Govt collects K1.9 billion from Toll fees since 2013

Housing and Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Charles Mushota

Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Charles Mushota says Government has collected a total of about K1.9 billion (K1, 901, 866,000) from toll fees since the project started in 2013.

Eng. Mushota says in 2017 alone Government raised K667, 658, 000 from toll fees recording a 98 percent achievement against a projected annual budget of K682 Million.

The Permanent Secretary says this figure presents a 44 percent increase from the K464 Million toll fees collected in 2016.

Eng. Mushota has attributed the increase in toll fees collection to introduction of value proposition such as local user discount and frequent user discount aimed at promoting equity and affordability among different classes of road uses thereby encouraging toll road usage.

He also says the revision of the toll tariffs to reflect regional toll process as well as value for money and also increase in the number of inland toll points effectively increasing the toll plaza footprint across the country.

And the Permanent Secretary says the annual target for 2018 is to collect K 845 million in tolls which is a projected growth of about 26.5 percent from the actual toll collections of 2017.

He says government is optimistic that this target will be met and surpassed as the Road Development Agency (RDA) and the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) have very ambitious objectives to roll out additional toll plazas as well as introduce innovative and efficient means for collection of tolls within 2018.

The Permanent Secretary says Government’s long term goal is to raise a minimum of K1 billion per annum in form of road tolls.

On Monday evening this week Minister for Housing and Infrastructure Development Ronald Chitotela when he appeared on ZNBC TV1 Government Forum Television programme announced that Government collected K530 Million from toll fees from January to September in 2017.

And last year, the Minister announced that from November 2013 to September 2016, Government collected K1.1 billion from toll fees.

This is contained in a statement issued to QFM News by Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development Public Relations Officer Jeff Banda.