By Patson Chilemba
Infrastructure minister Charles Milupi says the fact that the Lusaka-Ndola dual-carriage way has been procured at less than half the price quoted under the previous administration, should make those making noise in the PF to consider the ridiculousness of their claims that they will one day get back into office.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Milupi said the fact that the UPND procured the 327 kilometers road at US$577 million as opposed to the US$1.2 billion under the PF administration should tell them how ridiculousness their claims sounded to the ears of Zambians, who overwhelmingly rejected them despite enjoying all the levers of power, including stopping others from campaigning and switching off internet facilities in the country.
“My advise to them is analyse why people didn’t vote for you, why they voted overwhelmingly against you. One million margin is a lot, especially when the people who have won were in the opposition and you were in control and had all the instruments of power,” Milupi said. “Analyse where you were doing wrong things and say, yes that was wrong we shall not do it again … maybe then people will forgive you. To just say we are coming back, tulebwelelapo, is absolutely ridiculous. Zambians are not stupid. They know why they voted them out.”
Milupi appealed to people’s consciences that the Lusaka Ndola dual carriage way was a big project, including the difference in pricing between two different administrations on the same project.
He said this was one of the reasons why the UPND wanted to get into government as they did not agree with the exorbitant pricing on public works, saying they were not going to tolerate a situation where an average cost of a road project was costing US$1.2 million per kilometer.
Milupi said the administration simply had to put their foot down even when the remnants of constructors came along with the same old pricing that that was not going to happen again.
“Because it is these overpricing that have resulted in us being highly indebted and not really being able to show where the money has gone,” Milupi said, adding that the country could have constructed twice as many roads from the money that was borrowed by the PF administration. “When you have these exorbitant costs, there is a strong possibility that it’s fueling corruption. Where you have corruption, no matter how much money you the corrupted have been paid by the corruptee, quality immediately suffers. The one who has corrupted you wants to make money and they will make their money by delivering less quality and that’s where we have a number of roads prematurely failing.”
He dared the public to watch the quality of the road that will be done, as the administration was determined to get value for money, as opposed to roads developing canals because of shoddy works and poor material used on them.
Milupi said some contractors have come forward to reduce their costs on goods, and that if they could do so on a contract that was already signed, the government will go along with them.
Asked on the views by some that 25 years was a long time for the concessionaire to run the tolls following their works on the road, Milupi said the administration was not reinventing the wheel as the investor will have to recoup their investment, saying the biggest thing was that the country will have a worthy road and a share in the revenues.
He added that more agreements were earmarked for the Sakanya-Ndola-Mufulira raod as well as the Lumwana West to Kapimpa and the Batoka-Maamba through the PPP mechanism.
He also said that the Ndola-Lusaka road has not been done to temper on the Zambia-China relations, in view of President Hichilema’ tilt towards the west, in awarding the project to China’s Macro-Ocean Investment Consortium.
The Consortium has been awarded a 25-year deal for the financing, construction and operational maintenance of the Lusaka-Ndola road, including the 45 kilometers Luanshya-Fisenga road.
