Amuru District Local Government risks returning 800 million
Shillings to the treasury.
In the 2018/2019 financial year, the government allocated 1.3 billion shillings
for the construction of Amuru Seed Secondary School. 500 million shillings was
then given to Davrich Company Uganda LTD, the company contracted to construct
the school.
Apollo Kaggwa, the District Secretary for Education said the company
was awarded the contract but has failed to keep with the pace of the work
within the stipulated and agreed time frame because it is also running similar
construction in Nwoya, Gulu and Lamwo Districts.
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Kaggwa divulged that work on the Seed School located in Bol-Atero village,
Amuru Sub County is only at its initial stages of slabbing since 2019 when the
company was awarded the contract by the central government.
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Michael Lakony, the LCV Chairperson Amuru, says that only 500 million shillings
have been advanced towards the construction work. He adds that the unspent 800
million shillings risks being sent back to the treasurer as the current
financial year ends on June 30th.
According to Lakony once the money is returned, it will be the second time the
District is returning funds for the construction of the same seed school. He
demanded the government terminates the company’s contract.
However, Granfield Oryono Omonda, the District Chief Administrative Officer revealed
the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Keith Muhakanizi and the
Education Ministry last week summoned Amuru and five other districts that
include Nwoya, OMoro and Gulu among others for a meeting in Kampala for a way
forward on the matter.
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Attempts to get a comment from Davrich Company Uganda was futile. The same
company is also constructing seed schools in Gulu, Omoro, and Nwoya Districts
where slow work pace has been reported.
During 2018/2019, the government allocated 15.8 billion Shillings to aid the establishment
of 62 secondary schools in 117 Sub-Counties without a public secondary school
across the country in a bid to increase access to education.
According to the civil engineering plan, each complete secondary school will
have six classroom blocks, a multi-purpose hall, and staff quarters for six
teachers, ICT, a library and a science laboratory component.
Ochola's journalism career begun from Radio King 90.2 FM in Gulu around 2009, and Radio Rupiny 95.7 Fm under Vision Group in 2012. He also reported for Mighty Fire 91.5 Fm, Kitgum in 2015 before joining Wizarts Foundation in 2017.
He has been reporting for Uganda Radio Network (URN) since 2017 before being posted as Bureau Chief Kitgum, and latr Gulu between 2018 - 2021. Currently, he reports from Parliament.
