THE Auditor-General has queried the Road Development Agency (RDA) for delaying in commencement of road works in some parts of the country even when the Government had paid colossal sums of money.
According to the latest Auditor-General’s report, more than K14 billion was paid for some roads in Lusaka Province but the RDA had not commenced work.
The RDA has also been questioned over some various cases where contractors were being overpaid for some work done contrary to the initial agreements.
The report that was obtained by the Times yesterday raises several other concerns on how the road sector funds were being managed in the country.
The report reveals that the RDA over-committed the Government by over K1 trillion on various road contracts.
The approved budget for 2008 was K685 billion but the agency committed the Government to contracts in the sum of K1.643 trillion resulting in an over-commitment of K1,015 trillion.
“Contrary to the Appropriation Act of 2008 and the Public Finance Act of 2004, it was observed that the agency committed Government to expenditures in excess to money appropriated by parliament,” the report says.
The report also observes that five road projects in the sum of more than K182 billion were procured outside the 2008 work-plan and the authority to procure the same projects was not availed to auditors.
It was also discovered that the auditor-general’s clause was omitted on four projects when the Public Audit Act required all contracts to have a provision empowering the auditors to have access to all documents related to public expenditure.
[pullquote]The report also says the RDA paid K2.6 million for INTERNET services at the board chairperson’s private premises while another K17 million and K20 million was paid as a group personal accident policy for members without the authority of the minister.[/pullquote]
The RDA had started the tendering process for 16 contracts totaling K644 billion without designs or drawings which were supposed to identify the scope and cost of the projects in order to eliminate errors and help in preparation of the bill of quantities.
The absence of designs led to preparation of wrong bills of quantities that resulted in variations of contracts and extension of time of completion.
The report also says the RDA paid K2.6 million for INTERNET services at the board chairperson’s private premises while another K17 million and K20 million was paid as a group personal accident policy for members without the authority of the minister.
Although the contract for the manager – corporate services expired in July 2009, the agency did not withdraw his Tom Card and he drew fuel amounting to K6 million although part of it had been recovered while a former director-general drew K86 million worth of fuel when on forced leave.
It was also discovered that the board chairperson was also heading the finance and administration committee while the sitting of the same committee also constituted a quorum of the board.
Despite the requirement that the bidding period should be between four to eight weeks, it was discovered the majority of the bidding period had been 25 days irrespective of the project size.
kwena ..these pipo..Rupiah is proving worse off than Chiluba the lecturer.let us kick him out before we go down in the gutters
@-)…will it ever stop?
This is very sad indeed. RDA has internal audit department whose reports are tabled before the Audit committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Supplies. If these go without much ado and only part of fuel money is recovered from the ex director then we need to re-align the Audit Committee. Therefore the internal audit reports should be tabled instead before the AG’s quality Assurance Committee who should recommend to have these reports tabled before parliament before they are old. Imagine Kavindele some few days ago commenting on Mulongoti failing to run his lodge and I assume these are the failures getting through to RDA.
Mulongoti is the key figure on this one and He should be answerable to this charges.
The rains are just five months away and roads are not yet done.Especially township roads there so deplorable,as motorists we are frenquently buying shocks every now and then.It seems no one cares when road taxes are being paid to RATSA.whats wrong with these so called authorities kanshi?
😮
Find out also why sable was given the chipata to mfuwe at a total cost of 290bln without completing the kasama to luwingu road and the chipata township roads when in fact he was not the lowest bidder.They got rid of the Engineers estimate so that contractors can be bidding at exorbitant prices they by giving some officials a cut from it.
2011 – God forbid.
send your holy spirit to guide your children to elect sanitized leaders.
God fearing leaders
RDA over-committed the Government by over K1,015,000,000,000. My Lord!!!
yaba nkani yalula. ma guys ku RDA start panicking. your mansions will soon be unveiled. we shall very soon see various architectural master pieces situated in chalala, shimabala, and meanwood. kapoka will soon have room mates at his dwelling place. ACC DEC move fast man we a’int got time on this one.
Bu kabwalala ubwaendelela. Ba Zed thieving is now institutional and the trouble is, ifima audit report kuti fyafuma, but even next year we will have the same findings if not worse of misappropriations and embezzlement. It’s about time stringent measures were taken against the pepetrators and new rules and regulations were put in place to help curb bu kabwalala!!! It makes very sad reading!!!
RDA over-committing government’s meagre resources is the order of the day in Zed.Chiteni po something mwe bantu!!! Because once the parties involved realize that there are consequences for their actions and / or inactions they will learn to adhere to the rules. Even Embassy, Ministry personnel should be disciplined. We have every government institution doing the same!!! Awe do something about it. It hurts to know that so much wrong is being done, but it hurts even more to see nothing being done about it!
Fellow Zambians, why are we so docile? Things are getting from bad to worse and yet we remain quiet. we cannot talk or protest. Sable is now the conduit of all plundered resources. Look at the chipata township roads. Poor quality work and yet we are told that that is the design. When road engineers protest, they are threatened with dismissals and transfers. Remember that the govt has an obligation construct roads. its not a favour! When we come into power, sable will account for his dubious activities
please ba Rupia, do something about this RDA scandal. Mwaya sana
These COMPLETELY no hope for Zambia. stop comforting yourselves and enjoy the slow but sure fail and end of Zambians.Are.Monkeys.Born.In.Africa (Z.A.M.B.I.A)
where is capitalist and MMD bootlicker. MMD fracas.[-([-([-([-([-([-(
If such crime is being commited day in and out. Were is our learned leaders? From the reports, one can only conclude that there is NO control in our government departments. Now what gaurantee do we have that ALL the loans we are getting now will be utilised properly? In the first place we DONT even know the details of the projects being mentioned everyday by our president. How can you put out a tender without proper estimates on bill of quantities? And we have people(Abakulu for that matter) on this blog praising our government every day for the good work. We have a very sick and corrupt society. Today you steal money to maintain roads and tommorow buy an expensive car to drive on the same dilapidated road. GOD HELP US.
#14 I do not approve of retaliation but you have gone beyond my tolerance level. If you are a Zambian, you mune, are a total moron for repeating that ignorant statement. If you are not a Zambian, look at those 4 fingers pointing back at you, the mother of all monkeys.
total m.o.r.o.n – #14 that’s repeated for you
This is what corruption can do.
K86m wealth of fuel is almost 14,500 litres of fuel, Sure this must have gone for the Campagns Milanzi. Some1 must do smthng here.
RDA has got a head and the buck stops with this man. Whoever is the appointing authority, whether a Board of Directors or the President, should fire this man and if they do not, then they take on the blame. If the Board if directors does not act, the Minister should. If the Minister does n’t, the President should and if the President doesn’t, the people should remove RB in 2011. Mr President, the buck stops with you. Stop being a lamed duck and act decisively against the incompetent people in your govsernment. These people deserve the boot more than Chibombamilimo or Shakafuswa!
It would be nice if the AG named the culprits so that we know them. We are fed up of nameless officials who are plundering our country. I support the President on many issues, but if he does not do anything on this matter, I am sorry that we will part ways. I am angry to read of this happening under his watch! Please Mrs AG can you tell us WHO these people are? They need to be named and shamed!
There is a closely knit battery of whisky slurping thieves at the RDA. They are a law unto themselves. Uwa ikatako apya! These Cuban cigar smoking skellums own big houses, big motor cars, big mommas, big wallets and big bank accounts but no heart for country. Wapya munzi.
#22 The Saint
This is just a drop in the ocean man,there are a lot of reports from the AG,i bet you havent read the report from the embassies,the american and russian embassies in particular,the ZNBC report which is still with Hon Shikapwasha, Ministry of home affairs,Works and supply under Hon Mulongoti,just to mention a few,meanwhile i hear civil servants have been paid yet
Nchelenge district councile is also under scrutiny according to todays POST
I would be very much interested to know which issues you support RB for,coz to be honest i havent found any
A Scandle was exposed in chipata were the Engineers paid a contractor without doing any works worth K1Bln,ACC arrested the Engineers and the contractor but RB and MMD cadres are shielding the guys from prosecution,the Magistrate was chased by the MMD cadres from Chipata and the Two(2) Engineers employed by Sable.What a joke