TWO ARRESTED WITH KAHENGYE WATER PROJECT STOLEN EQUIPMENT

By Ambrose Kweronda

www.mknewslink.com

In Rukungiri—-

Police in Rukungiri are holding two suspects for allegedly stealing equipment meant for the Multi-billion Kahengye water project.

The two have been identified as Kenneth Muhumuza 27 years a resident of Kijungu Mbarara City and Umar Niwamanya 30 a telecom technician and resident of Kekuubo Kabale municipality.

The duo was arrested in Lundra Lodge in Buyanja Town council with gate valves Model BN-200 and other equipment valued at over 10 million shillings.

A joint team of police, The RDC and National water and Sewarage Corporation acted on a tip off to nab the suspects

According to Engineer Julius Rutebemberwa, the technical supervisor National Water and Sewerage Corporation Rukungiri branch, the valves are an essential component of the ongoing works to extend the long-awaited water supply from the Kahengye water project to Rukungiri Municipality.

Engineer Rutebemberwa told www.mknewslink.com  this is the fourth time that people have stolen equipment from the project and the total loss is estimated at over 40 million shillings.

He said Engineers are now reinstalling the stolen equipment which accounts for further delays in the completion of the project.

In July 2016, a 44 Billion Shillings Kahengye water project was commissioned by the president of Uganda H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and it was contracted by an Indian engineering company Technofab Engineering Ltd to be completed within a period of one year.

The water project was co-funded by the World Bank and the government to provide safe water for human consumption in the sub-counties of Kebisoni, Buyanja, Rukungiri municipality, Bugangari and Nyakagyeme all in Rukungiri district and some parts of Ntungamo district.

However four and half years now, the project has never been completed a thing that caused widespread concern

The project was supposed to be fully completed in 2018 but the contractor ran bankrupt and was unable to complete the project forcing government to hand it over to two new contractors.

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