Summary:

• Bugiri district engineer, Godfrey Baliraine has been arrested over misappropriation of funds and shoddy road works.

Bugiri district engineer, Godfrey Baliraine has been arrested over misappropriation of funds and shoddy road works.

Baliraine was arrested on Thursday following a field assessment of the Shs 1 billion rehabilitation works for dilapidated roads in Bugiri district. During the assessment, it was discovered that funds were never included in this financial year’s work plan.

This prompted members of the district security committee to inspect the ongoing roads, where it was further discovered that roads lacked drainage systems.

Assistant resident district commissioner Bugiri, Gilbert Situma said that Baliraine looked on as undersized culverts were installed in big drainage channels, causing roads to collapse before commissioning.

Situma noted that the roads were never graded with murram, as it had been stipulated in the bills of quantities. Bugiri LC V chairperson, David Mulumba says that most roads are dilapidated and they resolved to grade them without murram in a bid to cover a bigger road network using the meagre funds available.

Mulumba further said that 70 per cent of the roads in Bugiri district are covered in wetlands and they require special government financing to purchase big-sized culverts.