RA refuses to cancel Usakos–Karibib road project
• By MARX ITAMALO
ROADS Authority CEO Conrad Lutombi says the bidding process for the upgrade and repair of the Usakos–Karibib road will not be cancelled as no irregularities occurred to warrant the termination of the tender under the terms of the public procurement statute.
This comes after the Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) and the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union of Namibia (MANWU) wrote to President Hage Geingob, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa, and other top cabinet officials demanding that the project tender be cancelled.
However, in a letter to Geingob, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Mutorwa, Minister of Finance Iipumbu Shiimi, and the head of Central Procurement Board of Namibia, Lutombi stated that the Usakos–Karibib road project is time sensitive, with fixed disbursement dates as stipulated in the financing agreement between the government and the Germany Financial Cooperation under the NDP5 support programme.
“Government and RA must meet the legally binding conditions outlined in the financing agreement. Any violation of the agreement’s provisions may result in the termination of the financing facility, posing a threat to the continuation of this very important project, which would not be in the best interests of road users and taxpayers. The law allows aggrieved parties to apply within the prescribed period for a review of a decision or action taken by a public entity to award a procurement contract. As a result, we believe it was incumbent on the dissatisfied bidders to engage the appropriate agencies to review the prequalification conclusion,” he said.
Lutombi further stated that the Usakos–Karibib route is part of the Trans-Kalahari Highway (B2) and is of national and international significance because it connects to the port of Walvis Bay.
“Many lives have been lost on this road; the set standards must be maintained to ensure the safety of all road users and the longevity of the road,” he said.
Repairing and upgrading this road is part of building 2+1 lanes from the Okahandja–Karibib route, which will continue up to Swakopmund and connect to the Dr Hifikepunye Pohamba freeway.
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