The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Joel Ssenyonyi, has expressed concerns about the poor treatment encountered on Monday morning, October 14, 2024, in Kawempe when he, together with a team of opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), attempted to hold a meeting with management of Roko Construction Company.
Ssenyonyi made these remarks on Monday, October 14, 2024, during the plenary sitting.
According to Ssenyonyi, a letter was given to him by the Managing Director, Mark Koehler, blocking his entry after writing a letter to the Management of Roko Construction Limited on October 8, 2024, seeking to interface with them following UGX 263.3Bn injected in the company by the government.
“There have been numerous concerns, like the staff of ROKO haven’t been paid for four months and projects, including our new chambers, that aren’t being attended to. But on going there to carry out our oversight functions, we found a letter at the gate, written back to me, saying that the Board has denied us as MPs access to the premises of Roko Construction Company,” Ssenyonyi said.
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Ssenyonyi said that Roko is a private company yet using taxpayers’ money, adding that when the first batch was passed in July 2022, the majority report of the Committee had several concerns.
He emphasized the need to interface with management as they have done elsewhere, adding that he wanted Roko to account for what has been given to them and that if the company doesn’t want to account for taxpayers’ money, then refund what has been given to them.
However, Peace Mutuuzo, the Minister of State for Gender and Culture, committed to ensuring that the government provides a response to LOP’s denied access to the premises of Roko Construction Limited, despite the government bailing out the company.
Mutuuzo’s commitment followed a concern raised by Ssenyonyi regarding the poor treatment he encountered on October 14, 2024, in Kawempe, when he attempted to hold a meeting with the management of Roko Construction Company, only to be given a letter from the managing director, blocking his entry.
