"Mukono Council Suspends Chinese Contractor, CCCC, Over Safety Failures" ChimpReports 13 March 2025

The Mukono Municipal Council has officially suspended civil works undertaken by China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) due to what it describes as “systemic non-compliance with contract conditions, technical guidelines, and environmental and social safeguards.” The decision follows a review of the contractor’s performance and repeated failure to adhere to agreed contractual obligations. In a letter to CCCC’s Authorized Representative Xiong Pailiang on March 7, 2025, Mukono Town Clerk Francis Byabagambi cited critical failures, including environmental and social safeguard measures. The council had previously issued warnings regarding non-compliance on October 10, 2024, and January 10, 2025, but no satisfactory action was taken. The suspension affects multiple road construction projects under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP), coordinated by the Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs (MoKCC&MA).

Among the affected roads are Anthony-Kame, Kame Annex, Albert Cook – Cathedral Rise, Kame-Nabuti-Katosi Road, Admin Link, Access Road, and Link Road. Byabagambi, in his letter, expressed concern over CCCC’s continued negligence, stating: “The extent of persistent failure to comply with safeguards requirements, coupled with non-responsiveness of your team on-site has caused growing concern. It has been observed that there is total disregard of your contractual obligations to safeguard your workers and the public.” Among the key issues highlighted in the decision were poor incident reporting and management, concealment of critical project-related information, lack of adequate health and safety structures, absence of safeguards personnel, and failure to ensure proper welfare for workers, including access to medical care and compliance with grievance redress mechanisms.

ChimpReports understands a CCCC-owned tractor recently killed a worker known as Ambrose during construction works along Albert Cook-Cathedral Road. However, CCCC did not report the matter to the Municipal Council but quietly sent Ambrose’s body to Kabale, South Western Uganda, for burial. This incident enraged Ambrose’s fellow workers who nearly held a street protest. Mukono Municipal Council has now tasked CCCC with addressing these critical issues at its own cost. The contractor is required to conduct a full inspection of project vehicles and equipment, establish a dedicated environmental and social safeguards team, and implement detailed steps to improve health and safety measures, including the appointment of a safety team.

Additionally, the company must establish proper grievance mechanisms for affected workers and implement adequate emergency response protocols. Byabagambi warned that the suspension would only be lifted once CCCC provides a satisfactory response on agreed actions to the joint team comprising the Municipal Council, supervising consultants, and MoKCC&MA. If the company fails to demonstrate commitment within two weeks, the council may invoke contract clauses that allow for further delays or termination of works. This is not the first time a Chinese company has faced allegations of poor work standards in Uganda. Chinese firms operating in the country have previously been accused of failing to respect human rights, disregarding environmental regulations, and delivering substandard construction projects. The GKMA-UDP is a Shs 46bn World Bank and Agence Française de Développement (AFD)-supported initiative aimed at improving urban mobility, environmental conditions, and economic development in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA). It is implemented by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Wakiso, Mukono, and Mpigi district governments, alongside municipal councils of Kira, Nansana, Makindye-Ssabagabo, Mukono, and Entebbe.