Sata warns Musokotwane over Chipata-Mfuwe road project

Sata warns Musokotwane over Chipata-Mfuwe road project
By George Chellah
Wed 06 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has warned finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane to be extremely careful with the payments to the tarring of the Chipata-Mfuwe road project estimated at the cost of K290 billion.

In an interview on Monday, Sata cautioned Dr Musokotwane against funding the Chipata-Mfuwe road project outside the approved amount in the 2010 budget. He wondered why the government and President Rupiah Banda in particular were so much in a hurry over the Chipata-Mfuwe road project.

“I am challenging Musokotwane to disclose where they will get the funding for that road. Is that K290 billion for the Chipata-Mfuwe road in the yellow book? Has that amount, the K290 billion been approved by Parliament?” Sata asked.

“Let Musokotwane and Rupiah Banda be very careful over this road. If that K290 billion, which is estimated for this project is not in the 2010 budget then it will be classified as plunder of national resources and abuse of office. Therefore, Musokotwane must be careful.”

He wondered why the government proceeded to award the contract to the contractor assigned for the project.

“Let Mike Mulongoti works and supply minister also tell us because in every contract there is a termination clause. How and why have they kept this same contractor when they have failed to deliver on other roads for instance the Mansa-Kasama road?” Sata said.

“Years keep passing by without them finishing their works on this road Mansa-Kasama. There are other projects where they have also failed to deliver, so why give them more jobs?

“We know that they are on a fundraising venture for the 2011 campaigns so they now want to raise their campaign funds through such questionable projects.”

PF spokesperson and Kabwata member of parliament Given Lubinda echoed Sata’s observations on the Chipata-Mfuwe road project.

“About K5 billion is the budget for the Chipata-Mfuwe road. That’s K1 billion for feasibility studies and design of the road through Road Development Agency (RDA),” Lubinda explained.

“There is an additional K4 billion meant for the construction of the road. So the total amounting to K5 billion was approved for the 2010 budget.

“Let them explain where they are getting the K286 billion from because all the monies irrespective of the source need to go through Parliament. They can’t just spend money without Parliament’s approval.”

Lubinda expressed shock with the government’s decision to award contracts to failing contractors.

“Why is it that they are giving contracts to the same people who are not delivering on the work? Isn’t this just the way of making the hard-earned tax-payer’s money for the sake of funding the MMD?” asked Lubinda.