Eutaw threatens to sue government over confiscated equipment, vehicles

By our reporter

Eutaw Construction Company has threatened to file a suit against government and Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) over the confiscation of its equipments and vehicles.

Through, it s lawyers Mulira and Company Advocates, Eutaw alleges that in 2014 UNRA Engineer’s Internal Report for September stated that the construction company completed work only represented 16.5 percent which forced the company to work for more three months to complete the work using their own money but to their dismay during the process, workers were stopped and their equipment and vehicles were confiscated by UNRA and apparently they are being kept illegally in the authority’s compound at Kyambogo.

“According to UNRA Engineer’s Internal Report for September 2014 from July to September 2014, the work completed by EUTAW represented 16.5%. EUTAW continued working for a further three months, using their own money, before its workers were stopped from working and all its equipment and vehicles were confiscated by UNRA. The equipment and vehicles were confiscated without a court order and are being kept illegally in UNRA’s compound at Kyambogo,” Mulira and Company Advocates partly stated.

According to law firm, the whole drama stated after the Deputy Attorney General wrote an opinion to President Yoweri Museveni advising that the company’s contract should be rescinded for reasons best known to him.

“For reasons best known to himself the Deputy Attorney General wrote an opinion to H.E. the President advising that the contract should be rescinded. The Attorney General (AG) himself wrote a contrary view and it is our contention that since the AG is the principal legal advisor to the government his opinion stands as opposed to that of the Deputy Attorney General,”

“Basing herself on the opinion of the Deputy Attorney General by letter dated 9th July 2014 the Inspector General of Government (IGG) wrote to the Chairman of the board of directors of UNRA directing that our clients’ contract be terminated forthwith. UNRA tried to resist the directives of the IGG pointing out in writing that although there could have been mistakes in award of contract these mistakes should not lead to its termination. This was to no avail,”

Eutaw notes that it was not charged with any offence and it used its interest free loan of over shs24 billion to purchase its equipment so there’s no justification whatsoever for UNRA to be keeping the equipment and vehicles in its custody.

The American construction company says the action by UNRA is against the law and it has greatly caused damages and losses to them.

Now, Eutaw wants UNRA to release its equipment and vehicles within seven days or face the law.