Sixty-one million Kwacha allocated to Eastern Province under 2016 National Budget.

Eastern Province has been allocated 61 million Kwacha under the 2016 National Budget.
Provincial Permanent Secretary, Chanda Kasolo has confirmed during a live radio programme dubbed “Budget Tracking” on Breeze FM this morning.
Mr. Kasolo however, says that the province would have wanted an allocation of 82 million Kwacha but the budget ceiling for 2016 was reduced.
And Mr. Kasolo has expressed disappointment with local contractors in Eastern Province whom he accused of failing to perform.
He charged that the contractor working on township roads in Katete district was totally incompetent while the contractor working on Chipata district Hospital was a big disappointment.
Mr. Kasolo further revealed that no contractor will be paid for works done until the project has been inspected by him, Eastern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Patrick Mwanawasa or the provincial minister.
He says that such measures have been taken due to incompetence and corruption where government officers are certifying shoddy works, making government lose money.
Meanwhile Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo has described 2015 as a very challenging year.
Speaking on Breeze FM’s Budget Tracking Programme, Mr. Kasolo says that the year was challenging in that resources were not forth coming as expected.
Mr. Kasolo explained that this has been frustrating to the provincial administration because it has been unable to fulfil goals for 2015.
He however, indicated that this was due to a larger economic challenge, which the country faced due to declining copper prices which reduced payment of taxes to government and other outside economic shocks.
Mr. Kasolo indicated that despite this challenge, the provincial administration performed well adding that the Ministry of Finance cannot blamed for inconsistent release of funds.
And Mr. Kasolo says that rehabilitation of the Great East Road, construction of hospitals and improvement in water reticulation were some of the major projects, which government successfully implemented in 2015.
He however, expressed disappointment with the business sector for exploiting consumers with high commodity prices.
Mr. Kasolo indicated that despite government intervening in the matter, there has been a minimal reduction in prices of commodities.