Engoyi, Omuntele road users accuse road contractor company of incompetence

Some road users of the Engoyi and Omuntele road in the Oshikoto region are accusing the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) of being incompetent as it has failed to complete the Engoyi-Omuntele road within the scheduled eight months.
Omuntele constituency councillor Sackeus Nangula said there are many “awful” stories surrounding the road during the Omuntele Constituency Development Committee meeting held at Omuntele on Wednesday.
He said the road was awarded to RCC in November 2023 and was supposed to be completed in June 2024, but they failed to do so as construction is still ongoing.
“The lack of communication and incompetence of RCC have caused havoc between RCC and road users of Engoyi and Omuntele. There are a lot of things happening on this road and the Anti-Corruption Commission is already investigating this road,” Nangula said.
He added that RCC was given eight months to complete the road but failed to do so.
Another road user, Filemon Petrus, says the RCC “only has the skills to construct roads but cannot put the skills into practice. RCC workers are not cooperating with the communities who could assist them.”
Petrus adds that RCC workers are always shouting at them to use alternative roads.
“They are not kind to us, some of them insult us while others block us when we utilise the road,” says Petrus.
RCC liaison officer Malulu Kambonde says they are continuing with work despite rain affecting their progress.
“We have encountered challenges from road users’ alternative road that they created on the side while we are maintaining the main road,” he says.
Kambonde says they have tried digging trenches for water to flow on the side of the road.
He also says they experienced some delays because some of their machinery broke.
“Sometimes the community insults our staff members, so that is why they respond back with insults,” Kambonde says.