Kabale district assistant engineer James Kiganda has been arrested. Kiganda is accused of conniving with a contractor to undertake shoddy work on the renovation of Kibanda Health Center II in Kamwezi sub-county.
On February 6, 2015 Kabale district Local Government contracted Concrete Projects Limited, to renovate Kibanda Health centre II in Kamwezi at a cost of Shs 17 million.
However, the contractor installed wooden doors with substandard locks instead of the metallic doors that were initially planned and budgeted for. The contractor also installed a substandard ceiling and failed to re-construct the floor as was stated in the bill of quantities.
But despite these deficiencies, Kiganda went ahead and endorsed the contractor’s payment. Kiganda’s arrest follows last evening’s impromptu inspection at the facility by Kabale resident district commissioner (RDC) Darius Nandinda, district internal security officer (DISO) Ronald Kashieja and stakeholders from Kick Corruption out of Uganda, a non-government organization empowering citizens to fight corruption.
Nandinda says that locals had earlier contested the quality of work upon which he advised that the payment be halted. However, his advice was not heeded to.
Â
Kiganda was detained at Kabale Police Station. Robert Kakuru Byamugisha, the executive director of Kick Corruption out of Uganda calls for stringent action against the assistant district engineer.
He argues that the shoddy work at Kibanda Health Center II is a sign of corruption and a misuse to government resources.
In his defense, Kiganda says that he had equally recommended that the contractor not be paid but Dr Patrick Tusiime, the former Kabale District Health Officer, insisted and paid him claiming that the money would revert to the central government if it had not been put to use.
Tusiime could not be reached for a response on the matter.