GOVERNMENT is mobilising money to pay road contractors who stopped constructing roads due to non-payment.
Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Yamfwa Mukanga said Government will be able to pay all the concerned contractors soon so that they can continue their work.
“We had a few challenges in terms of financing, and then contractors wanted to be paid for all they had worked for, so Government has been trying to do that. So we will pay all the contractors as we go on,’’ he said.
Mr Mukanga said in an interview in Chongwe yesterday that some of the contractors who had stopped constructing roads have already resumed work.
The minister is waiting for a comprehensive report from directors in his ministry on the amount owed and what has so far been paid to the contractors.
Mr Mukanga, however, said some contractors stopped working because of the rainy season and others went back to their countries for holiday.
“Rainy season is a window period. As long as it is raining, it is difficult to do road construction,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Mukanga says he expects bus operators to reduce bus fares soon because it is long since the fuel prices came down.
He observed that transport operators are too quick to increase bus fares when fuel prices rise but are hesitant to reduce fares when prices fall.
“Bus operators made a proposal of how much they should reduce the bus fares, but other stakeholders refused the proposal.
Last week, bus operators had a meeting with the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to see what prices the operators are proposing and once they conclude, they will come to my office,’ Mr Mukanga said.
He urged bus operators to allow market forces to play their role, saying when fuel prices come down, bus fares should equally come down.
Where has disappeared already allocated money?
Mukanga should just be honest for once! Oh ouch! PF bandits get very itchy & scratchy if they try to spew the truth.
What bandit Mukanga is initially saying is that, PF is mobilizing debt or rather, KALOBA for they’re are broke as PF party & govt.
This is the same bandit Mukanga who over the last 3 years has been egregiously yapping about the national airline. Where is it now hypocrite Munkanga & PF Bandits?
Everything that PF says is lies, they are painstakingly pathological hypocrites & liars, whose fireish words must be treated with contempt it deserves.
PF has accumulated over $10 billion in debt just within 3 years of being in power bamambala. The whole load shedding DAILY poor PF Bandits.
The Skeleton Key
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Why can’t you use k6 billion Kwacha Nsanda buried at his house ? We need roads not streets . Get some money from RB , mulenga Sata , kazier Zulu , Henry banda all those bandits .we are suffering and the are buying the property’s in South africa . Lungu the deals with Mugabe can’t you get half and help as hear in Kabwe .
Pay them according to the quality of the roads . If they are substandard tell them to rework them .
….mobilising funds now…??….meaning some of the contracts where initiated on zero budget with no cost centre at all…..??….gentlemen, let us be serious or seen to be serious…this act of appeasement for the purpose of gaining a political mileage/vote….shall one day drive us into doldrums…..it clearly shows that there is lack of professionalism and budget discipline…..what we call ‘budget juggling’….getting funds which was meant for one thing to pay for something else…..that’s exactly what is going on……with the recent reversal of mines taxation…..we are in deep deep trouble….. thats what causes policemen, nurses, teachers etc being paid late…due to ‘fund juggling’……
Right brother. Sata was a visionless kaponya. It is him who has created the problem for PF. Earlier educated, experienced and disciplined MMD MPs join PF better for the nation.
Bwana minister, i hope you see this post. Be honest with zambians, they are your employer. In your statements do not ever mention rains as the affecting factor for this stoppage, its all about money, the country is bankrupt, i wonder what has happened to the budgeted funds for roads for financial year 2013/14.
Do not play political games on this, its a serious issue. Get back to the drawing board.
I hope even your minister of information would stop behaving as if he is the local government minister by directing council to remove political posters.
Problem is there is no coordination in this government
Did the Chinese contractors go on holiday too? Hope the Contractor on the great east toad from Chelstone to Arcades round about will be paid also.The road is incomplete,has no road markings
Every week this moron is contradicting himself…
Toll gates will answer your financial problems. Even Mozambique has introduced toll gates on their roads though with potholes.
I thought we had already contracted the debt and we were only spending the money which is already in our kitty. Now what is Hon mukanga telling us, that we borrowed but we have no money and we have to borrow again? I am thoroughly confused, I could ask HH to clarify but the man has become a biased politician and forgotten his economics.
And people are blaming contractors for abandoning projects!!
Yes fuel costs decreased but don’t forget that spare parts are still expensive as they are bought from outside of the country Mr Mukanga. So how low can these bus fares go? Government should give minibus operators guidelines on how much should be charged.