. Sikazwe

By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
NORTHERN Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe has urged the law enforcement agencies to finalise investigation on the contractor awarded the contract to develop Kasaba Bay tourist resort airport infrastructure for works to start.
Once completed, the Kasaba Bay airport will facilitate ease movement of international and local tourists to and from Nsumbu National Park and surrounding areas of Lake Tanganyika.
Mr Sikazwe said the investigations had taken long to dispose by the law enforcement agencies which he said was hindering the progress at Kasaba Bay.
Work by the contractor was stopped following the Auditor General’s report of 2012 which revealed mishandling of the project by the contractor and an officer from the Road Development Agency (RDA).
The contractor was supposed to construct a 1.5-kilometre bituminous runway on Kasaba Bay Airport on the shores of Lake Tanganyika meant for landing small aircraft.
The airport would be transformed into an international airport capable of accommodating a Boeing 737-800 jet airliner.
He said Government was in a hurry to create jobs for the people hence for the Anti Corruption Commission should expedite investigations so that works do not stall for a long time.
Last year, the Parliamentary Committee on Communication, Works and Supply expressed concern over the stalled works at Kasaba Bay International Airport in Northern Province.
Committee chairperson Kapembwa Simbao said it was shocking to learn that 1, 800 pockets of cement meant for construction of the airport went to waste after staying for too long without being used.
Mr Simbao, who is also Senga Hill Member of Parliament, had said there was urgent need for Government to do something on the project to avoid wastage of resources.
He had observed that huge sums of money were spent on the initial works for Kasaba Bay International Airport and abandoning the project will be a setback to the growth of tourism sector in Northern Province.
Mr Simbao had also advised law enforcement agencies to speed up their investigations into the irregularities detected to the initial contract relating to the construction of Kasaba Bay.
Having modern infrastructure at Kasaba Bay will pave way for growth of the tourism sector in Northern region.