CONTRACTOR Abandons K37 BILLION Building Project

MWINILUNGA council secretary Charles Chimwisa has revealed political duress in the engagement of a contractor for a new K37 billion adminstration block complex that has since been abandoned.
According to Chimwisa, Lusaka-based Buildtech was early this year engaged to put up the new office complex on the Mwinilunga-Ikelengi road but the firm has since abandoned the site from June, leaving debts amounting to K600 Million with suppliers and workers.
Chimwisa said that the local authority had opened the works to public tender but the process was allegedly overtaken by political pressure to award the contract to Buildtech in March.
Chimwisa revealed that Buildtech was introduced to the council by then Mwinilunga West member of parliament Elijah Muchima who at the time also served as local government and housing deputy minister.
He said that it was a challenge for the local authority to choose another contractor despite putting the works to public tender.
‘Yes, there was an influence, actually, this was campaign period and it was difficult. for us,’Chimwisa said.
He revealed that in the process, the government released K500 million for commencement of works, outbof which K100 million was allocated to Urban Techniques, a council approved consultant for the project while Buildtech recieved K400 million but the contractor only built a foundation to slab level using locally-made kilned blocks.
Chimwisa said when council officials and members of the public raised concern on the suitability and strength of the blocks for foundation works, Urban Technique assured that samples of the blocks had been tested in Lusaka and passed appropriate tests for the project and the council gave a go-ahead.
However, according to Chimwisa, Buildtech failed to proceed with works after accruing debts of K350M and K250M with site workers.

Posted by Editor on November 8, 2011. Filed under LATEST NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

15 Responses to CONTRACTOR Abandons K37 BILLION Building Project

Wapya Baisa

November 8, 2011 at 3:39 pm

Back door investors(infestors).Watch out….Have the workers been payed yet?For all those months they layed that weak foundation.
Anani Koffi

November 8, 2011 at 4:13 pm

ilifye bwino.
Bweupe

November 8, 2011 at 5:12 pm

The Contractor’s NCC registration is B-5, and the thresh-hold of works he can bid for is Zmk 2.5 billion.How did they allow this to happen without alarming the public.? The company has no experience of a similar job nature done before, infact it has no exeprience at all.
peter

November 8, 2011 at 6:01 pm

one does not need to be a quantity surveyor or architect to see there was everything wrong about this contract. i think this is all drama! first and foremost the Council’s district procurement committee cannot procure works of this magnitude coz they are limited by thresholds, i think that the tender needed to go through Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA).

secondly, the so called consultant needed to prepare BOQ in order to ascertain the cost of the project before-hand. 37 billion with cashflow of 500,000,000.00 is outrageous to say the least!

the Contractor on the other hand is not in Group 1 to merit the award of a multi-billion contract. then the use of traditional bricks in modern day and age is unacceptable especially for govt funded projects. durability and structural integrity maybe jeopardised.

its not too late, the contractor can be fished out, the performance bond which the contractor must have submitted before commencement of work must be revoked. according to percentage thresholds of performance bonds on building contracts, it should be adequate to offset all the debts accrued unless such a bond was not furnished by the contractor, in which case, its becomes a serious technical oversight and reason enough to commence prosecution cases against consultant.

NCC can gladly take up the matter and institute disciplinary action by way of blacklisting the contractor and possible prosecution of culprits.
Uko

November 9, 2011 at 1:57 am

Peter libuuku mulelemba?
Bravo

November 9, 2011 at 6:45 am

Mwinilunga District Council, take this free advise from Peter, unless you are part of the scam. Better still consult him privately.He appears to be one of the experienced civil engineers the world is looking for. Nga tamumfwile lwenu, don’t cry foul.
Muzo

November 9, 2011 at 8:46 am

These incompentent councillors only are only telling us one thing. They are not Leaders, therefore we the formative age must take up our place as Councillors, Ministers, PS etc. They even have the impudence now to say they were coerced into believing that the bricks/material were tested. Where was the test certificate to authenticate the testing of the same material. What do you know about Management for a ka Duty Minister to lead you against all ethical practice to accept this scam. You are a scandal yourselves and should resign on moral grounds, you incompenent grow ups with no shame flimsily excusing yourselves for mismanaging our resources. ****** fools. We the youth ‘s’ must now/immediately form a youth league to spool our managerial and youthful leadership skills for the next election 2016 were the President can appoint from than these wiseful thinker leaders with no moral standing. When do we meet? To formulate our system of leadership and our mandate.
Muzo

November 9, 2011 at 8:49 am

These incompentent councillors are only telling us one thing. They are not Leaders, therefore we the formative age must take up our place as Councillors, Ministers, PS etc. They even have the impudence now to say they were coerced into believing that the bricks/material were tested. Where was the test certificate to authenticate the testing of the same material. What do you know about Management for a ka Deputy Minister to lead you against all ethical practice to accept this scam. You are a scandal yourselves and should resign on moral grounds, you incompenent grow ups with no shame flimsily excusing yourselves for mismanaging our resources, fools. We the youth ‘s’ must now/immediately form a youth league to spool our managerial and youthful leadership skills for the next election 2016 were the President can appoint from than these wiseful thinker leaders with no moral standing. When do we meet? To formulate our system of leadership and our mandate.
Full Petticoat

November 9, 2011 at 10:11 am

Ladies and gents, wasn’t this part of the Unprecedented Development we experienced earlier this year?
Kalok

November 9, 2011 at 10:41 am

I am getting concerned with MDs, DGs, town clerks and other leaders of corporate and civil organisations claiming to have been ‘coerced’ to do the illegal things they did. Why didn’t they put that on record, even privately where such objections could be traced?? I think we need more firing still.
kennedy mwila

November 9, 2011 at 12:10 pm

UKO Wansekesha.katabo peter alelemba
Framuka

November 9, 2011 at 12:55 pm

When Sata fires incompetent people who are wasting tax payer’s money like such an apology of a team, some individuals are coming out with all sorts of excuses.Hey Sata what…Sata this……..
Kalok, I agree with you “more firing”
Uko

November 9, 2011 at 2:05 pm

Ba Mwila awe katabo mwe!
MMC Chilebabes

November 9, 2011 at 2:14 pm

RB’s Unprecedented Developments, lol.
Nakabemba

November 9, 2011 at 4:56 pm

Is it true one can just come tell you the bricks are ok and you accept? Where is the whole contract document? Where were the specifications? Bwafya where a contractor decides what materials he has to use. Where is the contractor? Prosecute him and blacklist him.

Civil Engineering is taken for granted in Zambia that is why there are a lot of poor works coz you find every one claiming to be an engineer with a kama one month certificate from NCC.