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Monitor that the commencement of works gives him hope that the uniports will soon be completed and offer them free accommodation they are entitled to.

“We were suffering but when the story was published, Afande (Kahinda) Otafiire, the Minister of Internal Affairs, directed that the works must resume immediately,” the Police Constable said on Sunday.

According to the Police Constable, following the Monitor story, Gen Otafiire visited Busia to assess the stalled works, after which he gave the police hierarchy 90 days to have accommodation of the officers sorted.

Mr Moses Mugwe, the Bukedi South Region Police Publicist could neither deny nor confirm the resumption of work, saying: “That is a police barracks which is a restricted area; even if works are ongoing, you are not allowed to take any pictures or do any stories without the police authority.”

The commencement of works has delighted police officers who have for over a year suffered paying rent and other bills using their meagre salaries.

“This year, I have spent Shs1,800,000 on rent and Shs480,000 on water and electricity bills,” the anonymous Police Constable added.

Another police officer said he was happy that construction works had resumed because renting in the community was making him “uncomfortable”, adding: “Most of our colleagues had their houses broken into and their property stolen while they were away on duty.”

The Busia Municipality Mayor, Mr Sadiki Amin, said the abandoned slabs along an international highway from Kenya were making a “bad impression” of the country.

“Whereas the works have resumed, I would have wished that the officers would get better accommodation instead of uniports,” Mr Amin said.

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