The Deputy Resident District Commissioner (DRDC) for Rukungiri district Ahimbisibwe Wilberforce Ongom yesterday Thursday refused to commission the newly constructed multimillion Fecal Sludge in Western division Rukungiri Municipality over shoddy works.
Ahimbisibwe declined to commission the facility, which is being carried out by Vidas Engineering Technical Services that also contracted for three other facilities, including a 13-stance waterborne toilet at Kebisoni Market, Nyamayenje and Rukungiri Health Centre (IV) Rwamahwa in Rukungiri municipality.
These other three facilities were commissioned, but DRDC Ongom refused to put the fecal sludge treatment facility into service because of numerous problems found during the inspection.
These projects were carried out by the Ministry of Water and Environment and the commissioned facilities were handed over to South Western Umbrella of Water and Sanitation for operational management.
Together with representatives from the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Rukungiri district leadership, and the municipality, Deputy Resident District Commissioner (DRDC) Ahimbisibwe Ongom inspected and commissioned these facilities.
However, the team found that the majority of work being done at Fecal Sludge was not worth it during inspection of Fecal Sludge and as a result, they were forced to refuse commissioning until all problems were resolved.
Citing safety concerns, Ongom stated that he cannot commission the facility without a buffer zone, system leaks, unfinished access roads, and physical tests for the processing of fecal waste.
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Rukungiri municipality senior engineer Nuwamanya Hangson stated that no one can determine whether the facility is effective and that tests must be conducted to see whether it can function, stating that the facility shouldn’t be put into service before these problems are resolved.
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His Worship Charles Makuru, the mayor for Rukungiri municipality, stated during the facility’s inspection that it shouldn’t be put into service since it lacks a buffer zone that puts lives of people in danger, especially for those who live nearby.
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In response to the concerns, Vidas Engineering Services’ Eng. Phillips Moro stated that the majority of the issues addressed were not included in Bills of Quantities (BOQs) and that most of them had been resolved to make their jobs easier.
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In June 2022, a promising initiative with a budget of 5.3 billion was launched by the Ministry of Water and Environment in collaboration with the World Bank.
