By BERTHA PATA
GOVERNMENT has released about Six Million One Hundred Kwacha (K6,100,000) for the rehabilitation of 62 Agriculture camp houses in North Western province.
North Western Principal Agriculture Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture Mubambwe Simbarashe disclosed to the National Agriculture Information services (NAIS) in Chavuma District when he inspected the houses to be rehabilitated across the province.
Mr Mubambwe said the Ministry was working in collaboration with the local authority in all the 11 districts in the province.
“We received about K6.1 Million for the rehabilitation of agriculture camp houses. This money will cater for about 62 houses in total for the entire province…as a ministry we are not doing this alone but working in collaboration with the local authorities in all the districts,” he said
Mr. Mumbambwe also stated K100,000 has been allocated for each house.
“As you can see the conditions of the houses are making our camp officers not to live within the communities because the houses are not inhabitable at the moment. We appreciate government efforts to allocate money for these houses. Each house has been allocated with at least a hundred thousand,” he revealed.
And Mr. Mubambwe who was in the company of the Senior Irrigation Engineer Jackson Bwalya toured all the districts in the province to check on the houses to be rehabilitated hoped that the contractors will do quality works because government has spent a lot of money.
“We are just hopeful that these contractors who have been awarded contracts in these districts will do quality works so that our officers will be motivated to come back and work within their communities. This is a lot of money that government has spent and so we hope to see quality works,” Mr Mubambwe said.
Meanwhile in Chavuma, District Commissioner Geoffrey Kasonda said agriculture camp officers will not have a problem to work from their communities once they have proper infrastructure.
“Once we have better infrastructures, our officers will not have a challenge to work from the sites and our people on the ground they need the services. Without these officers, they cannot improve in terms of farming,” Mr Kasonda noted.
Chavuma District Council Secretary Isaac Kang’ombe said the local authority in the district was also renovating four Agriculture Camp houses under the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) in addition to what the ministry is doing.
Mr Kang’ombe said one of the houses was at 98 percent completion and all works are being done using the Approved Integrated Development Plan
“We received a request to do the procurement works for the rehabilitation of camp houses which we accepted. So far so good things are moving very well and contracts were awarded,” he said.
Mr Kang’ombe explained that agriculture is very important especially in Chavuma, the more reason four houses were considered to be rehabilitated under CDF.
“One of them like you heard is at almost at 98 percent completion and all the projects that we are doing we are using the approved Integrated Development Plan,” he said.
Meanwhile, both Kabompo and Mufumbwe Districts Agriculture Officers Peter Chibizwa and Peter Maseka comfirmed that they had received money for the rehabilitation of six camp houses each and works have begun.
“We want to appreciate that government has led this commitment to ensure that our officers are motivated to make sure that they live in decent houses or accommodation and I’m sure it’s going to increase their effectiveness towards their work” Mr Chibizwa said.
Mr Chibizwa added that in Kabompo six agriculture camp houses that were so dilapidated had been selected for rehabilitation.
“In Kabompo, the Department of Agriculture received funds amounting to over five hundred thousand for the rehabilitation of the following six camp houses which have been dilapidated for a very long time. We have Maveve, Litoya, Kabulamema, Mbulungu, Mumbezhi and Nkulwashi and far we have tendered all the works and contracts have been signed and only remaining with two that will hopefully be signed the end of the year,” he said.
Zambezi District, across the West Bank Mize camp the contractor Frankson Muzaza who was found at 70 percent works completion pledged to do quality works.
“We have been contracted by government to do the works here at Mize Agriculture camp and I can say we are almost at over 70 percent done, so I wish to pledge that we shall do quality works,” Mr Muzaza said.
Government has embarked on the rehabilitation of Agriculture camp houses in a bid to provide decent housing accommodation to Agriculture camp officers for the development of the sector. – NAIS
