“We want to see action,” many have always been yelling out in times gone by. As a result, the President in his wisdom decided to appoint Hon. Balaam Barugahare as the Minister for Local Government deputized by the Hon Justine Nameere, someone many love and hate in equal measure. Many white collar elites did not find him a suitable selection because they have always had this skewed elitist view of who deserves the title Minister (never mind the inability to deliver).
Action has begun, Hon. Balaam is biting and we begin hearing the same rudderless elites squealing like hungry day old piglets. Yes, the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers, you are a very big disappointment when it comes to service delivery in this country.
In the statement released by the UIPE President, he states, “As the professional voice of the engineering fraternity, UIPE upholds the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and engineering practice, safeguards the dignity and integrity of the profession, and promotes engineering solutions that serve the public interest.”
Let us start from here and mark you, I am using my vast experience observing the rot in Butaleja District over the past 21 years of its existence. What high standards of professionalism, ethics and engineering practice do you claim to uphold when your engineers are carrying out works in a manner that betrays any claim of them having ever seen a blackboard?
In Butaleja, the Government of Uganda has sofar disbursed over 4 Billion Uganda Shillings for the construction of Butaleja House. This project first and foremost was pocketed by the District Engineer who in connivance with other technocrats chose to run it using the Force on Account. In the process, even after spending all those monies, what is available today is a structure that utmost mimics a Karamojong Kraal. All it lacks is cow dung residue to be referred to as one.
We have Seed Schools whose construction has stagnated as a result of gross incompetence exhibited by the oversight District Engineering team in cahoots with local politicians. As the wanainchi we have yelled ourselves hoarse but all they do is to simply oil the relevant officials and look the other side. Where is UIPE in all this?
You may claim that you knew nothing about what is going on. My humble question then comes, do you guys originate from Mars? Pluto? Venus? You come from the very districts that are grappling with these bogus engineering professionals who simply mind about amassing wealth and increasing the size of their girths as a mode of exhibiting prosperity. You keep quiet, drive your cars through these districts without taking time to question how services are being delivered. There is a lot of information on the ground that you can get for free in order to act. What do you do instead? Keep a blind eye and deaf ear.
Stop that nonsense of See no Evil, Hear no Evil!!!
During the Covid Lockdown period, this highlighted 400 metre road section in Butaleja Town Council was meant to be tarmacked and 400 Million Shillings was released. No work was done. It is only when there was uproar in the community that the District Engineer woke up and run around like a headless chicken to eventually smear some tarmac. The works done do not show value for money at all.
We have The Muhula Seed School whose construction stalled simply because behind the scenes, money was mishandled by the contractor with the oversight of the District Engineer. Are these the socalled professional people you want to shove down our throats? Students are failing to study in dignified environments because of sloppy work done by your elitist crude Engineers.
You claim to be alarmed by public media reports of arbitrary arrests and public humiliation of engineers and non-engineering professionals in local governments such as in Bulambuli and Mbale instigated by ministers and other high ranking government officials under the pretext of fighting corruption.
As concerned citizens, we are in full support of this public humiliation. Enough is Enough!!! Without it, you will continue playing games with the so-called due process of the toothless IGG. Let them be arrested and brought to book.
You further state that, “Like the arresting ministers, these engineers too have wives, husbands, children, and grandchildren – and a proud and noble profession to protect.”
My Foot!!! Why is it that when they are mismanaging projects, they do not think about all this? Look at the Bulambuli case, an engineer insisting that he poured murram yet the evidence on the ground shows entirely something else? Give us a break.
Your concernedly indicate that, “Ugandan engineers represent the very best on the African continent. Some of the registered engineers being arrested capriciously have had long, illustrious, and distinguished careers, with an impeccable record of public service.”
What is good about the ones you are seeing being paraded for all to see? Is that what you consider Best? Your concern about the preservation of their careers simply makes one conclude that you are all probably the same. If you grunt like a pig, you must be a pig.
“Arresting engineers arbitrarily, without understanding the planned scope of works and quality specifications, only serves to humiliate and demoralize technical staff and worsen service delivery. Questions as to the quality of asphalt and scope of works cannot be summarily determined by politicians at a public humiliation charade of a rally, and that used as a basis for arresting engineers.”
Bro!! Kindly do not make Engineering seem like rocket science or a tour of Alien technologies like anti-gravity propulsion or teleportation. When I was the Board Chairman of Busolwe General Hospital, I actively participated in the supervision of the Government funded renovation of the hospital and believe you me, had we left the task to the District Engineering team solely, as sure as night follows day, the works would have been heavily compromised. Just come to Butaleja and see the works done in the Doho Rice Scheme renovation project then you will know how shambolic your engineers that you try to shield can be. They are the reason His Excellency the President refused to come and open up the Rice Scheme after the renovations had been purportedly completed.
Hon. Balam Barugahare, this is to encourage you not to drop the ball. They may talk, but you act. I am personally glad you are doing things this way because the Muhoozi Kainerugaba I know way back from SMACK surely is smiling in approval.
UIPE, you either rein in on your lousy performing engineers or you become obsolete in this new dispensation. We the public are tired. Very tired of poor service delivery as highly paid workers are busy doing nothing apart from eating sausages and enjoying their air conditioned offices.
Patriotically Yours.
James Wire
Community Advocate
Butaleja District
X – @wirejames
The Wire Perspective 