‘ZAMPOST contract termination annoyed Kabanshi’

FORMER Minister Emerine Kabanshi was visibly annoyed with the undertaking to terminate a contract between the Ministry and ZAMPOST for the disbursement of the social cash transfer funds, a itness has testi ed. Kenneth Mapani, 48, who worked as head of procurement in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare said after the contract was, terminated Kabanshi called for a meeting in which she ordered that it be reinstated with immediate effect disregarding the procurement process. He said Kabanshi further directed the then acting Permanent Secretary Alex Njobvu to immediately write to ZAMPOST informing them of the reinstating of the contract and requesting them to continue with the programme. Mr Mapani was testifying in a case Kabanshi is accused of two counts of willful failure to comply with the law and applicable procedure or guidance relating to procurement involving the social cash transfer. When the matter came up yesterday for continuation of trial, Mr Mapani narrated that in , he received a re uest with specific terms of reference to engage ZAMPOST as a service provider for the social cash transfer programme. He said after processing with the relevant authorities, a go ahead was given and ZAMPOST was invited to submit a formal bid to the ministry and after evaluating it, the committee after deliberating went to grant approval for Luapula and Western Province. “In that period, following a request by the Ministry to review the contract, the Attorney General granted a no objection. Subsequently the ministry signed the contract with ZAMPOST in august , he said. Mr Mapani said later in , he was availed with a memo in form of requesting for advice regarding the indication that some payments for the social cash transfer were made to additional provinces namely Muchinga, Northwestern, and Northern Province and two districts Lufwanyama and Mpongwe. He said advised that any addition to the existing contract required a process of approval through the committee and to engage the ttorney eneral s office, in a case the payments had already been made. “I was trying to ensure that the action being taken to include the provinces outside the contract is in line with the Public Procurement act number of and regulations,” he said. Mr Mapani said after writing to the Attorney General’s office over the anomaly, response was that the contract be amended which was done and was approved. e said in ay he attended a meeting at the Ministry with then permanent secretary Liya Mutale in which there were misgivings on the performance of ZAMPOST and it was decided that the steps be taken to terminate the contract. Mr Mapani said after the contract was terminated, Kabanshi called for a meeting in which she expressed her misgivings in the manner management was not consultative. “The Minister was visibly annoyed with the undertaking and in her address she noted that there was need to immediately reinstate the contract. The contract needed to go through the same procurement process for it to be reinstated,” he said.