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By Edson Kinene
The Mbarara City Town Clerk, Asse Abireebe Tumwesigire, and his Principal Procurement Officer, Dinah Mwiije, are at odds over the rehabilitation of Katete Bridge.
Mwiije is accused of promoting a contractor, Azu Contractors, with high costs, thereby obstructing a more cost-effective option.
Tumwesigire states that the highest bid, according to the Procurement and Disposal Unit, was 517 million shillings for the bridge’s rehabilitation, while the council and the UPDF Engineering Brigade agreed on a lower cost of 336 million shillings. He accuses Mwiije of disregarding his orders to terminate the bidding process and instead pushing for negotiations with Azu Contractors Limited.
The Town Clerk says he warned the procurement officer about the high bid but claims she ignored his advice, choosing instead to pressure the contracts and evaluation committees, where she serves as secretary.
He adds that he purposely delayed signing the bidder notice, awaiting the procurement officer to cancel the contract—a step she has refused to take.
Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, the Mayor of Mbarara City, has accused technical officers of delaying the Katete Bridge rehabilitation project, despite the Council’s having received the necessary funds.
Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi
So if you people can accept and say, let's look at our world like this, why you have no limit wide steps, then you will really dream hard, work smart and then end up where you wish to see yourself’’.
Bonny Tashobya, the Speaker of Mbarara City Council, expressed concerns over the rising levels of corruption among the city’s technical staff. He noted that investigations are underway into past cases where the principal procurement officer allegedly approved unsuitable contractors. When contacted, Mwiije declined to comment on the allegations against her.
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