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A group of five lawmakers have finalized their motion intending to ask parliament to institute a select committee to investigate the actions of the state minister for work John Byabagabi over the procurement process of companies involved in the standard Gauge Railway project.
Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo says parliament should urgently intervene in the matter where Ugandans will have to pay colossal amounts of money for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) because of corruption tendencies in the procurement process.
Ssekikubo said that the committee should investigate why government changed from its early contractor China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to another more expensive company.
He adds that the contracted China Harbor Engineering Construction company that has been blacklisted by the World Bank also has not experience in the field of railway constructions as compared to the earlier procured company.
Bugweri County Mp Abdul Katuntu stressed that awarding the contract worth US $ 8.5 billion on the advice of the American National Rose Whitaker creates a difference of US $ 4.5 billion as compared to the earlier contract.
Katuntu adds that the proposed select committee should also investigate the role of Whitaker in the procurement process of the company to build the Standard Gauge Railway.