State House has started auditing foreign contractors engaged to execute government projects to ascertain their adherence to President Edgar Lungu’s directive to award 20 percent of major projects to local contractors. And President Lungu has directed the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection to ensure all Zambians have access to safe and clean drinking water.

Special assistant to the President for project implementation and monitoring Andrew Chellah said the audit exercise has started to establish if all foreign contractors undertaking Government projects are adhering to the sub-contracting policy. Mr Chellah said this yesterday after inspecting the ongoing works on the construction of the US$449 million Kafulafuta Dam in Masaiti on the Copperbelt alongside Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Permanent Secretary Ed Chomba.

“The President expressed concern at the resistance of these contactors when it comes to offering the 20 percent to local contractors and he instructed us to carry out an audit on compliance and today [yesterday] we are starting here,” he said. He said the findings of the 10-day audit exercise on the Copperbelt will be presented to President Lungu.

And Bishop Chomba said President Lungu wants all Zambians to have access to safe and clean drinking water within their vicinity.
“This project is bordering on the country’s Seventh National Development Plan, the Sustainable Development Goal number six and the Vision 2030,” Bishop Chomba said. Mr Lungu is today expected in Masaiti to commission the Kafulafuta Dam under the Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company’s Kafulafuta Water