Hoima City leadership accused of diverting shs15bn for roads

The Hoima Kiryatete Kibaati Mpaija to Karyabuhire road is one of the roads in Hoima city that has big traffic due to the business prospects in the area.

Unfortunately, while the road connects to the industrial centre of Kiryatete, it is  in a sorry state despite the previous leadership led by then mayor Mary Mugasa allocating shs 15 billion out of the shs 30 billion needed for its tarmacking.

The  local leaders and residents have started accusing the current city leadership of  diverting the funds.

Peter Mayanja, the Kiryatete NRM chairman says, it’s so disturbing that the mayor and his technical people chose to divert funds to tarmac roads in Kijungu where it even takes a day without a car passing.

“Everyone in Hoima can give testimony to Kijungu roads which serve no much  importance and urgency wherecompared to Kiryatete road . Kiryatete is an industrial area, but look at the road, the mayor has done this city a disservice."

Juma Asiimwe, the chairman LC 1 FOR  Kiryatete lower adds that whenever it rains, the road is extremely impassable .

“Now especially in this valley, when it rains vehicles struggle to pass. I don’t know how many times we have gone to the city informing the mayor Brian Kaboyo about the state of this road but he only  cares less about the people of Kibati as if we did not vote for him,” Asiimwe noted

Mayanja  implored the team from office of the president and  state house anti-corruption unit to take interest in funds given to Hoima city, citing no value for money on most roads.

“Mr President,we want you to send a team to investigate these people in Hoima, imagine shs 15 billion diverted, even the roads they have worked on have no value for money. Let the operation happening in Parliament be scaled down to Hoima city, the technical team and politicians are eating government money like nothing."

When contacted for a comment,  Brian Kaboyo said no funds have  ever been allocated for Kiryatete Kibati.

“We have never allocated any money to Kiryatete Kibati road construction, but also the house being mentioned is a family house not my house."

However, when our reporter met him in Rusaka where he was attending  a PDM meeting in Hoima city East, Kaboyo  threatened to sue if the story is published.

“You man you are very hopeless, if I see that story that I used money to construct a home, you will see me. If  it means engaging your bosses, I will do it, "Kaboyo threatened

Badru Mugabi, the Hoima city resident commissioner said, the city under USMID did not have enough money to allocate for the construction of Kiryatete Kibati road but rather concentrated on small stretches within the city.

He added that under the new program called UCMID the plan and designs have already been submitted as top priority for the roads to be constructed once funds come.

“Because of the limited funds that could not work on roads that needed funds exceeding shs 15b, we opted to work on the city roads around, but in the new plan under a new program coming UCMID we have prioritized that road and is expected to cost over shs20 billion. We  want to appeal to the general public to be calm because the road will be tarmacked,” Mugabi assured