Construction of the long-awaited Kotomor Seed Secondary School in Agago District is nearing completion after the district replaced the original contractor over failure to deliver the Shs2.6 billion project within the agreed timeline. The district terminated the contract of Mesco Company Limited and hired Timot Engineering Company Limited in April to complete the remaining works within three months for Shs1.2 billion.
The project, funded through a World Bank loan under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) Programme, had stalled for more than three months after Mesco reportedly faced financial challenges and failed to meet construction standards. Construction of the school started in mid-2023 and was expected to be completed within 18 months. However, the project remained incomplete after the contractor’s contract expired in April 2026.
Agago District Chairperson Wilson Otto said the district was forced to take action after several monitoring visits revealed poor workmanship and delays. “We changed the contractor at Kotomor Seed Secondary School because he was abusing his work. His contract expired in April 2026, and the quality of work was not up to standard, so the district stopped him,” Otto said during an inspection visit.
He said district engineers identified several defects, including problems with already constructed sections of the school. “We decided that any contractor who does substandard work should be blacklisted. If someone is entrusted with huge sums of public money and abuses that opportunity, we cannot condone it,” Otto said.
The new contractor is expected to complete the library block, ICT block, staff houses, and Classroom Block B by June 30, 2026. Otto said the district will continue monitoring government projects to ensure contractors deliver quality work. “The new contractor has assured us that by the end of this month, the work will be complete. This project will greatly benefit the Kotomor community,” he said.
The delay forced Kotomor Seed Secondary School to operate from a nearby primary school, a situation that created congestion and affected learning. Deputy Head Teacher Bernard Canodonga said the arrangement has become difficult as enrolment continues to increase. “When I was posted here last year, we had only 25 students. Today we have 115 students, and sharing facilities with the primary school has become very difficult,” Canodonga said.
He said the school has started moving learners into completed classrooms as construction of other facilities continues. “We agreed with the district that as classrooms are completed, we shall shift learners into them while the contractor finishes the remaining structures,” he said. Canodonga also raised concerns about the quality of work left behind by the previous contractor, saying some sections required attention.
“We noticed poor finishing on both the staff houses and classrooms when we inspected the site. Even if construction has challenges, the finishing should be done well so that the buildings are durable and presentable,” he said. Robert Acellam, the site engineer for Timot Engineering Company Limited, said the contractor has established a presence at the site and is working to meet the deadline.
“We have been on site for two weeks and have not encountered any major challenges. We are committed to completing the work by the agreed deadline, provided funds are released on time,” Acellam said. He said the company is focusing on completing the remaining work so that the school can become fully operational. Local leaders welcomed the progress, saying completion of the school will improve learning conditions for more than 100 students who have been studying without adequate facilities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
