A shocked Ugandan State Minister for Economic Monitoring, Peter Ogwang, who visited it yesterday, November 7, 2021 has ordered for the arrest of the contractor.
The bridge which allegedly cost the Ugandan Government Shs 54 million and has not only collapsed, the contractor seems to have used a small fraction of the money to carelessly patch up soil and a few pipes and present what he thought was a world class bridge.
An angry Ogwang tweeted after the scandalous discovery:
“This is a Bridge constructed in Bukwo District at over Shs54million, but it collapsed three days after its completion due to shoddy work. Decentralization is turning to be more harmful in terms of service delivery.”
In response, angry Ugandans flooded his twitter handle with so many revelations that have left the country shocked at the level of graft eating away the nation.
A one @PaulKipyeko tweeted:
This is my constituency,my region,my home,my Subcounty,I took this pics last yr and wat you have jst posted is http://true.no viechles crosses to the order side of the constituency or my Sub county- chepkwasta and indeed it’s Soo sad my home district got TumboCrates
Uganda must return to the rule of law, as opposed to the military dictatorships it has endured since 1966! Uganda is a federation, it must be governed as such as per the constitution of 1962, tweeted Margaret Nanyonga
Entebbe Cowboy tweeting as @Dallaire20 added:
NRM destroyed decentralisation, the system was designed to evolve a strong civil society that is self-responsive through trust and integrity as a measure for selecting leaders accountable to the public. Until NRM distorted it to centralised cadre ship elected on loyalty not merit
Hellena Kabejja @HKabejja argued:
Absolutely the issue is systemic and none surprises .We need to go back to meaningful participation of the citizens.
NRM Youth ChapterFlag of Uganda tweeting from @NRMYouth told Hon Ogwang:
This is Uganda’s problem; corruption! Fight corruption and we’ll be much better off as a nation!
Paul Lukwago complained from @PaulLukwago2:
The vice of corruption is highly embedded in the leadership of NRM
Moses Otai @MosesOtai1 argued:
Not decentralisation as a policy/concept but rather actions of those responsible. Same misteps are happening with centrally managed projects.
And angry Ndayambaje Innocent @Inndayambaje reasoned:
Uganda doesn’t have corruption now but organised crime. And it’s not decentralisation only but you know also what is happening at the central level.
Tom Abise @TomAbise moved to reason that:
Sad but you are right corruption was probably to the mid 2000s it has since become organised crime or aggravated corruption if the law would allow the reference.
Son of Africa Flag of Uganda @SonOfTheLand01 asked:
Don’t we have a police unit that is responsible for investigating corruption, and does the law allow them to act on their own, to investigate those who steal tax payers’ money in broad daylight?
CJ SAMSON @samxon_cj dropped a cheeky bombshell:
Honorable, according to those in Bukwo; they say this information is false. They say the bridge was constructed at 7 million shillings
Bukwo District: A Brief Profile
According to Wikipedia, Bukwo District is bordered by Amudat District to the north, Kenya to the east and south, and Kween District to the west and northwest. The town of Nukwo is approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi), by road, northeast of Mbale, the nearest large city.
The district was created on 1 July 2005. Before then, Bukwo District was part of Kapchorwa District. It was created out of Kongasis County.
The district has many well-educated people, but many have left to find greater prosperity in the neighbouring country of Kenya.
Many of the district’s roads are inaccessible or impassable. There is a widespread lack of electricity and telecommunication services throughout the district. The various Ugandan governments have not developed this part of the country, starting with the colonial governments in the early part of the 20th century, through the Obote I, Idi Amin, Obote II, and National Resistance Movement regimes.
Many of the inhabitants of Bukwo District live in abject poverty. The district is also plagued by persistent insecurity due to cattle raids and cattle rustling by ethnic groups from Karamoja located in northeastern Uganda and the Turkana and Pokot peoples from neighbouring Kenya. These challenges date to the 1950s and 1960s.
Most of the people from the northern part of the district have been internally displaced by cattle rustlers and have since not been resettled back in their original land. Some of these people opted to purchase land from areas that appeared secure while others who could not afford to purchase new land continue to exist as squatters on well-wishers’ land.
In 1991, the national population census estimated the district population at 30,700. The national census in 2002 estimated the population at 49,000, with an annual population growth rate of 4.2 percent. In 2012, the population was estimated at 73,400.