CADRES GOT LIONS SHARE OF ROAD CONTRACTS – AUDIT
AN ONGOING audit by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has established that over 70 percent of road construction projects were awarded to cadres by the Patriotic Front (PF) government.
Worse still, the previous administration also over-contracted about K13 billion against a budget of K3.5 billion for rehabilitation of feeder roads, reports ZNBC.
Paying a courtesy call on Mufulira District Commissioner Saboi Kabeka on Wednesday, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Gary Nkombo said road contracts during the PF government were a preserve of its party cadres.
After assuming office, Mr Nkombo established that his ministry was owing K3 billion in certified works, of which most contracts were awarded about four years ago.
According to the minister, some cadres who received contracts have not moved on site yet and the roads assigned to them have not been worked on despite having been paid over K11 million.
Mr Nkombo is taken aback that the previous government was allegedly awarding contracts in the road sector based on people’s political affiliation at the expense of those with capacity to do a good job.
He said the payment of huge sums of money to undeserving contractors has greatly contributed to incomplete road construction projects in various parts of the country.“We have a list of contractors who are politically exposed and were paid huge sums of money in advance at the expense of people that were ready to work,” Mr Nkombo said.
The minister will give a full report on the matter after the audit is concluded.Mr Nkombo was disappointment with what he saw on the ground in Mufulira and Lufwanyama where most contractors have allegedly abandoned works.
He inspected the 49-kilometre Luansobe road in Mufulira where he was informed that the contract was terminated after it was discovered that the Catholic Church had bought part for the land where the road passes.
The minister also learnt that less than five percent of works have been done on the road and said he will recommend the termination of the contract.In Lufwanyama, he was disappointed to learn that the contractor only moved on site on Wednesday after hearing about his visit.
Mr Nkombo said it is unfortunate that the contractor, Choice Build Contractors, had to wait for him to visit the area to start working on the 110km road.However, the project will have to proceed because the road is of economic importance and that it will be difficult for farmers to transport their produce if the works are halted.
The minister will, as such, engage the contractor to establish the challenges the company could be facing so that they can be addressed.But Government will be forced to look for another contractor if the current one fails to deliver to expectation.
And Choice Build Contractors project manager Kenez Mufungwe said the company was engaged to work on the road last year and that the contract is for three years.Mr Mufungwe said the company machinery has been on site for eight months when the firm started working on the road.
Meanwhile, Mr Nkombo has threatened to cancel non-performing contracts for feeder roads on the Copperbelt, reports PRISCILLA CHIPULU and STAFRANCE ZULU in Ndola. Mr Nkombo is concerned that some contracts which were signed years back have not been fully implemented.
He was speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary Augustine Kasongo yesterday. “There are several contracts signed but they have not performed.
Others are at zero. So we are looking at the contracts with a view to [suspending] them and only give contracts when money is available,” the minister said.
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