Security heads in Busia District have halted the utilization of over Shs 250 million road funds following public outcry and concerns over mismanagement and shoddy works on several roads within Busia Municipality.
The decision comes amid reports that various roads, including the vital Alupe Road connecting Busia Town to Kenya, have been constructed without proper drainage systems.
These roads flood during heavy rains, raising safety and usability concerns among residents.
The move to freeze funds follows the failure by municipal technocrats to account for over Shs 500 million disbursed during the first and second quarters of the current financial year.
The lack of accountability has already led to the arrest of the Municipal Engineer Faruk Kiganda, who is accused of overseeing substandard road works.
One glaring example is Alupe Road, which received Shs 25 million for maintenance and installation of culverts meant to prevent flooding in the low-lying area. However, residents protested after discovering that the culverts installed were too narrow to handle heavy rainwater.
"This road floods whenever it rains, and the contractor installed very small culverts that couldn’t even handle the water flow," one resident lamented.
Another local said the same culverts previously rejected by the community were used again, prompting widespread anger and demonstrations.
Amid the mounting public pressure, district security officials led by the Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Grace Kanuna, stepped in.
"We had to take action, and as we speak, the municipal engineer has already been arrested," said Kanuna. "When we inspected Alupe Road, we observed that the road was poorly done."
Kanuna further revealed that until a clear explanation is provided on how the over Shs 500 million from earlier quarters was used, the third-quarter funds will remain frozen.
"We have advised the town clerk to halt the utilization of the third-quarter funds so that we can first track the usage of the funds from the first and second quarters," she added.
Busia Municipality Mayor, Sadiq Amin, acknowledged the gravity of the situation and admitted the mismanagement of road funds had left several roads in a dire state. He also pointed to the lack of essential road equipment as a contributing factor.
"We have a grader, but without a compactor, it is useless because we cannot grade a road without compacting it," said Amin.
Busia Municipality now joins a growing list of local governments struggling to manage and account for road funds intended to ensure roads remain motorable.
As investigations continue, the district leadership has vowed to ensure accountability and better oversight moving forward.