75% of Kampala potholes repaired, says SFC

The Special Forces Command (SFC) construction regiment has said 75% of the scope of work given to them by KCCA in terms of repairing Kampala potholes.

“We have done nearly 75% of the pothole areas and we are certain we will reach 80% during this phase. We will complete the remaining 20% when we request for the balance in the next phase. We still have another seven months to go since the schedule was 12 months. I can authoritatively say we are moving on well,” Lt Eng. Kikomeko Kigongo, the assistant project manager told the Nile Post in an interview.

President Museveni in May directed KCCA and all other responsible government agencies to work with SFC Construction Regiment headed by Lt Col Eng. Robert Chabo to repair potholes and also carry out road maintenance in Kampala City.

The development followed a public uproar over the poor state of roads in the country.

SFC’s scope of work includes doing sectional repairs as well as pothole repairs but in selected areas of Kampala.

For potholes, SFC is supposed to work on the sub base(if it is affected), base and put asphalt on top whereas for sectional repairs which are bigger areas, they correct the sub base, base and the wearing course(asphalt course).

According to the assistant project manager, they are progressing well with the works, despite a few challenges.

“In terms of size, initially we were supposed to fill potholes equivalent to 12,000 square metres but we were added another 7000 to make is 18,000 or 20,000 square metres and much more is developing because when a pothole is not attended to in a few days, it keeps on increasing in size. For now, our task is about 20,000 square metres,” Lt Eng. Kikomeko said.

He said they have sealed more than 14,000 square metres of potholes as they wind up this phase of the works.

Sectional repairs

Also as part of their contract, SFC was tasked to do sectional works on selected roads.

Sectional works involved not only repairing potholes but working afresh of a section of the road by grading it up and tarmacking it up.

Lt Kikomeko said so far they have worked on Martin Road, Rashid Khamis Road, Ginnery Road, Fort Road, Kololo, Nyanza Crescent, Edward Avenue, Impala Avenue, Roscoe Road, and many other areas in Kololo where over 90% of the work has been completed.

“We are certain that by the end of next week, we will have nearly done 98% of all the sectional repair works.”

The assistant project manager explained that whereas the project was previously estimated to cost shs2.1 billion, it has since been revised to shs3.8 billion after an increase on the scope of work to be done.

“The additional work was identified in form of potholes, concrete and drainages to bring it to about shs3.8 billion. For now, we have received about shs2.2 billion and we have done nearly all sections we were supposed to do, we have done 90% of the drainage in the second scope but the challenge are potholes which labour intensive and much dependent on weather in that if it rains, we don’t work,” Lt Kikomeko said.

He explained that if it for example rains for one day, it can cause a delay for three more days since the pothole has to first get dry before it is repaired.

“You have to give it time for moisture to escape before you can seal it.”