Kambwili demands audit on US$4.3m spent on Michael Chilufya Sata Tollgate

Chishimba Kambwili says there is no way the Michael Chilufya Sata Toll Plaza on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway can cost US$4.3 million.

When commissioning the plaza on Sunday, President Lungu said: “US$4.3 million has been spent on this project. This project has been named after the founding father of the PF. It could not come at a great time after we put to rest our mother (Mama Chibesa Kankasa). It is our prayer that his legacy can be protected and grown. I am saying this because there are people saying that Lungu has lost Mr Sata’s vision, no Lungu this, Lungu that. If we carry on the vision of Mr Sata and someone says we have forgotten, then we say, tawaliko iwe (you were not there), you don’t know what Mr Sata stood for.”

But Kambwili said money was pocketed because that Tollgate was too simple to cost such a huge amount of money.

“And surely there are too many things the President can do rather than coming to officially open a tollgate which is going to be unfair to the general citizenry. This is what we call proper Chimpantepante,” he said.

“I also want to challenge the government to tell us what has made this tollgate cost $4.3 million. I think Zambians are being taken for a ride. There is no way that Toll Plaza can cost $4.3 million. This is corruption of the worst kind. If you look at the FRA sheds built all over Zambia and the one in Mpongwe, those sheds cost K5 million…. K5 million we erected those sheds under Michael Sata. Look at the sheds and see how complicated and of standard they are, and then compare with the simplicity of this tollgate, you will see that this government is a thieving government. That toll plaza cannot cost $4.3 million. Nabeba ulupiya (they’ve stolen the money). Let’s call for a forensic audit to find out what material was used to cost $4.3 million. This is daylight robbery against the people of Zambia.”

Source: The Mast