BY ZALIMON BASIGHALHA (GOOD LUCK)
A delegation of officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has commended Fencon Consulting Engineers for good work done on Kamulikwizi Water Drainage Channel in Nyamwamba Division of Kasese Municipality.
On November 22, 2023, Kasese Municipal Council with funding from Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) officially launched a multimillion project of de-silting and excavating 1.3 kilometers of the Water Drainage Channel at a tune of shillings 305 million and the contract was awarded to Fencon Consulting Engineers.
The said Water Drainage Channel stretches from Base camp lower cell via Kitooro (Achooli quarters) cell, Kisanga Roman Catholic Church to Mboghoyabo road and finally to Kasese – Fort-portal road at Delta Bridge, pouring its water to Kamulikwizi Cell.
Much as the Memorandum of Understanding between Kasese Municipal Council, FAO and Fencon Consulting Engineers mandates the contractor to only de-silt and excavate 1.3 kilometers, Fencon Consulting Engineers resorted to de-silting 1.8 kilometers after realizing excess money.
Today morning, a delegation of officials from the OPM under the Disaster Preparedness Department, UNMA and FAO inspected the ongoing construction works that commenced on November 24, 2023.
During the inspection, Kasese Municipal Council officials were led by the Secretary for Works and Technical Services, Hon. John Kisembo Siriwayo who hailed FAO for the funds and the contractor for the good work so far done.
Speaking to the press shortly after the exercise, the inspection team unanimously said it was excited after observing that the contractor had done great work that translates into value for the money.
Brare Namaganda, the Officer in-charge of Disaster Preparedness in the Office of the Prime Minister, who explained that their coming was aimed at assessing and evaluating the ongoing construction works, quickly told the press that they were convinced by the work so far done and pledged to use her office to lobby more funds so that the whole Water Drainage Channel is worked upon.
On her part, Betty Nangira, a Weather Forecaster at UNMA, appealed to Kasese District Disaster and Management Committee to always avail information about weather forecasts to the media for dissemination and early warning purposes so as to reduce the incidents of disasters that sometimes occur in the district.
In his remarks, Rev. Engineer Gabriel Fataki, the Managing Director of Fencon Consulting Engineers, who hailed the funders and Kasese Municipal Council to entrusting his company to do the de-silting works on Kamulikwizi Water Drainage Channel, told them that the works are almost done and waiting to the handed over to Kasese Municipal Council on December 18, 2023.
He, however, reported a challenge of electricity poles that were erected in the Water Drainage Channel coupled with resistance from the residents who had built their houses in the same water channel.
ENDS