SECRETARY to Treasury Felix Nkulukusa says it is sad that while the country is begging creditors to forgive some of its debt, some controlling officers cause the state to lose millions just to get meagre kickbacks through direct bidding. And Nkulukusa has revealed that when the World Bank granted Zambia $100 million for the devolution programme, local authorities budgeted that 95 percent of the funds would go towards workshops and vehicles. During the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee hearing, members of parliament wanted to find out why controlling officers were fond of using the direct bidding as a mode of procurement, even when there was no emergency. In response, Nkulukusa said the motive for direct bidding was kickbacks. “What is the...
