Roads won’t be built on exploited labour - Nekundi
‘There will be no short-changing of our people’
Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi has issued a firm warning to road construction contractors and consultants, saying government will not tolerate the exploitation of workers under the guise of development.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mbeyo–Erago road upgrade on Monday, Nekundi said too many past road projects had shown “good engineering on paper but unacceptable human suffering on the ground”. This time, he said, things would be different.
“About 80 jobs are expected to be created during the construction period. Every one of those workers must be treated with dignity and fairness,” Nekundi said. “No one will be underpaid. No one will work without PPE. No one will stand on that road without Social Security registration. These are not suggestions; these are mandatory requirements.”
Nekundi stressed that the ministry would not allow companies to take shortcuts by paying below the gazetted minimum wage for construction labour. “There will be no short-changing of our people. We build roads, yes, but we will not build them on the backs of exploited workers,” he said.
Well-being of residents’ paramount
The minister’s stern directive came as he announced the start of construction on the 20.45-kilometre DR3469 stretch between Mbeyo and Erago, a long-awaited upgrade that will replace a treacherous sand track that residents have struggled with for years.
During rainy seasons the road turns impassably muddy, while in summer it becomes a loose, uneven path that isolates five villages: Sihetekera, Senseni, Mutungalika, Kamuti and Erago.
“For too long, a simple trip to the clinic or school has been an uncertain ordeal,” Nekundi said. “Expectant mothers, children, farmers, everyone has suffered. The government is responding to that outcry.”
Nekundi said the upgraded road, which will use soil stabilisers, will bring immediate relief to communities and stimulate economic activity.
Farmers will move produce faster, pupils will reach school safely and emergency cases will reach Erago Clinic without delay.
Rural transformation
He also used the platform to address the country’s larger road development agenda, noting that funding has been committed for the continuation of the Nkurenkuru–Nopara Clinic Road, the Ndiyona–Djaradjara road and the Divundu–Muhembo Border Post project.
Roads Authority regional engineering manager Kennedy Chigumira echoed the minister’s focus on the people behind the project. He said while the authority is tasked with delivering safe and efficient infrastructure, it must also ensure that rural communities benefit from the transformation process.
“We believe development must reach the most marginalised communities. This project does not only build a road; it builds opportunity,” he said.
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Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mbeyo–Erago road upgrade on Monday, Nekundi said too many past road projects had shown “good engineering on paper but unacceptable human suffering on the ground”. This time, he said, things would be different.
“About 80 jobs are expected to be created during the construction period. Every one of those workers must be treated with dignity and fairness,” Nekundi said. “No one will be underpaid. No one will work without PPE. No one will stand on that road without Social Security registration. These are not suggestions; these are mandatory requirements.”
Nekundi stressed that the ministry would not allow companies to take shortcuts by paying below the gazetted minimum wage for construction labour. “There will be no short-changing of our people. We build roads, yes, but we will not build them on the backs of exploited workers,” he said.
Well-being of residents’ paramount
The minister’s stern directive came as he announced the start of construction on the 20.45-kilometre DR3469 stretch between Mbeyo and Erago, a long-awaited upgrade that will replace a treacherous sand track that residents have struggled with for years.
During rainy seasons the road turns impassably muddy, while in summer it becomes a loose, uneven path that isolates five villages: Sihetekera, Senseni, Mutungalika, Kamuti and Erago.
“For too long, a simple trip to the clinic or school has been an uncertain ordeal,” Nekundi said. “Expectant mothers, children, farmers, everyone has suffered. The government is responding to that outcry.”
Nekundi said the upgraded road, which will use soil stabilisers, will bring immediate relief to communities and stimulate economic activity.
Farmers will move produce faster, pupils will reach school safely and emergency cases will reach Erago Clinic without delay.
Rural transformation
He also used the platform to address the country’s larger road development agenda, noting that funding has been committed for the continuation of the Nkurenkuru–Nopara Clinic Road, the Ndiyona–Djaradjara road and the Divundu–Muhembo Border Post project.
Roads Authority regional engineering manager Kennedy Chigumira echoed the minister’s focus on the people behind the project. He said while the authority is tasked with delivering safe and efficient infrastructure, it must also ensure that rural communities benefit from the transformation process.
“We believe development must reach the most marginalised communities. This project does not only build a road; it builds opportunity,” he said.
[email protected]
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