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The Office of the Public Protector Zambia recently visited Lumbo Village in Kazungula District to inspect houses built by the Road Development Agency (RDA), for families that were relocated during the construction of the Kazungula Bridge.

This visit followed a formal complaint lodged by the residents who raised serious concern about the safety of the houses they are living in. They complained that the 38 houses have continued to deteriorate since construction began over a decade ago.

During the visit, The Public Protector, Mrs. Caroline Sokoni, was accompanied by her team to hear firsthand from the residents and the village headman Mr. Ignatius Milimo, and what she found on the ground was heartbreaking and alarming.

According to the community and their headman, the issue dates back to 2009 and 2010 when government announced plans to construct the Kazungula bridge and informed them that their original village would be used for offices.

In the spirit of national development, and with the approval of Chief Sekute, the community agreed to relocate, and they were moved to a new village where RDA committed to building 38 houses,19 two-bedroom and 19 three-bedroom units. They were also promised supporting infrastructure like a school, a health facility, water systems, and electricity.

“We agreed to be relocated for the sake of development, they promised to build us nice houses but what we received is not what they promised,” Mr. Ignatius Milimo said.

However, from the very beginning of the construction process, cracks began appearing in the houses even before completion. Despite several rounds of repairs, the contractors eventually stopped, claiming it was beyond their contractual agreement to continue mending the cracks.

“Our old houses were even better compared to these houses, they started cracking even before we could move in, the bathrooms and toilets are collapsing, the ceilings are broken, the windows also fall out when you try to open them, and water enters through the floors during the rainy season,” The Headman stated.

Since 2014, the residents have continued to follow up with RDA through letters and calls, but nothing has been done, and in March 2019, two residents were forced to move out of their homes due to severe cracks, and they were relocated to temporary structures, where they remain to this day.

The villagers expressed disappointment, noting that while the bridge has brought visible development to Kazungula, those who sacrificed their land for that very project feel forgotten and betrayed. Residents say their current homes are worse than the ones they left behind, and there is growing fear that a tragedy might occur if the situation is not urgently addressed.

After engaging with the community and touring the deteriorated houses, The Ombudsman, Mrs. Caroline Sokoni condemned the situation as a clear case of gross maladministration.

“How rich is Zambia that we build, do a bad job, and then rebuild again? This is unacceptable,” The Ombudsman said.

Mrs. Sokoni further stated that the construction company responsible must be brought back on site to do a proper job. She emphasized the need for the Office of the Auditor General to audit the project to determine how much money was spent and how it was used.

“The Auditor General must audit this project thoroughly, the company that built these houses must be held accountable, and if necessary, criminal investigations must follow through the National Prosecution Authority to ensure accountability,” she said.

The Ombudsman also pointed out that her office had already concluded its investigation and that RDA through a letter had committed to starting reconstruction in the third quarter of this year. However, as of the date of the visit, there was no evidence of any activity on site.

“We are now in the third quarter, and there is no sign of any equipment or activity on the ground, if we see no progress, we will take an inter-agency approach to ensure this matter is resolved,” Mrs. Sokoni said.

She concluded by reminding all stakeholders that Zambia must do right by its people. Those who made sacrifices for national development deserve to live in dignity, and broken promises and poorly executed projects must be accounted for.

“These families gave up their land for the benefit of national development, the same way the country is proud of the Kazungula Bridge, these people should also be proud of what they received in return, Zambia must do well for those who made it possible,” The Ombudsman added.

And as an institution, we remain firmly committed to ensuring that this matter is resolved and that the people of Lumbo Village receive the safe and decent houses they were promised and truly deserve. We will continue to engage the Road Development Agency (RDA), and all relevant stakeholders until justice is delivered and accountability is upheld.