By Otim Nape
As we exclusively reported last week, President Museveni is increasingly becoming bitter and frustrated with slow-paced progress being made on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project. To cost the tax payer close to USD3bn, the 273kms SGR is aimed at increasing Uganda’s competitiveness as an investment destination by linking us up to markets in South Sudan, DRC, Rwanda and Kenya. But as we reported last week, a clearly displeasured Museveni is pondering halting the project in order to relocate resources (over USD1.6bn) into rebuilding the electricity distribution network which UMEME was supposed to invest in but didn’t.
A clearly frustrated Museveni last Tuesday peripherally told UMEME officials in a meeting at State House Entebbe that this (calling off SGR) was increasingly becoming his option given the essentiality of the need to have sufficient electricity. He was quoted as arguing that much as the SGR (to be funded by a Chinese loan) was very important, it would be imprudent to spend such money anticipating to export processed goods/products that currently don’t exist. He argued that in absence of reliable affordable power supply, there is no way Uganda can attract significant industrialization and subsequently have large volumes of processed exports.
NEW DOSSIER;
We have since intensified our investigations regarding the future of the SGR project (costing GoU Shs530bn on just compensating PAPs). We have previously reached out to Eng Kasingye who heads the SGR Project Management Unit and he is very apprehensive about the impending disbandment of the project and remains tight-lipped as ever. We have equally reached out to his Manager Communications Diana Apio and she too hasn’t been enthusiastic discussing the matter. But their supervisors at the Works Ministry including Minister Eng Monica Ntege Azuba confirmed during a Monday phone interview that a lot has gone wrong at the SGR project and that H/E the President is rightly unhappy. We have also exclusively obtained a five (5) page letter a furious Museveni recently wrote to Eng Azuba pointing out his areas of dissatisfaction. In the same letter, Museveni concludes by directing Azuba (generally a new leader in cabinet) to look for ex-EC Chairman Eng Badru Kiggundu for advice and guidance on how to bring the SGR project back on track.
This directive confirms earlier reports that Eng Kiggundu, currently a well-earning consultant with UEGCL, is destined for big things in the impending cabinet reshuffle. This isn’t the first but second time Museveni is directing stranded Ministers to seek counsel of the wealthy engineer from Mutundwe. The energy ministers were sometime back asked by Museveni when they got issues/difficulties supervising the very arrogant Syno-Hydro Chinese engineers working on the 600MWs Karuma dam to seek help from Kiggundu. Museveni was grateful the problems withered away the moment Kiggundu got involved. In appreciation, Museveni ordered a brand new VX vehicle to be bought for Kiggundu and its what he enjoys these days as he goes about the UEGCL assignments. The monstrous Japanese machine was procured for him through Mr. Allan Kajik the husband of powerful investments Minister Evelyn Anite Kajik.
As she awaits for the Kiggundu intervention, Eng Azuba confirmed to this news website receipt of the President’s letter. Unlike her deputy Katumba Wamala, who furiously called for the prosecution of this news website for always being in possession of the President’s confidential letters, Eng Azuba prudently admitted there was a lot of catching up for the sector to do in order to meet the President’s expectations concerning the SGR project. She promised a comprehensive interview with this news website in the coming days when she settles down from the numerous works sector-related assignments she is currently undertaking in different parts of the country. See details in the President’s latest letter on the SGR saga. For comments, call/text/WhatsApp us on 0703165755!
