Workers carrying out the road construction under USMID in Fort Portal yesterday staged a demonstration by packing all construction vehicles on the road blocking the movement of vehicles.

These were protesting the delayed pay from the contractor who undertook construction works despite all efforts they had put in place to demand their money.

The demonstration which started yesterday evening saw many people who were driving their cars and boda bodas back home get stuck after failing to get where to pass since heavy trucks had been packed in the middle of the road.

“We came here to work but we have spent three months without receiving payments, we have many debts, and we have tried approaching authorities for our money but no one is responding.

“We have decided to close the road because we are not being paid, we approached all leaders but they never helped us.”

These say they have for months been depending on getting debts from people that supply them with food who were now demanding their pay.

They insisted that they will not remove the heavy vehicles from the roads until they are paid.

“We are told the engineer ate the money, yet the Chinese paid, so we are still here not sure of what to do next.”

“When the opportunity came up, I was happy thinking I was going to benefit, these road workers I cook for them but they have not paid me for three months now.”

The government contracted China Railway 18 Company to undertake the road works. However, the Chinese firm subcontracted Global 21st Engineering Company.

The project, which was contracted in June under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) Program, was supposed to rehabilitate Millane 0.72 kilometres, Kabundaire Water Supply 0.9 kilometres, and Mugoma Kahungabunyonyi 0.66 kilometres of roads. 

However, in March this year, the Fort Portal Tourism city authorities in a heated meeting with the contractor expressed their dissatisfaction with what they described as the slow progress of the construction works.

“Are we going to develop like this, like any other areas in the country because of these people who are trying to sabotage our development?”

“Of all contractors that have come here, these are  the worst, stop giving us all kinds of excuses.”

Efforts to speak to the contractors on the same issue were futile since all their numbers were not available by the time we filed this story.