Ministry, CR20 justify K28bn railway budget

 The Ministry of Transport and Public Works and CR20 have justified the extra K28 billion for the rehabilitation of the Marka-Bangula Railway line.

Government in 2022 awarded CR20 a contract to rehabilitate the railway at K68 billion. Initially, the contract was given to Mota Engil, but the Anti-Corruption Bureau suspended the awarding of the contract in 2021 following a complaint alleging irregularities and suspected corruption.

However, two weeks ago, our sister paper The Nation carried a story that CR20 was proposing an adjustment of the project’s cost by K28 billion taking the total cost to K96 billion.

Following the publication, the Parliamentary Committee of Transport and Public Infrastructure visited the railway project in Nsanje yesterday to appreciate the need for the new cost.

Speaking to the committee’s members, Ministry of Transport Principal Secretary Administration Madalo Nyambose said the K28 billion remained a proposal the ministry will consider.

She said the new cost stem from new changes in the project designs and the proposed construction of three more loops at Marka Station in Nsanje.

“The consultants based their cost and design estimates on the study carried out by Jica in 2012. However, in hindsight, it has been discovered that new designs have to be effected to take into account how cyclones have created new rivers or widened rivers.

“Again, there is a need to construct five loops at Marka Station to match with those on the Mozambican side. The said cost of the new additional work is subject to approval by the ministry.”

On his part, CR20 technical and business development manager engineer Vitumbiko Mumba said they are not charging extra to the initial contract of K68 billion but the K28 billion is about the new works.

“The K28 billion is independent of the K68 billion. The new designs and construction of other structures such as bridges was not foreseen.

“We will need construct five loops at Marka Station and a triangle at Nsanje in-land Port,” he said.

Speaking to journalists after the tour, Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure chairperson Enock Phale said he was satisfied with what he saw on the ground.

“After touring the project, we are satisfied with the proposal to effect the new designs and construct new structures because we want a durable project,” he said.