Lesotho sets aside 50 million maloti for royal palace
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sunday Express
The Lesotho government has set aside 50 million maloti to resume construction of the new royal palace in Maseru, a project launched in 2011. The project’s cost has reached 461 million maloti, and an audit found more than 74 million maloti in overpayments, according to the Senate report cited by Sunday Express LS.
The Lesotho government has set aside 50 million maloti to resume construction of the new royal palace in Maseru, according to a report by the Senate Committee on Government Assurances, published on Thursday. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is preparing to restart the project, launched in 2011 and intended to serve as the official residence of King Letsie III and Queen ’Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
The project cost rose from 136.7 million maloti initially to 355 million by the time of the audit conducted in 2025 by Auditor-General ’Mathabo Makenete. The audit also identified more than 74 million maloti in overpayments to consultants and the contractor, according to the Senate report.
The ministry has developed a public procurement strategy and is to work with the Lesotho Public Procurement Authority (LPPA), the body responsible for overseeing public procurement, to strengthen compliance with the rules. Corrective measures are to accompany the resumption of construction, after disputes over the design and several contract terminations, according to the Senate committee.
