The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has dismissed criticism from Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago regarding the ongoing road repair works in Kampala conducted by the Special Forces Command (SFC) engineering regiment.
The SFC engineering regiment has already commenced work on various roads in the Central Business District, including Rashid Khamis Road, Nsalo Road, Old Kampala Ring, and several others.
Col Deo Akiiki, the deputy UPDF spokesperson, emphasized that the SFC is fully equipped for the task, refuting Lukwago’s claims that the equipment belongs to the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
Akiiki stated that the SFC engineering regiment has been on the ground for the past few weeks and is using its own equipment for the road repair project.
He clarified that the SFC was initially provided with two pickups by KCCA, which were repaired and converted into service vans for the project. Akiiki assured that the SFC would soon acquire brand-new service vans for their operations.
Responding to Lukwago’s assertions, Akiiki criticized the Lord Mayor for making baseless claims and urged people to witness the progress on the ground rather than relying on conference center discussions.
He expressed confidence that the SFC engineers would not be deterred by Lukwago’s criticisms and would continue their work according to the signed contract.
The road repair initiative was directed by President Museveni in May, instructing the Prime Minister and KCCA to hand over the project to the SFC. While KCCA estimated the cost to be over shs10 billion, the SFC later announced a budget of shs2 billion for the repairs.