Some months ago, I got a call from a guy (A mzungu/white, name withheld) to help with the Hamptons Hospital. He purported that he wanted me to be their consultant and that I prepare a proposal for them. I fuelled my car, and we met the guy at the site in Butere. I was very excited, and for about 5 hours, the guy picked my mind on various construction challenges they were facing. Later, he claimed that he had changed his mind and wanted me to work for him as a contractor and that we would sign a contract once I brought materials and workers on site. This raised some red flags. Something was off. Of course, I didn’t sign any contract with them. I had seen the flashy facade of the hospital building on their Facebook page, but what I saw when I visited the hospital was a complete shock. Inside was an empty shell with haphazardly done work. There seemed to have been no design drawings for mechanical and electrical services. It looked utterly unplanned, and it seemed they were trying to cover up. Anyone who has visited this place can bear witness to this. Why don’t they show the inside of the building? Why don’t they show the bed capacity they keep parading?

The warehouse they keep parading on social media is a warehouse.

It baffles how this guy can scam the world about his metropolis with a state-of-the-art hospital and golf course that doesn’t exist and a mall that’s a warehouse with largely empty shelves.

Even the Wikipedia page for the city looks like a sponsored page written by associates of Mwale. Look at the content and figures uploaded on the page and judge yourself.

There are many allegations of non-payment of suppliers and contractors. Go to any of their YouTube videos about the city or Julius Mwale, and you will see the complaints. You will also come across many comments that seem to defend these people. If you don’t believe me, visit this place.

Who are the Architects, Engineers, and Quantity Surveyors involved in this project? Who are the contractors?

 

In my search for answers, I came across a comprehensive Twitter thread by the journalist Saddique Shaban, who has documented this scam for over 4 years. Check the Twitter by going to the thread. Go and read. Scroll down and up the thread for early and latest coverage. This is the best online resource documenting their activities.