Muchinguri-Kashiri cornered in parly over unclear government projects

ZwNews Chief Correspondent

The Minister of Defence Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was taken to task by some opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday over Government of Zimbabwe’s unclear projects that fail to kick off.

During the house’s sitting which kicked off with some confusion over sitting arrangements, Hon Moses Chibaya asked the Leader of Government business in the lower house, Muchinguri-Kashiri about policy issues regarding ground breaking ceremonies on non-existent government projects.

He cited the Masvingo Road as an example.

“What is government policy on ground breaking ceremonies on projects that they never start?” Asked Chibaya.

In response, Muchinguri-Kashiri thanked the legislator for the question, and answered that the government was on the verge of agreeing and signing up a contract with the contractor to do the job.

However, her response attracted another grilling question from another MP, Murisi Zwizwai, who questioned the logic behind having a ground breaking ceremony with no contract or contractor to do the work.

“If you say you are on the verge of signing a contract then what was the ground breaking ceremony about.

“Government sent the President of the nation do a ground breaking ceremony at Chaka; How did he do this without the contract? Because we are told they are almost done in terms of signing the contract,” he queried.

Muchinguri-Kashiri who struggled to respond answered that the government had indeed gotten a contractor but later found out that the contractor had acted in bad faith that was not consistent with the new dispensation, and a new contractor was identified.

The minister also admitted that there had been some short cuts in the way some projects were being handled.

The Speaker of the House, advocate Jacob Mudenda then came to Muchinguri-Kashiri’s rescue; saying the minister had admitted on the irregularities made, therefore no further questions would be taken on that matter.

Meanwhile, there has been quarries over the years regarding government projects, with calls for those who negotiate projects on behalf of the citizens to be wary of opportunists who have no capacity to deliver.

A number of government projects had allegedly been negotiated by people who could not interrogate what is it that the country is going to benefit from such deals. Zimbabwe has a history for unfinished syphons, amid report flawed tender processes both at central and local governments.