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On Monday, angry laborers locked the girl’s dormitory and the administration block protesting underpaid arrears. Justine Okumu, one of the workers told URN that their children have been suspended from school due to accumulated school dues.
The construction works at
Lodonga Seed Secondary School in Yumbe district have stalled following a strike by casual laborers over unpaid wages. The laborers, who are demanding Shillings 8 million in unpaid arears accuse their bosses of failure to pay them since April last year, making life difficult for them.
In 2019, Yumbe district local government
commissioned the construction of a seed secondary school at Lodonga sub-county valued at Shillings 2.1 billion with funding from the World Bank under the intergovernmental
fiscal transfer(UgIFT) Programme. Achoru United Traders Limited was contracted to undertake the works in twelve months.
On Monday, angry laborers locked the girl’s dormitory and the administration block protesting underpaid arrears. Justine Okumu, one of the workers told
URN that their children have been suspended from school due to accumulated school
dues.
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Cue out… from school.”//
Dan Luwuma, the site
foreman noted that they received the last payment from the contractor in April
last year. According to Luwuma, his repeated pleas to the engineer to pay the
workers fell on deaf ears.
// Cue in; “ As site foreman …
Cue out… processing money.”//
Zubeiri Amaku, the deputy head
teacher of the school has called upon the district authorities to intervene to
avoid further interruptions in school activities.
// Cue in; “ The girls utensils …
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Yadah
Rasul Ayiman, the Managing Director of Achoru United Traders Limited refused to comment on the matter, only saying that it is being handled. Benard Ayimani, Yumbe District
engineer, says that it’s the role of the contractor to pay his workers and buy
materials at the site.
He noted with concern the slow progress of the works at the site, saying they expect the projected completed by the end of last month. The project covers the construction of classrooms, laboratories and administration blocks, and dormitory and VIP latrines among others. Lodonga Seed Secondary School, is the fourth Seed school to be constructed in the district after, Barakala
Seed SS, Kei Seed SS, and Apo Seed SS.
