President Yoweri Museveni directed the Attorney General William Byaruhanga and the Executive Director of Uganda Roads Authority (UNRA), Allen Kagina, to reverse the termination of a contract awarded to M/S China Railway 18th Bureau (Group) Limited to upgrade the Musita-Lumino-Busia-Majanji Road.
In June, UNRA terminated the contract accusing the company of incompetence and abuse of contractual standards. The company also had failed to mobilise resource and equipment to ensure that the work was done in time and persistent lack of efforts to show commitment to the job. At the cancellation of the contract, the company had reportedly only achieved 12 percent of the Shs207 billion project.
But in a letter dated August 15,2017 and seen by the EagleOnline,  Museveni said hiring a new contractor to finish the road would be costly in terms of costs and time. He also said he held several meetings with concerned officials among them AG Byaruhanga, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, the Minister of Works and Transport Monica Azuba and UNRA ED Kagina before arriving at his recommendation.
“In my view M/S China Railway 18th Bureau (Group) Limited should be allowed to conclude the upgrading of this road. This is in consideration of the costs and time to implement the project, if we were to hire another contractor to work on the road,” Museveni wrote in the letter copied to the Minister of Works and Transport.
Further, according to Museveni, his decision was also partly informed by pleas from the officials of the company, Speaker Kadaga and the recommendations of the local leaders on the 104 kilometer road project.
“I have been informed by the politicians from the area that the project was going on well, save for some technical shortcomings,” he wrote.
Museveni, however, said that the process reinstate the contract must be done in accordance with the laws of Uganda. “The technical officers must ensure that the new guidelines are strictly followed,” he said.
