Opposition UPC has tasked the ministry of works and transport to closely monitor the construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR) to ensure that taxpayers money is used effectively and not put to wasted.
On Monday, Ugandan government announced it had contracted a Turkish construction firm Yapi Markenzi to build a 272km section of the railway aimed to boosting regional trade.
Perez Wamburu, SGR project coordinator, revealed that this contract marks the first phase of the 1700 kilometers electric rail line. He said the construction slated to begin November will cost €2.7 billion (approximately $23 billion). The rail section will connect Kampala to Malaba, with further extension to other regions including Kasese. This followed termination of a previous agreement with a Chinese contractor.
Kenyan Standard Gauge Railway.
While UPC commended the government for signing this contract, hailing it’s move to forster economic growth and ease movement of people and their goods, the party expressed concerns over potential mismanagement of the project.
Sharon Oyat Arach, pointed to past examples where insufficient oversight on large projects led to substandard work and delays. She called for close monitoring of the recent projects such as Kiteezi landfill development contracted to a Ghanaian investor and now the SGR project by the Turkish firm.
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“However, much as we need development as a country, due diligence on companies/investors undertaking such projects is paramount to avoid fleecing of public funds,” Arach stated.
The party appealed to the government to mobilize resources to ensure that projects such as the one metre gauge railway and SGR among others are executed within the stipulated timeframe to avoid overhead delays. UPC also urged the government to consider expanding the rail line to Arua to link Uganda to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan as part of fostering regional integration.
