A road construction company awarded an astronomical contract to upgrade infrastructure projects in Mbarara City and in the municipalities of Ntungamo and Kabale, has inordinately delayed the completion of the construction. Multiplex Uganda Limited is in the spotlight for taking nearly four years to complete its contractual obligation, which it was meant to finish in a year.
The firm is also facing allegations of being awarded the contract worth shs55bn erroneously by the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development. However, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) has recommended that no contract extension should be given after it was extended three times.
“We have recommended that no more extension be given because the contractor has repeatedly failed to meet the deadline,” the spokesperson of PPDA, Chris Magoba told the East African Centre for Investigative Reporting.
In response, the Managing Director of Multiplex Uganda Limited, Moses Ndege Bbosa accused those who are complaining about the delays in completion of being unpatriotic.
“Those complaining are agents of foreign interests because they only want foreign companies to be given construction work. I’m a freedom fighter who is working to build this country for the betterment of our future generations”
He did not offer any contrition for the delays and instead was curt. “It’s so surprising that those who are complaining are Ugandans and do not want a Ugandan company to build capacity and be able to compete. I’m not apologetic at all,” he said.
The World Bank-funded projects started in May 2021 and were supposed to end the same month in 2022 but it’s now coming to four years, a delay that has drawn the attention of the Inspectorate of Government and regional leaders in Western Uganda.
The Western Uganda head of Resident District Commissioners, Lt Col James Mwesigye says they suspect there was collusion in awarding the contract to this contractor that had no capacity to do the projects simultaneously in Mbarara, Ntungamo, and Kabale.
“There was definitely a big problem in awarding a contract to someone who is not able to do the work,” he said.
Despite protests from national anti-corruption agencies, and political and civic leaders, the contract has not been cancelled and instead, officials who have criticised the contract have been transferred under unclear circumstances.
After it came to light that Multiplex was incapacitated to complete the work in 2022, an administrative review committee was formed by the Mbarara City authorities which recommended the cancellation of the contract but Lt Col Mwesigye said “higher authorities insisted” that it would be more costly to start a new procurement process.
According to sources at Mbarara City, the former Town Clerk of the City, Theophilus Tibihika who headed the committee that recommended the cancellation of the contract, was abruptly transferred to Fort Portal under unclear circumstances.
“He was against that corrupt and fraudulent deal and we know this led to his transfer to Fort Portal,” the source said.
Lt Col Mwesigye could not confirm whether Tibihika’s transfer shortly after he put up flak against the contractor, was influenced by the contractor. “I can’t tell whether his transfer was influenced because of the decision taken by the committee but it’s true he was strongly against that Multiplex deal.”
Tibihika later died in a motor accident in May 2024 when his Toyota Hilux double cabin pickup, reg no. UAM 450V overturned along the Lira-Apac road in Kole district. At the time of his death, he was serving as the Lira City Clerk and had been appointed the University Secretary of Mbarara University of Science and Technology. There is no evidence to suggest that the accidet was linked to his protest of the delayed works.
The contractor was supposed to implement these projects simultaneously in the three urban centers with separate equipment and personnel for each.
Multiplex appeared overstretched by the assignment and often moved the same equipment and personnel to work in Mbarara, Ntungamo, and Kabale.
The Deputy Inspector General of Government, Patricia Ochan Okiria, says the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development should be tasked to explain why such a big infrastructure project was awarded without due diligence.
“This [awarding contract] happened before I became the Deputy IGG. I think the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development should answer this question,” Okiria told the East African Centre for Investigative Reporting on the phone.
Last year in August, she gave the contractor an ultimatum of two months to complete works on the 8.0km roads in the three urban authorities.
“I’m giving you [Multiplex] only two months to complete the road works because the project will end in December and we do not want the World Bank to take back the money due to the failure by the contractor to complete the road works. I will take the next punitive step if no work is done because the law gives me those powers,” Okiria said in a letter.
It’s now more than a year but no punitive action has been taken against the contractor.
This delay has created an acrimonious relationship between Multiplex and the urban authorities in Mbarara City, Ntungamo, and Kabale municipalities which later forced the proprietor of Multiplex (U) Ltd, Mr. Moses Bbosa, to petition President Museveni to seek protection from what he said was political sabotage by local leaders.
“In fact, we are being pressured to extend the contracts which we didn’t agree on,” the Mayor of Kabale Sentaro Byamugisha said while appearing before the House Committee on Infrastructure last year.
