Authorities in Kabale District have given Redstone Holdings Limited one month to rectify structural defects in facilities constructed at Kakomo Secondary School in Kitumba Sub-county before the project is commissioned next month.
The ultimatum was issued on Tuesday by the Kabale Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Maj Godfrey Katamba, during a monitoring visit to the project, whose facilities are valued at about Shs1 billion.
The project includes a multipurpose hall, library and ICT hall, two-classroom block, twin staff houses, two VIP latrines, a staff kitchen and other facilities.
Construction started in May 2024 and was initially expected to be completed in November 2024. However, the facilities have not yet been commissioned.
During the monitoring exercise, school stakeholders led by head teacher Dickson Aguma expressed concern over what they described as delays by district authorities to address complaints about the quality of work.
Aguma said the school had submitted several written complaints regarding alleged substandard work by the contractor but accused the district leadership of taking too long to act.
Kabale District LCV Chairperson Denis Nzeirwe Ndyomugyenyi also expressed concern after observing cracks on some of the building floors, which he attributed to the alleged use of poor-quality materials.
Nzeirwe further faulted the contractor for failing to install curtain rods and floor tiles in the staff houses, saying some floors had instead been left with a simple cement finish.
CUE IN NZEIRWE… ON THE MATTER… ENG//
However, Kabale District Engineer Januario Turinawe Bagamuhunda and a representative of Redstone Holdings Limited denied allegations that substandard materials had been used.
The contractor’s representative, who declined to disclose his name, said the sand used in the construction had been tested before it was approved for use.
Maj Katamba directed the contractor to rectify all identified defects within one month, warning that authorities would take action if the work was not completed within the stipulated period.
