Parliament committee cites negligence, contract mismanagement, and financial loss in seven-year project delay
By Isaac Senabulya
Three top officials of Gulu University have been referred to the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over alleged financial loss to government after a major construction project at the university stalled for seven years.
The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Mawogola South MP Gorret Namuga, made the decision after discovering several anomalies in the contract for the construction of a central teaching facility block at the university. The committee noted negligence by the contract management team, which failed to initiate a review of the contract even after realising that funding was insufficient.
The committee heard that the Ministry of Finance did not allocate adequate funds to the university for the implementation of the project from the 2018/19 financial year up to the current 2023/24 financial year. As a result, the project is only at 35% completion.
Gulu University signed the Shs 30 billion contract with Chongqing International Construction Corporation (CICO) on June 19, 2019, for the construction of the Business and Development Centre, which serves as the central teaching facility. However, to date, the contract remains incomplete, and government has already incurred Shs 530 million in interest charges due to the delays.
The university secretary, David Obol Atori, attributed the delays to the Ministry of Finance, which he said did not release sufficient funds to clear the contractor in time.
Deputy committee chairperson Gorret Namuga said the contract was supposed to be completed within four years but has since stalled with significant financial implications.
“In the interest of contract management and protecting public funds, we have resolved that the Accounting Officer David Obol Atori, the Procurement Officer Walter Oyuku, and the Senior Planning Officer Emmanuel Wesonga appear before CID to record statements,” Namuga said.
She explained that their statements will help establish accountability gaps and push the Ministry of Finance to release the necessary funds to complete the project. Namuga also said the Solicitor General and the university’s legal team would be involved to ensure the contract is implemented without further delays.
