A sharp disagreement has emerged between the Luwero District LC5 Chairperson and the Office of the Resident District Commissioner over the quality of recently completed government-funded school construction projects. During the 2025/26 financial year, Luwero District constructed seven two-classroom blocks, renovated eight classroom blocks, built one staff house, and constructed 11 toilet blocks across different schools. The projects are worth 1. 5 billion shillings.
This week, district leaders led by the Resident District Commissioner embarked on commissioning the newly completed projects. However, the RDC’s office declined to commission three projects, citing concerns over poor workmanship and lack of value for money.
The affected projects include the staff house at Makulubita Seed Secondary School, a classroom block at Kyamuwoya Primary School, and renovated classrooms at Nsawo Church of Uganda Primary School.
The government allocated 101 million Shillings for the construction of the staff house at Makulubita Seed Secondary School, with about Shs 86 million earmarked for the main construction works. The government also spent 84 million shillings to construct two classroom blocks at Kyamuwoya Primary School. The projects were executed by Kast Engineering Limited.
At Nsawo Church of Uganda Primary School, Shs 46 million was spent on renovating classroom blocks. However, the RDC’s office claims that only painting was carried out despite the large expenditure. Luwero Deputy Resident District Commissioner Abel Bekunda said the three projects were not commissioned after parents raised concerns about the quality of the works and whether taxpayers had received value for money.
Bekunda cited several shortcomings, including incomplete flooring, unfinished verandahs, missing gutters, unlevelled compounds and the absence of lightning arresters on some buildings.
He further alleged that officials at Nsawo Church of Uganda Primary School blocked the Assistant Resident District Commissioner from inspecting the inside of the renovated classroom block after learning that the floor had not been done. According to Bekunda, this prompted the RDC’s office to halt the commissioning exercise.
Bekunda said the RDC’s office would petition the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to conduct a value-for-money audit before the projects can be commissioned.
He also faulted the district authorities for failing to display project information on public notice boards, saying this undermined accountability and transparency. However, Luwero District LC5 Chairperson Erastus Kibirango and District Engineer Robert Kalenzi defended the projects, insisting that they offer value for money and that the RDC’s concerns relate to minor outstanding works.
Kalenzi explained that the contractor had already committed to completing the remaining works, including levelling compounds, after the commissioning exercise, as provided for in the Bills of Quantities.
Kibirango argued that government construction projects appear expensive because they include taxes that do not apply to many privately funded buildings.
He also dismissed the RDC’s concerns over the missing lightning arresters at Kyamuwoya Primary School, saying they had been installed but were later stolen.
According to Kibirango, district leaders will revisit the affected sites on Tuesday to meet School Management Committees and account for the project expenditures before commissioning the projects.
He urged RDC officials to obtain and study the Bills of Quantities from the Chief Administrative Officer before conducting inspections, arguing that monitoring should be based on technical facts rather than public sentiment.
The district is expected to commission several other school projects, including classroom blocks at Bukolwa, Kachwampa, Gulama, Vvumba, Kabanyi, St. Kalooli Katagwe and Nazareth primary schools, among others. It remains to be seen whether the RDC’s office will clear the remaining projects for commissioning or raise similar concerns over their quality-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
