By Denis Lumiti
Ikolomani Member of Parliament Benard Shinali has denied claims that some of the storey buildings put up in several schools in the constituency were unsafe.
Shinali said the claims were being spread by his political nemeses to taint his name in bad light and destroy his political mileage.
He assured residents that engineers who inspected the buildings that were constructed using funds from the National Government Constituency Development Funds gave them a clean bill of health.
“These claims are propagated and spread by my opponents who feel the buildings would aid my re-election. All the storey learning facilities in Ikolomani are very safe and have been inspected and certified by experts from relevant authorities,” said Shinali.
The MP was speaking at Mumbetsa Primary School when he commissioned a new storey learning block at the institution.
Some residents claimed the facility was one of those whose stability was in question.
They claimed teachers and pupils were afraid of using the building as it appeared shaky, especially whenever it rains.
Businessman Vincent Mukhono who is one of the aspirants seeking to unseat Shinali, said whereas he would not want to be drawn into the controversy, there was need for proper assessment of the learning blocks to assure parents, teachers and pupils of their safety.
“I have heard about those reports and my advice is that due diligence be done to instill confidence in our teachers and children. We should not wait until a tragedy happens,” said Mukhono when he donated desks to Shimanyiro Primary School in the constituency.
Shinali’s critics claim construction of the storey buildings has been turned into a cash cow and that some were disasters-in-waiting due to substandard workmanship at inflated costs.
But the MP allayed fears and assured that the buildings were safe while he denied claims of corruption.
