Authorities in Arua City Council have ordered the demolition and reconstruction of the base of Woko Bridge in Ayivu East Division after engineers found the works below the required standards.
The bridge is being constructed by True Star Investments Uganda Limited as part of the over 583 million shillings project that also includes improvement of a two-kilometre murram road and drilling of a community borehole.
The project is financed by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development under a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative following the establishment of a power substation in Nyio Ward.
The contractor was awarded the project in July 2025, with an initial completion period of three months.
So far, over 266 million shillings has been disbursed to the contractor in two instalments. The contractor was initially paid 99 million shillings and 167 million shillings.
He was supposed to receive 317 million shillings to complete the project.
Although the bridge foundation and base had already been constructed, city officials said an inspection found that inadequate materials had been used.
Some of the reinforcement bars installed at the site were also later cut by unknown people, further raising concerns about the structural integrity of the bridge.
The Executive Committee subsequently ordered the base demolished as a precaution against a possible collapse and to ensure that public funds are not wasted on substandard works.
Arua City Mayor Alionzi Lawrence said the decision was reached during a joint stakeholder meeting attended by the contractor.
He said the contractor had agreed to reconstruct the bridge using the remaining Shs317 million, without additional funding from the city.
“In the meeting, we agreed that the money already used to construct the bridge base and later dismantle it is upon the contractor because, as a city, we don’t have the money to close that gap as an addition since funding for the project came from the ministry,” Alionzi said.
The project was initially expected to be completed in October 2025 but was delayed after the contract expired and was subsequently renewed.
According to city officials, part of the delay was caused by the late release of funds, while about two months were also spent on technical preparations, including reviewing and approving the bridge design.
The city engineering department has since tasked the contractor’s engineer with preparing a reconstruction plan based on the available Shs317 million.
Arua City Building Control Officer Abima Benard said tighter supervision measures have been introduced to ensure the remaining works meet the required standards and are completed within the revised deadline of October 2026.
He said all project documents have been made available to stakeholders and that technical meetings will be held every two weeks to monitor progress.
“We now have all the project documents for this project. On supervision, the engineer has also prepared a checklist for every stage of the work for easy follow-up, and instructions have been given to the contractor,” Abima said.
By July 2026, the project was reported to be about 47 percent complete after nearly ten months of delays linked to funding. The completed works included the bridge foundation and base, which have now been demolished.
The contractor has since started reconstructing the base. Aggregates and other materials have been delivered to the site, while bar bending and excavation are ongoing.
The Director of True Star Investments Uganda Limited, Acewere Titus, acknowledged that delays in the release of funds had affected implementation and forced the project to stall.
He said the company remains committed to completing the works within the revised timeframe and available budget.
On August 13, 2026, Ayivu Division Council approved a supplementary budget of 569 million shillings for the bridge, road improvement and borehole components of the project.
The funds were transferred from Arua City Council by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development amid concerns that they could be returned to the national treasury as the financial year approached its end.
Ayivu Division Mayor Avutia Malon said the contractor would only be paid after completing the works to the required standards and in accordance with the approved design and contract.
Residents have also been urged to support the project while monitoring its implementation to ensure that the investment delivers value to the community.
Ejuku Elly Emoo, a resident of Ayivu Division, called on community members and local leaders to work together to ensure the project is completed properly.
“Let us be together because being united contributes to success and development. If people at the grassroots don’t do the right things, it will even affect leaders at higher levels. My appeal is that we support the contractor to ensure that the work progresses well until it is completed,” he said. Meanwhile, the borehole component of the project is expected to be handled by a different contractor.
Arua City Council was advised by the Solicitor General to award the borehole works to another company after it was established that True Star Investments Uganda Limited does not have the licence and permit required to drill boreholes. The company is licensed to undertake bridge and road construction works but does not meet the regulatory requirements for borehole drilling-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
