Dott drags UNRA back to court over non-payment of claims

UNRA and Dott Services, who have in the recent past been embroiled in disagreements that have drawn in President Museveni’s intervention, have a long-standing claim settlement dispute after court ordered the authority to pay the contractors its due.

Civil contractors Dott Services Ltd have dragged Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) back to court over non-payment of claims as per earlier court order.

Dott Services is demanding over Shs10 billion from UNRA, claiming that the roads authority has deliberately ignored demands to pay up what is due as per a Commercial Court order.

In 2017, Judge David Wangutusi, of the Commercial Division of the High Court, ordered UNRA to pay the contractors Shs7.8 billion for work done on Mbale-Soroti road. However, according to Dott Services, the court order has yet to be executed despite several demands and notices to the roads Authority.

Now, in a miscellaneous application number 1476 of 2017, Dott Services is seeking High Court intervention to compel UNRA to fulfill its obligations plus costs.

Dott Services was contracted by UNRA to construct the Mbale-Soroti road, a service it executed and was awarded a certificate of completion.

However, according to documents submitted before the court, a certificate number 19 of Shs2,652,752,418, which was submitted on December 15, 2015, and by the terms of the contract ought to have been paid by March 10, 2016, wasn’t paid.

Dott Services is further aggrieved that retention sums of Shs5,241,829,879 submitted on August 30, 2016, and due for payment on November 24, 2016, under the contract was also not paid up.

“These claims attract an interest of 23% per annum which, as of December 7, 2017,when the application was filed, amounted to Shs2,313,368,347, bringing the grand total to Shs10,207,950,644,