Lutombi admits late payments delay Kavango road projects
Roads Authority (RA) CEO Conrad Lutombi has admitted that delays at some road projects in the Kavango East region are not due to poor contractor performance but the authority's failure to honour its financial obligations on time.
Speaking during a visit to several project sites last week, Lutombi said many of the contractors are emerging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited financial capacity who rely on timely payments to continue their work.
“These are emerging contractors. They don’t have money sitting in the bank. They rely on doing the work and being paid immediately,” Lutombi explained.
"So if we don’t pay them on time, let’s take the bullet. Let’s take the punch. Let’s be held accountable.”
He made these remarks during a tour of four major road projects in the two Kavango regions, some of which have stalled due to late payments or logistical issues.
Despite the hiccups, he maintained that all projects remain within budget and reaffirmed the RA’s commitment to delivering them.
“But we must stop blaming contractors when we are the ones failing them. If we expect performance, we must pay them on time," Lutombi stressed.
Material hurdles
One delayed project is the 27-kilometre rehabilitation of the Rundu–Divundu trunk road, which was awarded in February.
The contractor has already set up camp but remains idle due to delays in accessing crushed stone, a critical component.
The issue, Lutombi said, is being addressed, and a report will be submitted to the works and transport minister.
Lutombi added that the authority is engaging both Divundu- and Kangongo-based quarry owners.
“We don’t want the contractor, who is already established, to sit idle and charge us for standing time while there is no progress on the ground.”
Budget stalled project
Meanwhile, work is progressing slowly on the 53-kilometre Ndiyona Djaradjara road due to internal RA budget constraints.
“The last financial year’s budget was exhausted, and the contractor had to stop. But now we have resumed,” Lutombi confirmed, adding that about 18 kilometres have been cleared, and only five kilometres have been layered with gravel.
Additionally, he acknowledged delays in resettling households along the road because compensation, which is the ministry’s responsibility, has not yet been processed.
Some families have refused to move until they are paid.
To mitigate further delays, the RA is now assisting affected families in reconstructing basic structures at new locations, in addition to settling outstanding payments.
Unpaid since February
The Andara–Shamaturu clinic feeder road, where work began in February, is also behind schedule, with progress currently at just 11% instead of the intended 30% goal.
“Since the contractor started, he has never been paid. That was due to budget loading issues,” Lutombi admitted. “But payments have started now, and the contractor must revise his programme to catch up.”
He added that government has also directed that soil-stabilised materials be used on the roads to reduce long-term maintenance costs.
This change may extend the completion date by six months beyond the original target of February 2026.
One success story
Of the four, only the Divundu–Muhembo bitumen upgrade is ahead of schedule.
The contractor on Phase One – a five-kilometre stretch – has already completed over a third of the work and is two months ahead of schedule.
The project is funded internally through the RA and Road Fund Administration.
“This is a regional route, and we cannot afford to stop halfway. We will continue until we reach Muhembo Border Post,” Lutombi said.
Speaking during a visit to several project sites last week, Lutombi said many of the contractors are emerging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited financial capacity who rely on timely payments to continue their work.
“These are emerging contractors. They don’t have money sitting in the bank. They rely on doing the work and being paid immediately,” Lutombi explained.
"So if we don’t pay them on time, let’s take the bullet. Let’s take the punch. Let’s be held accountable.”
He made these remarks during a tour of four major road projects in the two Kavango regions, some of which have stalled due to late payments or logistical issues.
Despite the hiccups, he maintained that all projects remain within budget and reaffirmed the RA’s commitment to delivering them.
“But we must stop blaming contractors when we are the ones failing them. If we expect performance, we must pay them on time," Lutombi stressed.
Material hurdles
One delayed project is the 27-kilometre rehabilitation of the Rundu–Divundu trunk road, which was awarded in February.
The contractor has already set up camp but remains idle due to delays in accessing crushed stone, a critical component.
The issue, Lutombi said, is being addressed, and a report will be submitted to the works and transport minister.
Lutombi added that the authority is engaging both Divundu- and Kangongo-based quarry owners.
“We don’t want the contractor, who is already established, to sit idle and charge us for standing time while there is no progress on the ground.”
Budget stalled project
Meanwhile, work is progressing slowly on the 53-kilometre Ndiyona Djaradjara road due to internal RA budget constraints.
“The last financial year’s budget was exhausted, and the contractor had to stop. But now we have resumed,” Lutombi confirmed, adding that about 18 kilometres have been cleared, and only five kilometres have been layered with gravel.
Additionally, he acknowledged delays in resettling households along the road because compensation, which is the ministry’s responsibility, has not yet been processed.
Some families have refused to move until they are paid.
To mitigate further delays, the RA is now assisting affected families in reconstructing basic structures at new locations, in addition to settling outstanding payments.
Unpaid since February
The Andara–Shamaturu clinic feeder road, where work began in February, is also behind schedule, with progress currently at just 11% instead of the intended 30% goal.
“Since the contractor started, he has never been paid. That was due to budget loading issues,” Lutombi admitted. “But payments have started now, and the contractor must revise his programme to catch up.”
He added that government has also directed that soil-stabilised materials be used on the roads to reduce long-term maintenance costs.
This change may extend the completion date by six months beyond the original target of February 2026.
One success story
Of the four, only the Divundu–Muhembo bitumen upgrade is ahead of schedule.
The contractor on Phase One – a five-kilometre stretch – has already completed over a third of the work and is two months ahead of schedule.
The project is funded internally through the RA and Road Fund Administration.
“This is a regional route, and we cannot afford to stop halfway. We will continue until we reach Muhembo Border Post,” Lutombi said.
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