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Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The construction of the 2.5-kilometer access road linking to the multi-billion Gulu Logistics Hub in Gulu city has stalled over delayed compensation of project-affected persons by the government.
Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd commenced construction of the road in November last year with the contract meant to end by July 18 this year under the supervision of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
The contractor however failed to beat the dateline following a series of protests from some landowners who refused to demolish their structures and relocate the graves of their relatives until they are compensated.
Annet Gloria Nambusi, the manager social safeguards at UNRA Gulu Logistics Hub told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that the delayed release of funds from the government has affected the road works.
She said whereas 123 project-affected persons (PAPs) out of the total 127 landowners had already been compensated for both their land and structures, a few of the landowners were yet to get payments.
Nambusi said that four landowners hadn’t yet received a single coin for their land and structures while nine others were still demanding to be paid for their land despite having been compensated for their land.
“The project-affected persons who haven’t yet been paid are the ones who have refused to demolish their buildings along the pegged road. We have been dialoguing with them but to some extent, it has been challenging,” she said.
Nambusi also notes that the contractor is dealing with the challenge of working on road sections where the landowners have refused to relocate the remains of their deceased from graves in road reserve.
According to Nambusi, a total of 11 graves haven’t yet been relocated as the landowners are demanding for compensation to carry out the exhumation and traditional rituals.
“All we are now waiting for is the release of funds from the government,” says Nambusi. “If the money is released, the contractor will be able to move fast, he is on the ground and has been working where the land owners cooperated.”
The access road under construction will link the logistics hub from the Gulu-Kampala main highway to the Gulu-Nimule highway.
Brian Asiimwe, the Project Coordinator of Gulu Logistics Hub from Uganda Railways Corporation -URC, notes that only 42 percent of progress has been registered on the road works since the construction commenced last year.
He notes that the delayed road construction owing to compensation challenges forced the government to extend the contract timeline till January 12 next year. Asimwe is optimistic that by January when the road work is complete, the logistics hub will commence operation using road traffic pending the rehabilitation of the Tororo-Gulu railway line.
The Uganda Railways Corporation started rehabilitation of the Tororo-Gulu railway line in March 2020 with the works expected to be completed by 2023. It’s funded by both the government of Uganda at 113 billion Uganda Shillings and the European Union (at 93 billion shillings).
However, Asimwe says the contractor had terminated months ago from undertaking the works citing some challenges which are now being handled through the procurement of a new contractor.
“We are now procuring a contractor to recommence the work on Tororo-Gulu railway line, very soon work will resume,” he says. The Tororo-Gulu Railway Line will provide a direct link between the port of Mombasa, Northern and Eastern Uganda, as well as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
URC is currently in the final stages of evaluating bid proposals to hire a private company that will lease, develop and operate the 33 billion shillings Gulu Logistics hub.
Once operational, the hub with a capacity to handle 10,000 containers annually will help to address challenges of cargo distribution in Northern Uganda, South Sudan, and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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