Shangula takes aim at contractors abandoning projects

KENYA KAMBOWERUNDUHealth and social services minister Kalumbi Shangula says contractors who abandon state projects will be held accountable.Shangula was speaking on Friday at the inauguration of the Rundu State Hospital's maternity ward.The project was scheduled to be completed by July 2015 at a cost of N$44.8 million.The deadline was extended to April 2016, but the budgeted amount was insufficient to complete the outstanding work. Eventually, the project cost increased to $53.6 million.Shangula, who visited Nkurenkuru a day earlier, said he felt the same about the incomplete Nkurenkuru Primary Health Care Centre, which has been abandoned for more than four years. Stern warning “Going forward, we are going to hold the contractors who implement our capital projects to account, and I mean just that. Gone are the days when contractors failed to keep up their end of the bargain, which results in the denial of much-needed health services to our people,” Shangula said. “We will ensure that capital projects are completed within agreed timelines. Ministry officials, principal agents, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, contractors and all stakeholders must therefore work together to ensure timely completion of these vital projects. Anything else would be unacceptable.” Prioritise and accelerate Shangula promised to prioritise the completion of stalled projects.“The ministry and government remain committed to the development and expansion of health facilities and services in all parts of the country,” Shangula said. “For this reason, the ministry will prioritise and accelerate the completion of several capital projects that have been delayed for a number of years. The completion of the Rundu maternity ward is just the start. Other delayed projects include: Nkurenkuru Clinic, Gcaruhwa Clinic, Shamaturu Clinic, Linyanti Clinic, Epupa Clinic, Schlip Clinic, Aranos Health Centre accommodation, Okahao Hospital outpatient department, Keetmanshoop TB ward, Okahandja Hospital outpatient department, Okakarara Hospital laundry and kitchen, St Mary's Hospital laboratory, Katutura Hospital pharmacy and Onandjokwe maternity ward.”Namibian Sun over the years reported on the challenges at the overcrowded maternity ward at the Rundu hospital. Earlier this year, a series of videos showing the deplorable state of the hospital's maternity ward went viral on social media.Women were seen lying on mattresses on corridor floors because of a lack of beds.The new maternity ward consists of two theatres, postnatal and antenatal wards, a neonatal unit, isolation unit, mother's lodges, offices and consulting rooms.Shangula also inaugurated a new Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Clinic (VMMC) that was funded by PEPFAR through USAID. kenya@namibiansun.com

Shangula takes aim at contractors abandoning projects

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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Shangula takes aim at contractors abandoning projects

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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