On Thursday 21st April 2022 while listening to CBS kiliza oba gana program at around 7pm moderated by Medi Nsereko, in studio were two gentlemen and one of them was an MP from Rakai district. The point of discussion was Lubowa specialized hospital. This MP narrated a story, that when he was young during President Amin time, there was a common word used in the home area called looting which he thought was another Luganda word for stealing. He got to know the actual meaning of the word when he was in secondary school. In summary, he called Lubowa specialized hospital a looting plan.
His comments on public radio compelled me to conceptualize what he really meant. Of course like any Ugandan I was perturbed by the stories about highly required facility. When the agreement was signed giving the developer two years to complete, Ugandans including me looked forward to seeing this state of art facility meant not only to save lives but to offer specialized medical services at a moderate cost.
Signs and symptoms of a white elephant.
As it is now, there are visible signs that this facility was and is a white elephant. A site commissioned in 2019 with 24 months would have been opened to the public long ago. There has been excuses and reasons advanced as to why this project has taken long to be completed. The two main one put forward by PSST-Ministry of finance were as follows,
- Covid19 lockdown and associated issues
- Heavy rains.
I find the above reasons not only shallow but flimsy and unconvincing. To begin with, construction sites were allowed at some point to remain open and those who were serious continued working. The heavy rain excuse is not only displaced but un imaginary and an abuse to the tax payers. Uganda’s rainy seasons are known to be two- March/May and Sept-Dec. and it doesn’t rain 24/7. Any serious developer has nothing to do with rain. If you want to qualify my statement, check how many multibillion facilities started and got commissioned between 2020 and to-date.
Examples of government/private projects that went on during covid19
- NSSF Tower on Lumumba avenue. This is 27 floor building. As I wrote this article, most civil works are done. This facility was on ground floor by March 2019. Works to resume construction begun around April/May 2019. As of today, the sky scrapper is in the sky.
- Entebbe airport expansion. Both the terminal and the runaway works continued during covid19 lockdown. In fact Entebbe has more rains compared to Lubowa. This buries the reasoning of rains and covid19.
- Uganda’s parliament new chambers- this facility construction continued during lockdown and it’s still under construction.
- Mbarara central market.
Personal experience as Lubowa hill neighbor.
I stay a short distance from Lubowa. As a resident of seguku, I ply Entebbe road every day and if there were serious works on this site, I would tell because, when construction works were on going, we would be disturbed in the valley of the turning trucks ferrying materials. but for the last two or so years no visible signs of activities around this place.
The contract
Certainly I will not derail much about this contract between the government and the developer however, every contract addresses the following,
- Legality
- Capacity
- Offer
- Consideration
- Liability
- Insurance
- Acceptance etc.
Contract implementation takes care of project implementation, monitoring, completion, evaluation, snagging and retention/liability effects period. During contract implementation and monitoring, funds are released as per work done through the signed and approved completion certificates. Absence of these certificates, no funds are released.
Signs of raw deal to Ugandans
On 6th of Aug 2019, members of parliament went to Lubowa to check on the progress of the project, same MPs were denied access to the site and bounced back. MPs were fulfilling the oversite role since they appropriated the funds for this facility. By bouncing MPs who are the principle funders, the site owners and managers were creating un sustainable relationship. In fact from that moment it was a clear signal that all was not well. Why should facility guarantors or managers come back to same MPs for money?
Our minds are still fresh from the contractor’s contrivances between the Chinese and Roko which had won the contract. This itself was an early signal of yet still birth to record. But as usual Uganda decision makers take long to read between lines until something goes bad beyond repair
Way forward
- Parliament immediately cease from releasing more funds for this project. This is a sham.
- Handover the site to UPDF engineering brigade for civil works. I bet in 8 months the structures will be at roofing stage.
- Black list the owners of this project. The same lady is named in another coffee saga. She may be innocent but Ugandan public court has already convicted her.
- Lubowa specialized hospital is a strategic project for this country now and forever. Security should have picked interest in its implementation. Drones should have been deployed to pick images and videos of ongoing works, ISO & CMI should have permanent deployment to file reports direct to DGs . who knows if this facility was working, Governor Mutebile and Speaker Olanya lives would have been saved. As country what shall we ever get right? Funds have been committed, released but the defenders and monitors of these projects broad day light in front of TV screens make naked lies. Its less than 10 Kms from ministry of Finance for any officla to drive here and see whether there progress or crap at the site. Like I said in other articles, the disease eating political and technical leaders in Uganda is seating in AC enabled offices and write falsehoods. Hon Kasaija, pull your team and have a Monday morning meeting in Lubowa so that everyone sees and agrees that Ugandan tax payers were robbed/looted.
- Prime minister, the public still have hopes in You. Order cabinet to have their next cabinet meeting in lubowa under tent and make a decision on this strategic project. Hon Ogwang, you known as a practical and field minister, put on gumboots and climb Lubowa gentle hill with media and advise HE accordingly. Another hemorrhage is about to recorded.
Finally, the speaker, you have Ugandans last card. As you promised on Late Speakers burial, that you will live to his values, block release of any further coin to this project until the previous dimes have been dully and fully accounted for. Including the wasted time. Ugandans don’t value time as a cost. At this moment, this facility would be operational. There have been two yellow construction cranes idle, wait when the bill of hiring this redundant equipment will be in billions. For how long will poor Ugandans lose twice? Being taxed and cheated on the collected taxes through shoddy, overpriced, nonexistent projects. As I pen down this article, I pause a question to both Hon Kasaija and PSST, will your grandchildren in 20years from now be proud of your input towards Uganda’s economic growth or they denounce the family names so that they are not associated with you and your legacy left behind. As it is Lubowa specialized hospital is in critical conditions and has been referred to ICU and anything can happen including death.
For God and my country.
Samson Tinka
The writer is a neighbor of this white elephant facility.
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