Rains threaten progress of USMID-AF bridge projects in Arua city and district

By Godwin Abedican

Arua

With the apparent return of the rains in Arua district and city, time seems to be fast running for the completion of the two bridges on river Enyau in Arua city.  Commissioned on 4th October 2022 as an eight months project, so far 60 percent of the time or project duration has been spent with the works still at 40 percent physical progress at the two sites. The projects being implemented with funding from the government of the republic of Uganda with support from the world bank under Uganda support to municipal infrastructure development additional funding USMID-AF are worth a combined project cost of 5 billion shillings. Contracted to Niem Establishments limited, all started well last in 2022 before the contractor encountered challenges which have since delayed the project, casting doubts over the completion of the two projects within the project timeline with 5 out of 8 months already spent.

Fred Caku, the site engineer for the construction of the two bridges admits that amidst the delays hopes are still high that they can beat the project deadline. “There is a lag, yes, if you compare our time progress with our physical progress. This is basically because of one reason or the other. At the onset of this project in October last year, we had issues with high water levels which delayed part of our works”.Caku narrated. He says with the first footing at Enyau two bridge and excavation at Enyau one bridge already done to bring the progress at the two sites at 40 percent, at this stage the works can now start running concurrently until completion.

According to engineer Devine Nathan Ngaka, the clerk to Arua city and district councils who is directly in charge of monitoring the two bridge projects, the progress of the works is not all that bad much as it seems to be slow. “The performance of the contractor, I have not seen any much delay, with the exception of the rock which had given them a challenge. Per now as I can say they managed to blast the rock which has eased the works for them and that’s why they are moving on. But now when it comes to the rains, the activities they are doing does not stop them from proceeding, Ngaka explained. With such projects having records of poor workmanship and shoddy works due to limited time as a result of delays, Alfred Okuonzi the district chairperson Arua warns against shoddy work by the contractor in the names of wanting to beat project deadline.

According to the district chairperson, instead of hurrying with the work the best is to negotiate an extension to the project period and have a better work done in the projects than having a shoddy work at the end within the initial project timeline. “For me as district chairperson I am after quality work. We can still enter in to agreement to say there was time spent in such an area without works being done we need compensation for the time lost in terms of extending the period,’ the chairperson said. According to him all stake holders need to have interest in those two bridges since the projects belong to the community. Lamenting about the issue of the rain, he says the engineers have assured the district that the rains won’t disrupt the works at the two sites. “The issues of rains were my concern but the engineers say the best time for constructing bridges, lets live it to them but for me I want to say to all the stake holders, we must have our eyes wide open to monitor, which direction the materials are going, are they using the right ratios, let’s make noise and make sure that quality work is done,” the Chairperson commented.  
If completed the bridges will help to link the communities within Arua city and the district as well as the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.