Bukwo: Stakeholders in Bukwo District have held a site meeting to pave the way for the construction of Riwo Seed School, a major education infrastructure project expected to improve access to secondary education in the area.
The meeting brought together the district technical team led by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)’s office, political leaders led by the LCV Chairperson’s office, security officials led by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC)’s office, representatives of the contractor, and members of the local community.
The project is being undertaken by African Kings (U) Limited and is expected to take 10 months to complete. The Project Manager is the Assistant Commissioner in the Construction Management Unit of the Ministry of Education and Sports.
The planned development will include two three-classroom blocks, one two-classroom block, an administration block, a multipurpose hall, a science laboratory and an ICT and computer laboratory.
The project will also provide three staff houses, three staff kitchens and three staff toilets, alongside a five-stance toilet block for boys and girls and a separate toilet for the administration block.
The project further provides for tree planting as part of the environmental considerations.
During the site meeting, stakeholders agreed on several measures aimed at ensuring the project is implemented effectively and benefits the community.
The Ministry engineer was tasked to send the Bills of Quantities (BOQs) to the site Clerk of Works, who will circulate them to five offices — the CAO, LCV Chairperson, Riwo Town Mayor, District Engineer and RDC.
On access to the construction site, the Riwo Town Clerk was tasked to write to the CAO requesting road equipment, while the contractor pledged to provide fuel for the equipment.
The CAO was also tasked to follow up on the expansion of the school field to ensure adequate space is secured for the institution.
The Bukwo District Environmental Officer was directed to revise the building plan and identify an appropriate location for the toilets.
Meanwhile, the Ministry sociologist is expected to share the Social and Environmental Management Plan with Bukwo District authorities.
The contractor was also tasked with translating project posters covering issues such as HIV/AIDS, traffic safety and gender-based violence (GBV) into languages that can easily be understood by members of the local community.
All workers engaged on the project will be required to sign a code of conduct, while the Community Development Officer (CDO) will ensure that the community is sensitised about appropriate conduct and expectations before workers commence their activities.
The contractor will also be required to label all buildings under construction, enabling community members and other stakeholders to clearly identify the facilities being developed.
The site meeting is expected to strengthen coordination between the district authorities, Ministry of Education and Sports, contractor and the community as construction of Riwo Seed School gets underway.