Committee queries RA on M1 rehab delays

 Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Corporations and State Enterprises has queried Roads Authority (RA) on delays to award contracts for the rehabilitation of the pothole-riddled Lilongwe-Blantyre section of the M1.

The committee summoned RA to a hearing yesterday where it expressed concern over the road’s poor state despite funds for maintenance being collected through tollgates at Kalinyeke in Dedza and Chingeni in Ntcheu.

Committee vice-chairperson Patrick Mpinganjira- Matola said their inquiry established that the Roads Administration Fund (RFA) is sitting on K6 billion.

From that amount, K5 billion was raised through toll gates and K1 billion via fuel levies which were diverted to road rehabilitation projects following Cyclone Freddy devastation.

Said Mpinganjira- Matola: “We had a meeting with Roads Fund Administration last week which narrated that they have funds, K6 billion culminating from 2021 for roads maintenance.

“But the Roads Authority is not doing anything on the maintenance of the roads. The House has mandated us to go and find out about the situation of the road maintenance contracts.”

But in his response during the meeting, RA chief executive officer Francis Dimu said the authority had conducted all the contract awarding processes.

He said commencement of the works was awaiting approval from government vetting agencies.

Said Dimu: “The procurement has taken long from the time we advertised in August last year. To date, for some of the procurements we have not received the approvals to proceed.”

Meanwhile, the committee has said that it has summoned the Government Contracting Unit and the Office of the President and Cabinet to hear their side on the contract approval delays.

According to the RA presentation, Blantyre- Lilongwe road projects’ scope of work includes sectional rehabilitation budgeted at K4 billion, K500 million for Ntcheu shoulder widening and Dedza loop road at K1 billion.