Ngoma town council is hunting for shillings 5.6 million to reconstruct a livestock market that was rejected by traders because of shoddy work. In 2010, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries contracted Ndora Company to construct a livestock market in Ngoma town council at the tune of shillings 560 million.
The construction of livestock market was completed in early 2011 but pastoralists and local leaders rejected it citing shoddy work. Tadeo Wasswa, Ngoma Town Council LC III chairman accused the contractor of using substandard metallic poles and barbed wires. Wasswa says that they petitioned theMinister of animal husbandry Bright Rwamirama who allegedly ordered ministry engineers and Ndora Company to reconstruct the market but nothing has been done leaving the market to waste.
As a result, Wasswa says that they have resolved to take over the project and redo the shoddy works so that pastoralists can use the market. Wasswa says that the council will fix wooden poles and barbed wires along the existing old-metallic poles so that pastoralists can use it. Wasswa adds that the council is hunting for funds from local revenue and they want the market to be opened before the end of 2012.
However some pastoralists in the area have insist that the ministry of Animal Husbandry should investigate its engineers and Ndora company officials for embezzling the funds and order them to reconstruct it. Steven Rugashira a pastoralist in Ngoma town council says that the shillings five million that is planned to correct the defects in the market is too little and asked the ministry to intervene and order the contractor to reconstruct the market for accountability.
The Nakaseke District council Speaker Enock Nyongere says that they will discuss the matter of the market in upcoming meeting so that the town council can be helped to use it. The market was intended to ease market access, as well as serve as a loading site for more than 200,000 cattle keepers.Currently the pastoralists are using another loading site as market but its in sorry state.
