Mbarara Municipality councilors on Friday furiously charged at the Municipality Mayor Robert Kakyebezi, the Town Clerk Charles Lwanga, Works Committee Chairman Muzamir Ssekajja and the Municipal Engineer Silver Byarugaba, demanding that they provide accountability for Shs. 292,522,089 allocated for rehabilitation of the Katete Bridge.
The bridge, which connects Mbarara to Isingiro district, was in poor shape had started to cause endless accidents.
Mbarara Mayor Robert Kakyebezi during the heated council meeting
Early last month, locals held a series of protests over the bridge, but the Municipality took no action because the bridge is under the central government (UNRA).
With more pressure piling from the locals and no response from UNRA, the district council decided to allocate Shs. 186Million to rehabilitate the bridge.
It was contracted to Muna Construction Services and weeks later it was commissioned Mayor Kakyebezi.
However, to the shock of the district councilors during the last sitting; the Works Committee in its report revealed that another Shs 106million was needed for completion of the Katete Bridge.
The committee chairman David Nahurira told council that his team visited the site and found the wooden deck bridge had not been fully completed and looked substandard.
He said that unless a steel plate was added, the bridge would not support the weight of heavy trucks.
The committee members also found that the contractor used old timber from the old structure.
In his defense, Mayor Kakyebezi told the council that he launched the unfinished bridge because he was under pressure from the residents especially bodaboda cyclists and business people who frequently use it.
The council was dissatisfied by the mayor’s response and demanded that he presents full accountability for the money allocated for the bridge in the next sitting.
Speaking separately to Chimpreports, Mbarara RDC Capt. Martha Asiimwe said the refurbished bridge is slippery and potentially poses more danger than the old one.
“There was a lot shoddy work done here; I suppose I should invite the works minister to the site,” she said.