Kamwenge District leaders have asked the Ministry of Education and Sports to terminate contracts awarded to ISB Construction Company over delays and poor performance in the construction of two Seed secondary schools in the district. The leaders are concerned about the slow progress of Busiriba Seed School in Busiriba Sub-county and Kabambiro Seed School in Kabambiro Sub-county, both being constructed by ISB Construction Company for 3.4 billion shillings each.
The projects are funded by the World Bank under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP) and were launched in August 2025, with a 10-month completion period expected to end in June 2026. However, despite the expiry of the contract period, progress at both sites remains below 25 percent.
A visit to Busiriba Seed School by our reporter found that foundation works were still ongoing, raising concerns among leaders and residents over when learners will benefit from the facilities. Cuthbert Abigaba Mirembe, the Member of Parliament for Kibale County, where the schools are located, has written to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports asking the government not to extend the contractor’s contract.
In his letter, Abigaba cited previous concerns over ISB Construction Company’s performance, including a seed school project that was expected to take 18 months but lasted more than three years before the contractor was replaced. Kamwenge District Chairperson Joseph Karungi says leaders are concerned because other Seed school projects in the district that started after Busiriba and Kabambiro have progressed faster. He says district leaders and area Members of Parliament have agreed to recommend termination of the contracts. Karungi says the delays are denying learners access to improved education facilities planned under the Seed Secondary School Programme.
Julius Byaruhanga, the Busiriba Sub-county District Councillor, blamed the delays on failure by the contractor to pay workers on time, saying this discouraged local labourers from continuing with the project. He called on the government to replace the contractor, arguing that both the pace and quality of work are unsatisfactory. However, Moses Tambit, the Site Engineer at ISB Construction Company, attributed the slow progress to challenges arising from inadequate initial site surveys. He said the company experienced difficulties during the early stages of implementation but is committed to completing the projects.Tambit said the company will seek an extension of the contract period to allow completion of the works-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
