MIKALILE SUPPLIED AS REQUESTED BY ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT
MIKALILE SUPPLIED AS REQUESTED BY ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT
Lusaka – Thursday 25th April 2024
Mikalile Trading supplied as demanded by the supply contracts with the Zambian Government.
And Lunte MP, Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya has wondered why the Auditor General conducted a Special Audit on the commercial loans given to Government by Mikalile Trading and failed to conduct a similar audit on other loans including the $3billion and project finance for infrastructure from China.
The Zambian Government entered into two loan agreements with Mikalile Trading;
- $69million to supply police uniforms, anti-riot kits traffic kits and police equipment under the Ministry of Home Affairs,
- $401million to supply school design, technology equipment, laboratory kits, school furniture, computers, carpentry toolkits.
Documents obtained show that the goods were delivered after pre-shipment, inspection and over 10,000 schools received and benefited countrywide.
In its special audit report of the Auditor General claims that out of a contract of $69million, $4.5million of goods were not supplied.
However, ZNBC claimed that only $4.5million goods were supplied out of $69million contrary to the Audit Report findings.
On the loan for the supply of school requisits, worth $401million, the Auditor General’s Report that the contract interest resulted in the overpriced by $60million.
The Report also claimed that some items were not delivered.
But documents obtained show that the loan agreements and details were approved by the Ministry of Finance and both loans were reported to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who did their own verification.
The documents show that equipment deemed not be undelivered was for newly constructed schools that were not yet opened or had no school security to house the expensive equipments and computer laboratories and laptops.
The documents also further show that Headmasters misdirected the equipment especially solar power units, laptops and computers which were installed in their homes instead of the schools.
For unfinished schools,the equipment lie at DEBs offices and in school storages facilities.
Further Government has defaulted on loan repayment processes since December 31st 2024.
The huge loans remain unpaid todate.
And Financial expert has attributed the commissioning of the Special Audit as a way for Government to rub away from its responsibilities.
Lunte MP, Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya, wondered why a special audit was done on Mikalile’s loan while none was done on the Euro Bond or project finance from China on roads, bridges, dams and airports.