Egypt’s leading construction firm, Arab Contractors has signed a new contract to implement a new project in Kasese district, in the Western Region of Uganda.
With total cost of US$2.7 million, the Kasese project aims to overcome the dangers of floods.
Every rainy season, River Nyamwamba on the slopes of mountain Rwenzori bursts its banks, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The Egyptian government, which had earlier offered $1.5 million (about Shs4 billion) to facilitate the project feasibility study, will now undertake the project.
The project is part of the Egyptian government’s technical and water cooperation plans with Uganda and other Nile Basin countries, said Arab Contractors’ chairman Mohsen Salah.
Upon the contract, Salah said Arab Contractors is to implement several works in Kasese to face floods including drilling and dredging to remove rocks from the mainstream, then placing water barriers across the bridges of the River Nyamwamba.
Arab Contractors began its operations in Uganda in 1997, and to date the firm has managed to carry out key strategies for both the Ugandan government and private sector, the Egyptian official added.
Arab Contractors’ total volume of current businesses in Uganda amounts to US$30 million.
The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hossam Moghazi has attended the signing ceremony.
“River Nyamwamba channel is to be constructed with protective bearers against public installations such as schools and Kilembe Hospital. Water tank reservoirs are also to be built to harvest the floods for domestic use,” he explained.
Egypt and Uganda signed a memorandum of understanding on January1 2, 2010, for procurement of equipment for construction of valley tanks, drilling and preparing of 75 ground water boreholes, training and capacity building component.
“Kasese project is to implement a fast action flood mitigation measures and interventions in the most flood prone areas, and to control floods to avert disasters where they occurred on Rwenzori Sub Region,” he said.
