Authorities in Kumi district have rejected for the second time the commissioning of a 19.9 million shillings Two-Stance Pit Latrine at Kakures Health Centre II due to shoddy workmanship and defects in the structure. The facility was constructed by Ponameju Holdings Limited at a contract cost of 19.9 million shillings.
During the attempted commissioning, it was noted that the site was not properly cleared, and cracks were still present. The bathroom floor had been poorly constructed, and the required environmental aspects, such as planting trees, had not been fulfilled.
James Small Chemutai, the Kumi Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) who spearheaded the commissioning, expressed disappointment that the contractor had failed to address defects identified during an earlier inspection.He emphasized that the quality of the work did not correspond with the amount of money invested in the project, particularly pointing to defects identified by the district engineer.
“When I look at about 19.9 million shillings for two stances, I expected something better than what I have seen,” Chemutai said. “Because of the defects that the engineer has pointed out and that all of us have seen, there is a need to have those corrected before I do the commissioning. The floor and some cracks on the veranda need to be worked on.”
He directed the office of the Chief Administrative Officer not to release final payments to contractors who fail to rectify defects identified during project inspections.
Chemutai warned contractors against compromising the quality of government-funded projects, stating that officials would not accept facilities simply for the sake of commissioning them.
“It is not right to just put on the ribbon and cut it, we are after value for money and there are no games with the government,” Chemutai said.
He further warned that contractors found responsible for mismanaging government resources could face serious consequences. “If they give you work, use the resource envelope to ensure that you fulfill what is commensurate with the resource envelope,” he added. “No more sleep, no more corruption,”
Stephen Opolot, the LC5 Chairperson of Kumi district, supported the decision to withhold commissioning until the defects are corrected. “For me, as a chair, whatever money the government puts to the district, when we see shoddy work, we don’t commission,” Opolot said. “For example, this one in particular, we are not commissioning because of the shoddy work.”
Opolot added that contractors who repeatedly deliver substandard work should not expect to receive additional government contracts. “Any contractor who does shoddy work, we don’t give an opportunity for any other contract,” he declared.
The LC3 Chairperson for Kakures Sub-County, Patrick Ogwapus, said the contractor had previously been given time to rectify cracks identified during an earlier inspection but had failed to do so.
“The other time the team came and told these people to correct some places that had cracks, but again, today, I am surprised that they have not done it yet they were given a month,” Ogwapus said, agreeing with the technical team that the defects must be corrected before the commissioning.
John Stephen Kasadha, the Kumi Chief Administrative Officer, noted that the contractor had been given a final opportunity to rectify the outstanding defects before the project could be commissioned.
“The contractor, for the construction of this pit latrine, has to correct the defects which are in this structure, which are not many, but we can’t do commissioning of such a project,” Kasadha stated firmly, adding that the contractor would be allowed several days to complete the remedial works, after which the district engineer would inspect the facility again. “If the engineer is satisfied that he has done it, then we can bring back the deputy RDC to do the commissioning.”
Kasadha also warned that contractors who repeatedly fail to meet required standards risk being blacklisted from future government projects. The district leadership maintained that the project would only be commissioned after the identified defects have been satisfactorily addressed, stressing that value for money remains the priority in the use of public resources.
John Bosco Akol, the contractor representing Ponameju Holdings Limited, was asked to explain the challenges affecting the project but stated he had no major challenges. He acknowledged the defects and committed to correcting them within two days.-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
