Vice President Inonge Wina says the construction of a new State House will commence when funds are available.
Last year then Works and Supply Minister Mathews Nkhuwa disclosed that the construction of a new State House will start in 2018 and will cost about twenty million US dollars.
Mr. Nkhuwa said this follows Parliament’s approval of Government’s proposal to build a new State House because of the deplorable state in which the current one is.
Mr. Nkhuwa said his ministry was working on ensuring that the cost of building the structure is included in 2018 national budget so that construction works can start this year.
He said the contract for constructing the new State House will be awarded through a competitive bidding process when the money is available.
And speaking during the Vice President’s question time in Parliament, Mrs. Wina said there are no construction works going on at the moment.
Mrs. Wina says as soon as the funds are available, the works will commence.
She says the current state house was built in 1924 for the then Governor of Northern Rhodesia is in a dilapidated state.
The Vice President was responding to a question from Luangeni Member of Parliament Charles Zulu who wanted to know how far the government has gone in constructing a new State House.