editorial@eagle.co.ug
Kampala-The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Executive Director Allen Kagina has explained why eighty members of staff were fired and contracts of thirty employees not renewed.
As part of its restructuring strategy UNRA is reviewing contracts of some of the employees, those with short term contracts and others with term contracts.
And, addressing journalists at UNRA offices in Kyambogo, Ms Kagina said the sacked staff were under investigation by the inspectorate of government (IGG) and had therefore been suspended.
“For the smooth-running of work at UNRA we decided to have the contracts of the people on suspension terminated upon payment,” she said.
She also said that the contracts of the other 35 staff were not renewed because “like it is anywhere it is incumbent upon the employer to either renew or cancel contracts of employees.”
However, Kagina also seeks to recruit new staff since they are understaffed, which is one of the challenges UNRA faces.
She explained that at inception in 2008 UNRA inherited 8000 km of roads, a figure that has since risen to 21000 km, a development that calls for recruitment.
Citing the Katosi road saga in which billions of shillings were swindled by dubious contractors, Ms Kagina emphasized that she is going to introduce reforms including improving on information dissemination, the procurement system and contract management to ensure that contracts are completed within the specified period of time.
“The best way of making procurement free of corruption is by making it public and we will ensure we do exactly that,” Ms Kagina said, adding that in order to strengthen value-for-money procurement, the Authority will carry out background checks on the prospective contractors.
Ms Kagina also revealed that a compensation office had been opened up at Kyambogo, where claimants with genuine documents would be assisted.
“There is a big challenge of claimants through whose land roads pass but they do not have relevant documents for them to be compensated which in most cases delays completion of projects,” she noted. She also promised to i
And, talking about the rampant road accidents, Engineer James Okiror, the head of projects, put part of the blame on excited road users.
“When roads are newly constructed, sometimes users get excited and drive carelessly leading to accidents,” he said and called upon the police to improve on traffic law enforcement.
However he admitted that some newly constructed roads can be slippery especially when it has rained and promised to rectify the anomaly.
