By Sadique Bamwita
KAMPALA
The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Markson Oboth-Oboth has given ROKO Construction Company an ultimatum of 10-month to complete delayed new parliamentary chambers. Furious Oboth -Oboth on September 2, 2026, ordered Roko contractors to deliver the project without fail by 30 June 2027.
The ultimatum followed a thorough inspection at the construction site by the Parliamentary Commission, which found little progress on the construction site thus prompting the commission to pile pressure on the contractor amidst growing serious concerns over the prolonged delays and the continued financial burden of accommodating legislators and parliamentary staff elsewhere.
The Commission discovered that the project could no longer operate under shifting completion dates and resolved to issue a strict and binding completion target for the contractor.
In response, Roko officials who attended the meeting with the Parliamentary Commission and project consultants, committed themselves in writing to meet the June 30, 2027 deadline, with Parliament warning that progress will be closely monitored.
The development comes just days after the project was reported to have reached about 63% completion, with major structural steel works completed and roofing underway. The project team indicated that accelerated works are now expected to pave the way for internal finishes and specialised installations.
Construction project Delays
The construction of the new parliamentary chambers project is one of the contentious issue in the public after years of delays.
ROKO Construction Limited, began construction of the new parliamentary chambers in 2017, and construction was initially expected to be completed around 2020. However, following prolonged delays, the project cost has since risen from approximately Shs179 billion to about Shs220 billion following revisions.
Parliament recently attributed the delays to a combination of factors, including changes to structural designs, revised security requirements, funding and cash-flow constraints and difficulties in securing construction materials.
Some of the issues reviewed were structural design modifications that have repeatedly affected the construction programme.
Parliamentary explanations have also pointed to changes in the design following the November 2021 bomb blasts in Kampala, which triggered additional security considerations for the building, including the requirement for blast-resistant materials.
Cash-flow problems experienced by the contractor have also been cited as a major factor behind the slow progress.
The delays have attracted growing political scrutiny because Parliament continues to spend billions of shillings renting office space for MPs and staff while the purpose-built facility remains unfinished.
Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi has repeatedly questioned the slow pace of the project and called for greater accountability over the substantial public resources committed to ROKO and the chambers project.
Meanwhile, the new chambers are intended to address congestion in the existing parliamentary building and also to provide additional facilities for legislators and parliamentary operations. The current Parliament has expanded considerably beyond the capacity envisaged when the existing chambers were constructed.
