Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has reportedly summoned officials over the multi-billion ice plant in Buyende District.
State minister for Economic Monitoring, Peter Ogwang has confirmed that the PM Nabbanja has called for a meeting with Buyende district officials and other stakeholders for a meeting in Kampala on Friday to review and decisively resolve this matter which has resulted to loss of government funds, thus hampering service delivery to the people.
“Rt Hon Prime Minister has called for a meeting over this project and in fact, I will first return to Kampala on Friday to attend this meeting. We must hold the officials who mismanaged this project to account,” Ogwang who is in Busoga said while touring the ice plant in Buyende.
Government in 2010 earmarked Shs2.5billion for the construction of the ice plant in Bukungu to produce ice blocks for the preservation of fish. Whereas the project was completed and commissioned in 2013 by then State Minister for Fisheries Ruth Nankabirwa, the plant has never functioned or even ever produced any ice up to date.
During his monitoring field visits in Buyende, Ogwang observed that even high-end standby generator which powers the plant has been vandalized. Other items that were vandalized include the piped water system.
“On Friday, the Buyende LCV chairperson, mayor, MPs and others have been invited for the meeting with the Prime Minister and I don’t think the officials who mismanaged this project [ice plant] will survive us,” he said.
While in Buyende over the weekend, PM Nabbanja promised to probe this project and bring to book the culprits. Other government projects that Ogwang inspected include; the contested low grade tarmac of the 2.8kms roads in Buyende Town Council which forced people to go up in arms on Saturday.
The Minister confirmed that indeed the roads were shoddily done and there was no value for money. Other shoddy works were evidenced in the newly constructed Ngandho Health Centre III where the ceiling has developed huge cracks even before the facility is officially commissioned. Ogwang will on Tuesday head to Kamuli District.
