By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Presidential Spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya says President Hakainde Hichilema has embarked on the reformation of the public procurement of the country.
And Mr Bwalya said that the recent revelations by the Auditor General’s Report on the non-compliance to procurement procedures by the past regime has irked the Head of State.
He said this yesterday when he was addressing the press, Mr Bwalya said that President Hichilema has guided that all Government procurement agencies adheres to the Circular Number 4 of 2021 issued by Cabinet office on the procurement of goods and services, warning of consequences to those who would disregard the guidelines.
Mr Bwalya said the President’s long standing view is that in order to expand and expedite the delivery of social and economic dividends for the Zambian people, there is need to eliminate the feud of public procurement feud.
He said that the President was worried that wasteful expenditure of public resources and the rise in the failure by Government procurement Agencies in the past 3 years was robbing the general citizenry of services such as clean drinking water, education facilities, health care and job opportunities.
“From the Auditor General’s Report for 31st December, 2020, two (2) issues stand out: number one, the failure to follow tender procedures-this has spiked from K524, 500 in 2019 to a figure of K234, 700, 094 on 2020. Number 2: Wasteful expenditure has risen from a figure of K3, 730, 964 in 2019 to K1, 407, 521, 520 by 2021. The country aims incidentally the Zambian people are losing money and opportunities for jobs; public health care; education and sanitation among several others,” he charged.
He warned that the President would not sit and watch while public servants continued to rob marginalised Zambians of a better future.
Meanwhile, COVID Advisor to the President Hichilema, Roma Chiengi said that the impending 4th wave of the novel coronavirus that is anticipated hence it is imperative that citizens do not take the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions by the Ministry of Health as a leeway to start abrogating the COVID-19 golden rules.
