By NATION REPORTER
THE Patriotic Front (PF) has vowed it will challenge the single sourcing of fertiliser under the UPND administration when Parliament resumes its sitting because it is certain the direct bidding is being motivated and driven by grand corruption.
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The former ruling party is also calling on the civil society and the church to begin censuring and condemning the Hakainde Hichilema administration for having adopted single-sourcing as the modus operandi in most of its procurement.
Brian Mundubile, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament says the PF is going to challenge the single-sourcing of fertiliser for the 2023/2024 farming season because such kind of procurement methods were reeking corruption.
Mr Mundubile said there was no emergency on the supply and delivery of fertiliser for Government to have resorted to single sourcing and has warned that all those involved in the scandal shall have to account when the time comes.
He said what was shocking was that Government would go ahead to procure fertiliser from the most expensive bidder, leaving our many other players who were competitive, all for the reasons of kickbacks and personal amelioration.
“From the beginning, the UPND has been using single-sourcing and when they just came into government, Zambians lost US$15 million through direct bidding. The law on single-sourcing is very clear that there must be an emergency or the goods being procured should be unique. There is no emergency and uniqueness in the procurement fertiliser, save for corruption.”
“As Members of Parliament in the PF, we want to assure Zambians that we shall not sit and watch the treasury being looted and plundered by some known people in government. We shall interrogate and challenge the single-sourcing of fertiliser immediately Parliament resumes its sitting on September 8. The procurement of fertiliaer shall be on the top of the agenda because we thought the UPND government had listened to our advice and concerns last farming season which saw the chaotic distribution of fertiliser because of corruption in the procurement of the commodity,” Mr Mundubile said.
And Mr Mundubile has challenged the civil society organisations and the church to condemn the grand corruption being perpetrated by the new dawn administration in the procurement of fertiliser and many other forms of graft.
Mr Mundibile said Zambians were wondering about the silence on the corruption surrounding the procurement of fertilizer, saying time had come for the CSOs and the church to call out the UPND leadership on their poor governance.
“The big question is…for how long will the CSOs and the church standby and watch as the country’s treasury is being looted and plundered? We wish to call upon the church, the civil society organisations and other interest groups to condemn in the strongest terms the corruption in the procurement of fertilizer.”
“In the last farming season, we witnessed the most chaotic delivery and distribution of fertilizer because of the corruption that characterized the procurement of the commodity. We are nearing another farming season and high ranking government and party officials have converted themselves into procurement officers and that is why have seen an open tender being cancelled and reinstated by direct bidding so that known politically connected individuals should benefit,” Mr Mundubile said.
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