Finance Minister Bwalya Ng’andu says there has been a lag between the construction of road tolling facilities and the full realization of the impact they have on improving the roads.
Dr. Ng’andu said that he is aware that so much money has been spent in designing and constructing toll gates and that once the money is exhausted, it will pay off as what will be collected from toll fees is profits.
Dr. Ng’andu said that most of the money realized from toll fees will go towards maintaining roads countrywide, adding that it is obvious that once the government collects toll fees from road users, the government will have a duty to maintain roads.
Dr. Ng’andu said that road users should expect more and more roads to be worked on as a result of the toll fees being collected, noting that currently the amount of roads that need to be worked on is quite huge adding that road maintenance has been going on since 2013.
Dr. Ng’andu was speaking shortly after inspecting operations at the Chongwe Toll plazas with National Roads Funds Agency -NRFA- Chief Executive Officer WALLECE MUMBA in Chongwe.
And Mr.Mumba said NRFA has collected over K 4 billion in road tolling fees from 2013 to the end of 2019 and that as at the end of 2019, NRFA was running 24 inland toll collection points such as weighbridges and toll plazas.
Mr.Mumba said the agency also has an additional ten collection point at the borders making them 34 in total and said that NRFA has also introduced an electronic payment system which is expected to increase inland toll fee collection this year.
Mr.Mumba said over eight thousand cards have been distributed to motorists across the country as a way of promoting cashless transactions when collecting toll fees and that NRFA is this year opening up six more toll gates.
Mr.Mumba says the Chongwe toll station which started operating in 2017 collects about 86 thousand Kwacha per day and 2 point 6 million kwacha in toll fees.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ng’andu has called on engineers working on the Kacholola bridge which was damaged by rains to speed up works to put up a permanent bridge.
Dr. Ng’andu, who inspected the temporal bailey bridge praised Engineers for ensuring that traffic flow is restored on the portion where the bridge was damaged.
And Mr.Mumba briefed the Minister that NRFA releases K 5 Million Kwacha to the Road Development Agency (RDA) working with DMMU mobilized the bailey bridge and installed it on the damaged portion of the great east road in Eastern province.
He said any delays in doing so would have resulted in a complete cut off of Lusaka and eastern province.
Mr.Mumba further disclosed that permanent works on the bridge following the release of funding to RDA will start next week.
He said NRFA will require more funding to ensure that permanent bridges are constructed in areas where they are damaged.
Idyots!
How can you spend money on “designing”? Why can’t those civil servants who spend the business week sitting under Lusaka jacaranda trees drinking maheu, given something to do?
Styupid idyots!!
Money money, give it to ZNS they will do a better job.
Everyone is now saying money is being given to DMMU???. Money for salaries and road maintenance going to DMMU??
A country the size of zambia with 40 toll gates ? while countries with 100 times more tar roads have less than 5 toll gates….
Kwena this is taxing to the max….all transportation costs are eventually passed on to the end consumer…
Uk only has 23 toll roads, with more roads than Zambia !
Now ask how much they contribute at the same toll gate. A single football match ticket in premier league is about £70 that’s above the Zambian minimum wage. They pay more and have better services we pay less and you expect wonderful services.
Roads are never constructed in kwacha but in USD. With your money becoming like toilet tissue you will have to cough lots to make just one metre road. Be ready bwana to pay more if you want better services.
In some countries, the Treasury would issue directives to the construction industry about deploying value for money or best value in all govt projects. Projects over $5 million should incorporate value management whether its a gift or EXIM bank project, it’s reckless to say you aware about so much money spent on Tollgates yet 60% of that money ended up in pockets due to corruption I mean how do you justify a Toll gate costing $4.5 million, this is just an open shelter with manned barriers connected to a computer. Already Dr. Ng’andu has been infected by his fellow dull PF ministers.
ck – you talking rubbish, for 2 million you can get far much better toll gates and the reason that you have compared a football stadium that is functional once a week says a lot about you and no only Premiership clubs in London namely Chelsea and Arsenal charge those prices for an average seat. I think you should just go and watch football these discussions are not for you!
Who doesnt know that all the money collected from toll gates is being used for civil servants salaries then how do you expect roads to be worked on. The more you delay the costly it will be. Dollar has breached the K15 mark going to 16.
With all these toll gates, its time to do away with road tax on vehicles
Ncwala things . I will comment after the weekend. Right now I am not in right state of mind. Kz
Pay retirees minister not vima tollgates.
Ukulingana nefyo mulesosa that it is obvious that once the government collects toll fees from road users, the government will have a duty to maintain roads.
Previously the government had no such duty?
Ukulingana nefyo mulesosa that it is obvious that once the government collects toll fees from road users, the government will have a duty to maintain roads. So previously the government had no such duty?
the simple fact is before PF government we heard no such thing as a toll gate, we had way bridges in a few parts of the nation with roads filled with pot holes to an extent that bus passangers would at times remind the bus driver to slow down because they were way too familiar with their one lane great East and North roads, when PF formed government it embarked on a nation wide road network, this the infamous TIZADYA MA ROADS comments. PF has linked Zambia, however we need more roads and we need to maintain the already built roads, our friends out thier use toll gates, it’s only fair we use toll gates to build roads.. I’m breaker, I’m transcendent and I approve this message
When government stops working for the people it’s time to change that government that is the reason why we go to elections every five years said Sangwa.
Day light robbery this government just wants rip off people from every angle even boreholes,tax on fuel plus toll gates same with what South African government wanted to do with e-tolls but people refused and the government listed and stopped but i don’t think our government can listen to the people.
KZ what right state of mind naiwe just say you v realised hw u v messed up the zambian economy
iwe Ng’andu be specific!! waumfwa ayi tell us the amount spent on designing. If you have engineers at RDA, why are we spending so huge sums paradoxically generating a lagged process. What a combination: High spending – prolonged gestation period!! Do we have leadership in Zambia.
Misappropriation of funds is rife and when govt. finds itself with little left in the coffers, the motorist becomes the easy target. They already pay road tax. How many so-called toll gates are you going to build to further suck the money from motorists? There is a reason why toll gates are built on SOME roads – that is why countries like the UK, with 4 times the population of Zambia and hundreds more road networks, has fewer toll gates. They shouldn’t just be a ‘cash cow’.