Luwero district renovates old offices following the stalling of new building works

Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Luwero district has renovated its old office block following delays in the construction of a new district headquarters building. In 1994, President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the current office block, initially constructed in a style resembling a classroom block.

Six years ago, Luwero district embarked on a 6.7 billion shillings project to build a four-storied new district headquarters using local revenue. The existing office block had become dilapidated and leaky, posing a threat to the staff’s safety.

In 2022, the government announced that it would finance the construction project through the Uganda People’s Defense Forces engineering unit. However, due to a lack of funds, the project stalled.

Consequently, the district allocated 198 million shillings from local revenue for major renovations of the old office block to ensure it could accommodate staff until the new building is completed.

Francis Kasasa, the Luwero District Civil Engineer, stated that Danrite Investment Construction Company carried out the renovations, which included replacing ceilings, floors, and doors, and installing new burglar-proof windows.

Erastus Kibirango, the LC 5 Chairman of Luwero district, said that although the available funds were insufficient to complete the new block, they were used to renovate the old block.

He also mentioned that the district leadership would continue to appeal to President Museveni to fulfill his pledge to complete the new office block to accommodate all staff and properly represent the area that supported the current government.

Seif Katabaazi, the Luwero Deputy Resident District Commissioner, highlighted that the renovations included enhancing security by installing burglar-proof windows and doors and adding more closed-circuit television cameras. Additionally, the District Security Committee resolved to deploy three armed policemen to guard the premises against burglary attacks.

Meanwhile, the district has completed the construction of the front entrance at Luwero Hospital to control traffic and enhance security. Upgraded from Luwero Health Centre IV to Luwero Hospital in the 2019/20 financial year, the facility’s image had yet to reflect its new status.

The district council spent 38 million shillings from local revenue to expand and upgrade the main entrance. SEKRAM International Limited, the contracted company, completed the construction and handed over the entrance for public use.

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