There was tension at Hamukungu Parents Senior Secondary School in Katwe Sub-county after residents and local leaders chased district officials from a meeting over alleged mismanagement of funds allocated for the construction of a school kitchen.
The confrontation occurred during an inspection of the government-funded project, which was allocated 95 million Shillings to construct a modern kitchen for students.
Community members, local leaders and district officials had gathered to assess the progress of the project when concerns emerged that the work completed on the ground did not match the amount of money allocated, triggering a heated confrontation.
Area Councillor Isaya Kanan said the project was launched two months ago, but the quality and extent of the work do not reflect the approved budget.
He alleged that the contractor commenced construction without presenting building plans, Bills of Quantities (BOQs) or design documents, and without involving local leaders or appointing a project supervisor.
The school headteacher, Laban Berangye, said the school management had expected the district to establish a local project monitoring committee before construction began, but this was never done, raising suspicion that the omission may have been deliberate.
Berangye also questioned why the contractor only started work during the school holidays despite the project having been launched months earlier. He added that the structures completed so far do not reflect the value of the allocated funds, fuelling concerns of possible misappropriation.
Denis Tumuramye, a resident, said it was worrying that several government projects in the area have failed to match the funds reportedly invested in them. He called on district authorities to organise another community meeting to provide a detailed accountability report to the project beneficiaries.
The chairperson of the school board, Samuel Tushabe, said the board resolved to halt construction after identifying several irregularities in the implementation of the project.
According to Tushabe, the contractor failed to share key project documents and implementation details with the school management, creating further suspicion over the project’s execution.
Responding to the allegations, the Assistant District Engineer, David Rujumba, confirmed that the district received 95 million Shillings for the project, of which 10 million Shillings was earmarked for designs and 85 million Shillings for construction.
He explained that the approved project scope extends beyond the kitchen structure and includes the installation of improved cooking stoves and water harvesting tanks. Rujumba argued that the residents’ concerns may have stemmed from inadequate information about the project’s full design.
Residents said the controversy extends beyond the kitchen project. They also cited stalled staff quarters at the school, whose construction began in 2023 under a 48 million Shillings budget but remains incomplete, with no clear accountability for the funds already spent.
The residents and school management have demanded greater transparency and accountability from the district leadership, calling for a comprehensive explanation of both projects and the funds allocated to them-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
