The 10-month contract awarded to Egis Engineering Company Limited to construct Abindu Seed Secondary School in Abindu Division, Nebbi Municipality, expires on Thursday, July 2, 2026, with the Shs3.5 billion project only 60 percent complete, according to company records.
The contractor, which was engaged under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP) funded by the World Bank, is seeking an additional four months to complete the works, citing heavy rains and delayed payments as some of the factors that affected progress.
The construction contract was awarded in September 2025.
A site visit conducted earlier this week found that the four classroom blocks were yet to be roofed, with doors also not installed. Other facilities, including the administration block and staff houses, were still under construction, while workers continued laying concrete bricks for new structures.
Speaking during the visit, Christopher Opworwoth, the site engineer, said several challenges beyond the contractor’s control contributed to the delays.
“We experienced heavy rains that made us spend a lot of time on landscaping. We had to level the construction ground and remove heaps of soil. The area was waterlogged, making roads impassable, and at some point, we had to offload materials by the roadside,” Opworwoth said.
He added that the contractor initially expected minimal grading works but ended up excavating much deeper than anticipated.
“We anticipated grading something small, but we had to grade up to 4.1 metres deep,” he said.
Opworwoth also cited delayed payments from the Ministry of Education and Sports, saying the delays affected the supply of key construction materials such as steel and cement.
He further pointed to shortages of unskilled labour, explaining that many workers returned to farming during the rainy season and reported irregularly for construction work.
Egis Engineering Company Limited won the contract to construct both Kochili Seed Secondary School in Nwoya District and Abindu Seed Secondary School in Nebbi Municipality, with the two projects scheduled to run concurrently under the same contract period.
The company confirmed that it had submitted a formal request for an extension to the Ministry of Education and Sports but had not yet received official approval to continue beyond the expiry date.
Martin Gwoktho, Principal Education Officer for Nebbi Municipality, said the local authority had not received any communication regarding an extension.
“The current contract runs down tomorrow, but we have not yet been notified of any extension. Work is ongoing, but without a formal contract extension, it may be difficult for the contractor to continue,” Gwoktho said.
He added that Ministry of Education officials visited the site earlier this month, during which the contractor raised concerns about the approaching contract deadline.
According to Gwoktho, the contractor requested a four-month extension, but officials indicated that they could only consider granting a maximum of three months.
Since Nebbi Municipality attained municipal status in July 2017, Nebbi Town Secondary School, located in Thatha Division, remains the only government-aided secondary school serving the municipality.
Plans had been made to establish seed secondary schools in all three divisions — Central, Thatha and Abindu — to expand access to affordable secondary education.
The government policy under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme requires the establishment of at least one public or grant-aided secondary school in every sub-county to promote equitable access to education.
Nebbi Municipality Mayor Jackline Opar expressed optimism that the contractor would be granted more time to complete the project.
“I believe the contractor will continue working. The people of Nebbi need this seed school. For now, we only have one out of the three planned schools, and we need Abindu Seed Secondary School completed and handed over,” Opar said.
She urged the Ministry of Education to respond quickly to the contractor’s request so that the school can be commissioned and begin admitting learners.
“I hope the ministry responds soon so that we can commission this school and, by next year, our children can study there instead of opting for expensive private schools,” she added.
With plans to begin recruiting staff for Abindu Seed Secondary School in October this year, questions remain over whether construction will be completed in time for the institution to open as scheduled.
