The Works and Transport minister, Gen Katumba Wamala, has warned that government has deployed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers at sections of the ongoing rehabilitation works for the Meter Gauge Railway, with instructions to shoot on sight railway vandals.
The minister said the government has to take measures following a series of warnings and sensitisation of the public.
Gen Katumba said this on Friday while inspecting the progress of Meter Gauge Railway works at the Kyetume Section in Mukono District.
Katumba said they had deployed between Kyetume and Kawolo in Lugazi.
“This warning is extended to the steel rolling mills that buy the railway line vandalised items, including the railway sleepers, among other gadgets. I now caution the steel rolling mills not to buy any item marked URC. You will have the respective operational licences revoked among other tough penalties,” he warned.
Government contracted China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) for the construction and rehabilitation works on the railway line covering the 250km route from Malaba to Namanve at Shs185 billion.
The two sections that are under the emergency rehabilitation programme, including Mukono–Kawolo in Buikwe, and sections between Tororo and Malaba in eastern Uganda.
The rehabilitation works have a 10-month timeline, the Ministry of Works Engineering teams revealed in an interview.
The chief civil engineer at the Ministry of Works, Mr Geoffrey Obara, said theft of the railway line gadgets has been a major setback.
“We urge the residents to own up the railway project that targets benefiting all Ugandans. The vandals do not only target the sleepers they also steal the rails that are on market and desired by many steel rolling mills,” he said.
Lawyers warned that shooting to kill suspects whether armed or not is nothing less than “murder in cold blood” and the perpetrators would be sued and prosecuted as individuals.
