Director of science and technology in the ministry of higher education
Jane Chinkusu while National Biosafety Authority Board Chairman Paul
Zambezi looks on,this was during the launch of National Biosafety
Authority
GOVERNMENT is disappointed that a local contractor has purportedly abandoned rehabilitation works of Kasiya Secretarial and Business College in Pemba District of Southern Province after being paid about K7 million for the project.
Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu, who on Monday toured the College, was shocked that since 2009 when the contract was awarded, Ndiwanga Enterprise has allegedly failed to complete the works upto date.
College vice Principal Gilbert Mutunda said the firm was contracted by Government in 2009 to carryout out the rehabilitation of many departments of the learning institution.
Mr Mutunda said management at the college was dismayed that a project whose completion period was six months, had now taken more than six years without finishing.
“We are very disappointed with this contractor, since 2009, the firm has only worked on a few buildings before abandoning the whole project,” he said.
He claimed that company director Kennedy Zulu was unreachable as his phone was always off making it difficult to contact him. He said the company only managed to carry out less than 10 per cent of the project.
Pemba District Commissioner Reginald Mugoba also told Dr Kaingu that the project at Kasiya College had stalled without substantial progress.
Dr Kaingu, who checked at the contractor’s temporal offices, found the site deserted as there was only a Mr Banda, who was left as caretaker, but could not get in touch with Mr Zulu.
The minister was dismayed that some contractors were frustrating Government’s efforts of delivering quality infrastructural projects.
He said Government was committed to empowering local contractors by engaging them in infrastructural projects, but some have been a let-down.
“This is a sad development, how can rehabilitation works of a small project take over six years? “he wondered.
He said, if local contractors fail to implement projects, it was better to subcontract and engage Chinese counterparts who were committed.
He directed officials from his ministry to closely work with the college to find the contractor
Is is any surprise the country is in such a stupidd state?? NO ONE TAKES RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS COUNTRY!!
People just walk away with money & NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE!!! This Contractor guy should be PROSECUTED NO HOLDS BARRED!! The principal should be fired for incompetence – HE WAS/HAS BEEN THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THIS PROJECT & SHOULD HAVE REPORTED IT 6 yrs ago when the projected wasn’t completed within the 6months it should have been!!!!!!
Such stories make me feel so upset. Like a crying feeling.
Please what ever can be done bwana police and judiciary get this guy in prison. Sick person indeed.
ours is a country where there is no accountability….
Take the provincial buildings officer to task… How did the contractor manage to get paid with only 10% work done? The whole cartel must be rounded up and be hauled before the courts of law…!
Arrest the guy, what the hell is wrong with Zambians. From the government side, you mean they have no project managers checking these projects? this government is so useless.
Fota. Not the Principal bru. These projects are supervised by Works and Supply Buildings Dept. staff. Where were these guys for the past six years for them not to notice that the contractor was not doing the works. Contracts have contact details. The buildings guys can easily trace this contractor. Sequestration is an option in such cases
The thruth is the contractor was not paid by PF because the contract was signed under MMD. Everything that MMD left unpaid PF totally abandoned.
Even today apart from the two Universities Sata initiated no project planned by PF has been completed. Sorry even the two Unis are not yet complete.
Sad, I smell stinking Corruption here, who awarded the Contract, what was the Contract Sum and terms of payments. SOME KALULU SOMEWHERE SHOULD EXPLAIN, Political sentiments are not the solution but an Audit to find out the truth.
This is criminal! And we’re quick to ensure the law visits a simple man who steals a loaf of break to ensure his hungry family has something eat (not that it’s OK).
Go for his performance bond and engage another contractor. Why making such a short story long?
@ Ricky Bobby
To late! All money has been paid!! No “more money” in State “pockets”!!! This is nothing. What about REAL money and not peanuts. How many “contractors” have “abandoned” RDA contracts after receiving payments?
Kennedy Zulu: This is the chap who was Eastern Province MMD Chairman just before elections in 2011. After MMD lost the elections, he quickly rushed to the press (ZNBC TV) together with Mr. Mzwiti to condemn RB. They quickly joined PF so that they could run away from scandals. Unfortunately PF accepted them. SAD! Kennedy Zulu should be prosecuted if what Edgar Lungu stands for and preaches can bear fruit. Kennedy Zulu has fled Chipata were he used to stay because he did very poor work on the Chipata Airport new terminal. Please ACC, police, Construction council of Zambia, let us have this guy locked up. How many patients would have be cured if the K7m was used to buy drugs for the hospitals? Let us not waste time. let us all follow him or we we will conduct a citizen’s arrest.
….these one sided reports are difficult to understand…..we need contractor’s side of the story as well…..beside the K7m is in old currency and not rebased…if that is the only money(K7,000) paid out then there is no big deal here…
Me, I just condemn the one who authorised the awarding of the contract to a company named NDIWANGA
ZAMBIAN CONTRACTORS ARE HOPELESS GIVE THE CHINESE WORKS WILL BE DONE PERIOD
The problem is not Zambian contractors. It is the person awarding contracts, the Clients. When funds are available for some works, the officers on the tender award committee make their own companies overnight, use insider information, frivolously disqualify capable contractors, and then maraculously win tenders themselves. And obviously, the contractors will fail and when this happens, since officers themselves are involved, the client who is also the contractor, keeps quiet waiting for 6 years for some minister to stumble by. Everone is complicit. Sadly, when the minister also arrives, he fails to identify the real problem – corruption and decides to brand ALL Zambian contractors as bad and declares that Chinese are better. How can a country develop when ministers cannot solve problems…
…and always runs to engage the Chinese?? Well, this govt has failed and I suggest that we engage a govt from China which will be more committed.
Intresting name, Gilbert Mutunda. Anyway, shouldnt these be the cases that the president should be pushing for investigations instead of a case involving the collapse of a wall fence?
Same story from the dull president to his ministers. ..but no one changes the criterion for contractors to be awarded such contracts..the news we have heard from this selfsame ministry is enough to get this minister out of the job.
This is the result of corruption of giving contracts to inexperienced cadres to put money in their pockets. Arrest the contractor and let the courts of law deal with him
no one will be brought to justice, there is no accountability in PF. They are all thieves, they all do it. So making some one accountable might revel a lot of scandals and thefts best, left alone.
Start by arresting the minister under whose portfolio the project falls. How could this have gone unchecked for so long? Lock up the contractor and all the project managers involved as well.
How the contract awarded in the first place should always be a starting point to a good investigation.We cant always be complaining because a few selfish individuals.
LAZ AND ACC, WAKE UP AND BE RELEVANT FOR ONCE INSTEAD OF POLITIKING
The contract was awarded in 2009 under MMD and should have taken six months according to the Principal. Therefore ba PF “niba sangwapo fye”.
IS ANYONE SURPRISED?