There are serious concerns, even among road engineering experts, that the Road Authority (RA) may turn into a white elephant sooner rather than later. The CEO’s post has been re-advertised three times, while it is alleged by workers within the company that Conrad Mutonga Lutombi, who has little or no engineering background (but a B.Tech in police science) has been acting in the position.

An advert that appeared in the daily papers on 15 June 2012 triggered further discord between the RA Board and management. The full page advertisement of 15 June invites the public to apply for three posts, namely, the Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Officer (Regulatory, Inspectorate and Road Safety) and Executive Officer (Engineering). When the post was advertised previously, four candidates, including three women, were interviewed, but there has been no appointment as yet.

The Board is now being accused of having short-changed the requirements for the CEO’s post and the key requirement of having an engineering background has allegedly been set aside in order to fit a certain individual earmarked for the position.
The two new posts for executive officers being advertised are part of the new structure being implemented by the Board, and this was reportedly done without consulting the management of the RA, stakeholders, trade unions and staff. Sources within the Ministry of Works and Transport doubt whether Minister Erkki Nghimtina is properly informed on the matter as he is said to be taking a “wait-and-see approach”. The new structure the Board intends to implement replaces the one that was approved.  
Suspicion is rife that the imminent “restructuring” of the ranks of the RA aims to sideline certain individuals who are perceived as “uncompromising”, in order to cloak the controversial Chinese project implemented by the RA Board, as well as the contentious appointment of a South African consultancy firm to supervise the work, which is costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
Insiders expressed the hope that the president might intervene soon in the situation at the RA before the company is brought to its knees, as decisions are now reportedly being taken by people who are inexperienced in road engineering and other related matters.