Low Volume Of Works At Lubowa Hospital Shocks MPs, Committee Calls For An Audit into 348BN Injected In Facility.
Members of parliament on the committee of finance have been shocked by the low volume of work at the Lubowa International Specialized Hospital despite colossal sums of money injected into the facility by the government. The two hospital structures have stalled on the foundation with no contractor and a consultant on the ground.
The committee has called for an audit into the Shs348bn so far injected into the hospital and insisted on rejecting further appropriation of funds to the controversial hospital.
The parliamentary committee of finance together with three ministers of finance including Matia Kasaija, Henry Musasizi, and Amos Lugoloobi, today conducted an onsite visit to the controversial Lubowa International Specialized Hospital to establish the progress of the construction. But they were shocked to discover that no work was going on at the site.
With Shs348bn so far injected into the project. MPs only found the two hospital blocks on the foundation level with other makeshift structures around. There were also local potters who were doing casual work on the site. This disappointed legislators and wondered where monies that had been sunk into the ghost hospital vanished.
The committee turned against the Acting Commissioner of Health Infrastructure who doubles as the project engineer Eng. George Otim grilled him for committing the government to issue promissory notes worthy of Shs348bn with no work commensurate with the investment. He was tasked to explain the 23% progress which has been flashed to parliament as a justification for more funding.
Committee members also put the ministry of finance to explain why they deviated from the agreement and started cashing out money to Finasi-ISHU Construction SPV Ltd of Enrica Pinetti the investor, yet she was supposed to only receive promissory notes which were to be redeemed two years after completion of the hospital.
MPs threatened to close construction works at Lubowa International Specialized Hospital over alleged misappropriation of funds. This was after it was found out that the site has neither contractor nor a consultant but instead uses local casual builders who have no capacity and expertise.
It’s against this backdrop that the committee has rejected to approve the appropriation of more Shs319bn for Lubowa Hospital and directed for an audit into the Shs348bn so far sunk into the facility.
