Zambian opposition UPND president Hakainde Hichilema is questioning the decision by President Michael Sata to transfer the Road Development Agency (RDA) from the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication to State House as a recipe of entrenching corruption.
Hichilema says concentrating powers and responsibilities in the hands of the president is a recipe for bad governance and should not be allowed.
He explains that if President Sata is genuinely interested in strengthening the national capacity to effectively respond to the challenges of improving road networks, he should have strengthened capacity of RDA instead of centralizing the institution.
Hichilema fears that most road tenders will be given to those perceived to be politically correct and have access to the President at the expense of deserving contractors who may not have access to State House.
The UPND leader adds that this move is likely to breed corruption, nepotism and favoritism because the tender process is likely to be at the mercy of Presidential Decrees.
Hichilema has since demanded that the responsibilities and abilities of government service delivery agencies be strengthened and later decentralized to Local Authorities with the necessary capacity building support as part of the devolution process.
The acclaimed Zambian business says Good Governance demands reposing of resources, powers and responsibilities in institutions that are closer to the people and can easily be held accountable.
Hichilema has since appealed to the Patriotic Front government not to continue paying lip service to the decentralization process but to demonstrate their willingness to devolve powers and resources to the lower organs of government.