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Fort Portal , Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The construction of the first phase of Buhinga stadium in Fort Portal tourism city is complete.
Eng. Besigye Bekunda, the head of the Engineering Brigade of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces -UPDF, says they have completed construction of the perimeter wall which was the first phase.
However, when asked when the second phase will start, Eng. Bekunda said he is not sure since they were only contracted to complete the first phase. “If there is any other issue and they call upon us, we shall come and do the work. For any other future developments, it should be the city council to look for money. Ours was to fence the stadium,” says Eng. Bekunda.
When our reporter visited the site, UPDF engineers who preferred anonymity said that they attempted to hand over what they have completed but the Kabarole district leaders rejected it.
According to Richard Rwabuhinga, the Kabarole LCV chairperson, an incomplete stadium cannot be handed over. He however appreciates what has been constructed so far and is hopeful that it will be completed at some point.
It should be remembered that unlike other government projects where sign posts are erected detailing the duration of the project and other related information, for Buhinga, the case has been different as it lacks one.
In fact, Fort Portal Municipal Development Forum – MDF, raised the same concerns in October last year when they noted that the bills of quantities were also inaccessible and it was hard for the public to know their role in the construction process. They also observed that the stadium is too close to River Mpanga and there were no plans in place to avoid the river’s overflow from destroying the perimeter wall.
But the Kabarole district engineer, Steven Wakatama was quick to say that a drainage system will be put in place to ensure the wall’s safety. However, the first phase is complete and the issue has not been addressed.
According to the architectural designs, upon its completion, the stadium will comprise of a football pitch, netball and volleyball courts, offices, dressing rooms, two gymnasiums, a clinic, shops among other facilities.
At the start of construction, the then site engineer Alfred Niwamanya said the initial architectural plan was to be reviewed.
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