Lawmakers on the Public Accounts Committee have questioned payments made before project sites were handed over, warning that contractors could spend the money before construction begins and expose government projects to delays.
Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee – Central Government have questioned the Ministry of Water and Environment over advance payments to contractors before project sites are handed over and construction begins, raising concerns about accountability and the management of public funds.
The MPs, led by committee chairperson Patrick Oshabe Nsamba, questioned how contractors could receive money for projects that had not commenced, warning that the funds could be exhausted before any work was done.
During an accountability meeting with ministry officials, Nsamba demanded an explanation from the project implementation team on how the payments were authorised and what safeguards were in place to protect public funds.
He expressed concern that contractors could spend the advance payments while waiting for sites to be handed over, potentially leaving government projects exposed to delays and additional costs.
“We are now in 2026. By the time this project starts, the contractor will have no money. Why? He has utilised it,” Nsamba said, questioning why payments had been made before construction began.
The committee also sought clarification on payments to a contractor responsible for multiple sites, some of which MPs said had not yet been handed over for construction.
The legislators demanded a detailed account of the project implementation process, including the role of the project management team, the timing of payments and the measures in place to ensure contractors fulfil their obligations.
Responding to the concerns, Ministry of Water and Environment Permanent Secretary Alfred Okot Okidi said the ministry was inspecting completed irrigation systems to identify defects before releasing retention payments to contractors.
Okidi said contractors would not automatically receive the full retention amounts if inspections established that the systems had defects.
However, the explanation did not fully address the committee's concerns about advance payments for projects whose implementation had not commenced.
The MPs also questioned progress on the Agoro and Unyama irrigation schemes, expressing concern over delays and continued government spending on projects whose implementation remains under scrutiny.
The committee called for further accountability from the ministry's project team to establish how contractors were selected, how payments were approved and whether the government was receiving value for money.