A farmer, Amulam Mukama trying to connect the solar powered irrigation system.
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on the National Economy have criticized the implementation process of the solar powered irrigation and water supply system in Buvuma district, pointing out loopholes likely to make it a white elephant.
The members who were led by the committee chairperson, John Bosco Ikojo on Wednesday were on an inspection and monitoring round of government-funded projects in Buvuma.
At the solar powered irrigation site at Kikongo village in Buwooya sub-county which is supported by the Ministry of Water and Environment, supposed to be overseen by Buvuma district, the committee members realized that the over sh800m project is underutilized benefiting only four people who they say cannot even consume 10 percent of its capacity.
From the presentation conducted by Eng. Christine Nabachwa, of M/S Nexus Green, the MPs learnt that this is the company which the Ministry of Water contracted to undertake the solar powered irrigation project throughout the country.
Eng. Nabachwa said that they are supposed to at least construct one solar powered site in each and every constituency all over the country. The briefing was first held at Buvuma Palm Resort before heading to the field to inspect the real project works.
During the MPs’ interaction with the officials from the field at Kikongo, one of the committee members, Oliver Katwesigye Koyekyenga, the Buhweju Woman MP asked the Ministry of Water officials and the contractor of Nexus Green to explain the criteria they used before picking the site where they constructed the irrigation project.
Committee chairperson, John Bosco Ikojo (second right) speaking as the Ministry of Water’s Eng. Musimenta (right) and others are looking on.
“Its unfortunate that from what we have just observed, we are not seeing interested agriculturists here who will have full utilization of this multi-million project. Now, what informed you that in this village they need this project, because they are not even interested,” Katwesigye asked.
She added they were dismayed when the Ministry officials presented only four landlords whom they claim to be the beneficiaries of this mega project which has capacity to supply over two villages and above.
The committee chairperson, Ikojo said that they had visited Kikongo to see what Nexus Green had put on ground regarding an irrigation scheme and that the members were free to ask questions to ascertain whether the implementing company is yielding to the objectives of the project.
“We must find out whether the communities around are interested in it and they are benefiting. It shouldn’t be that their role was to have each constituency get one of the solar powered irrigation schemes but it must be put in a place where it is to have optimum utilization. We must see value for money, putting a structure here which will turn out to be a white elephant is a problem,” he said.
Ministry of Water’s Eng. Musimenta told the MPs that it was the district which identified the beneficiaries and that their only role was to find out whether the identified farmers had land, water source and that the people were ready to receive the projects.
“We have had incidents where the community members did not welcome us, saying they had no interest in water for production. At least for Buvuma, the farmers welcomed us and they are willing to utilize it,” Musimenta said.
Shillah Karungi (right), a senior sociologist at Ministry of Water addressing the MPs and Lexus Green’s Eng. Nakachwa (left), looking on.
He said that given the fact that the farmers at Kikongo are into tomato growing and they have been facing challenges of climate change as a result of prolonged drought, with the irrigation services extended to them, their productivity is going to improve.
However, Buvuma Resident Desident Commissioner, Jacqueline Birungi watered down Musimenta’s submissions when she said that all the district leadership had not been involved in either the selection of the farmer beneficiaries and the two sites where the projects have been constructed.
She wondered how such a project could have begun without her knowledge when she is the one who is supposed to bless it.
“These contractors believe they are only answerable to the ministry and consider us in the district as irrelevant; this is an oversight we cannot allow to prevail,” Birungi said.
She added that she learnt about this project through the intelligence team and waited to receive official information about it either from the Ministry or the contractors but in vain.
Eng. Musimenta further told the legislators that Buvuma district has got two solar powered irrigation sites, one at Kikongo and the other at Galamo. He said Nexas Green is supposed to construct at least 252 solar powered irrigation projects across the country.
Maracha County MP, Oguzu Lee said the committee is going to do further assessment on how the Ministry of Water contracted Nexas Green to carry on this project in the country.
“We shall need to find out why this company, Nexas Green alone, whether it has the capacity to carry on this work countrywide and know the criteria which was followed. What are the basis of selecting sites and why do they not involve the local leaders in the districts they are working from?” he noted, adding; “What we will find out will give a basis on whether they continue or they make some revisions in the way of the project implementation.”
Eng. Musimenta (center) of the Ministry of Water addressing the legislators.
Buvuma Woman MP, Susan Nakaziba faulted authorities in the Ministry of Water for having brought the project without prior consultation and involvement of the district authorities so as to put in place modalities for proper management, monitoring and guidance.
Nakaziba said; “This is taxpayers’ money and the loan under which it was procured must be repaid with interest; unless they take on board technical field officers from the district, the project is destined to crash as soon as they hand it over to the beneficiaries.”
Besides the tiny gardens of cassava and tomatoes plus bare patches of scorched soil, there was nothing to show resembling an irrigated garden either near the pump house, the water reservoirs or anywhere in the vicinity.
Eng. Nabachwa however said they had not yet handed over the project to the beneficiaries for its full utilization.
Buvuma constituency MP, Robdert Migadde Ndugwa added his voice to all the foregoing, and said the project has an entire village’s outlook and should not have been confined to a few individuals.
Migadde partly blamed the situation on what he called a collapse of local government institutions rooted in government’s decision to transfer local revenue to its coffers, and added that this has killed morale among the would be stakeholders in project implementation.
He pointed out that the first class of people to be considered for implementation of such a project would have been extension workers in the district but that they are demoralized which has led to a system breeding underutilization.
One of the beneficiary landlords, Amulam Mukama said they formed a group of 25 people who are typically farmers dealing in horticulture mainly growing tomatoes and eggplants.
Mukama said that due to the meagre capital, they only managed to procure one tin of improved tomato seeds which cost one million shillings, which has capacity to plant one acre of land yet they have close to 13 acres.
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