Government has announced that there will be no further extensions granted for the construction of Kasama Airport, citing previous extensions due to heavy rainfall during the last rain season. The decision was revealed by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Permanent Secretary, Eng. Fredrick Mwalusaka, during a courtesy call on the Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bernard Mpundu.
The contracts for the completion of works were initially scheduled for September 2022, with the Kasama Airport Runway expected to be finished by 31st December 2022. However, due to adverse weather conditions, the progress stands at 60 percent. The government had already granted two extensions to the contractors to account for the impact of heavy rainfall.
A delegation of high-ranking government officials, including Permanent Secretaries from various ministries, such as the Ministry of Information and Media, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, arrived in Kasama for an on-site inspection of the construction progress. The inspection visit aims to evaluate the works and assess the potential for completion ahead of the anticipated commissioning by President Hakainde Hichilema before the Ukusefya Pa Ng’wena traditional ceremony in August, celebrated by the Bemba-speaking people of the Northern Province.
The primary objective of the inspection tour is to monitor the progress of the airport project, which commenced in 2014 but experienced delays until August 2022 when President Hichilema intervened and directed its completion. All the Permanent Secretaries on the tour emphasized the need for the timely conclusion of the construction works.
Eng. Mwalusaka acknowledged the transportation challenges faced by provincial administrations and assured his counterparts that the Ministry of Transport and Logistics is working closely with the Cabinet Office to ensure the availability of government transportation resources.
The delegation is scheduled to inspect and assess the achievements made thus far in the construction works. Mr. Mpundu, the host Permanent Secretary, expressed his gratitude towards the engineers involved in the project, acknowledging their commendable efforts despite the unfavorable weather conditions. He further revealed that Paramount Chief Chiti Mukulu and Senior Chief Mwamba visited the site earlier in the week, expressing their satisfaction with the positive progress witnessed.
Once commissioned by President Hichilema, the new Kasama Airport is expected to transform the face of the Northern Province. The completion of this critical infrastructure project will enhance transportation links and bolster economic development in the region.
I still get intelligence from office of president. I am told that hh is upset about our father’s jogging getting alot of publicity. Hh can’t understand how our father ecl is very likeable yet hh is not. Hh has demanded his secret officers to bring ecl down. The good thing is that these officers are loyal to me
So you expect the contractor to lay a runway in heavy downfall..are you going to pay for wastage of butimen? Sometimes dont be too excited with directives from Sate House
There’s no place on planet earth where it rains everyday of the year, not even in the tropical rainy forests. There are always breaks in rainfall even during the rainy season. But engineers still manage to build roads. I just do not understand this rainy season excuse. The truth is works started in 2014 but due to PF budget indiscipline, not much was achieved.
Gunner in Zambia – Its nothing to do with rain but payments.. they dont pay the contractor on time, remember contractors hire machinery calculated on daily basis.
why do we want airports in places that are don’t attract people. why not use the money to build two state of the art factories for anything in kasama so that their products will bring about the much needed value for kasama. then the town can see development because I the towns economy can thrive. Al final foreigners are carefully nothelp build factories that can supply the world because that would mean real progress so they build this that are of little importance
This Kasama airport failure is on PF because they mismanaged Zambia’s economy,foreign debts and more.