An Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) has expressed fear that the country may not achieve the vision 2030 if government does not tackle the issue of misapplication and misappropriation of public funds.
Luena MP Charles Milupi observed that development and the attainment of the goal can only be realized if funds budgeted for specific programmes are fully ultilised for the intended purposes.
Mr. Milupi who is also Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairperson expressed sadness at the continued misapplication of public funds in government departments.
Mr. Milupi said government has a challenge of ensuring that it matches its expenditure with revenue measures if development is to take place.
Mr. Milupi who commended the Auditor General’s (AG) office for the work it is doing in highlight irregularities in the utilization of public funds said serious action should be taken against officers that are not doing a service to the country.
He told ZANIS in an interview that the report was an indication that the executive was not taking action on erring officers so as to help in reversing the trend.
“It is disappointing that yet again we are seeing the same issues that were reflected in the 2005 and 2006 AG’s reports,’ he stated.
He said the bodies empowered to undertaken oversight functions need to be given powers to also propose sanctions to be taken.
And Mr. Milupi says the National Constitution Conference (NCC) also needs to consider increasing the powers of oversight bodies.
Auditor General, Anna Chifungula has in her 2006 financial year revealed misapplication of about K65 billion by various government departments.
The report reveals glaring misapplication of K42. 8 billion and over K22 billion uncounted expenditures.
The report further indicated unconstitutional expenditure amounting to over K8 billion in various government Ministries and departments.
The ministries involved include Defence, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Office of the President and the Vice President’s office
Other departments are Commission of Investigations, Zambia Police and Prisons Services.
Mrs. Chifungula said the excess expenditure of K8, 642, 049,204 is unconstitutional and would require approval by parliament as provided for under Article 117 of the republican constitution.
Great Job Anna. You alawys have everything on you finger tips. Too much dirt has been swept under the MMD goverment carpet. Most of these misapplications of funds is due to gross incompentence of the ministers together with their PS. We cant afford to misapriopriate funds in country which has no drugs in hospitals, no proper learning facillities in school, farmers have not been paid. This is imoral. If LPM is serious he should put the house in order before 2011. Cast you net wide and take no limits Anna. Bravo !!!
How can they fix this when all the controlling officers are either Maureen or Levy’s relatives. The amount misappropriated will actually surpass the money plundered by Chiluba & his cronies by the time Levy leaves office at this rate. This is a just another form of legalised plunder instituted by Levy to benefit his relatives. How do you explain the fact that an officer has been abusing public funds for three years and the head of state is aware of it and nothing is ever done.
We have had this scourge resurfacing every year and nobody is taken to book. We need to ensure that the culprits are punished and measures are put in place( checks and balances) to ensure that their is no “theft” There should be no sacred cows and the law must visit all offenders whether they are related to some big fish or not.
THE ECZ has not submitted anual reports since 2002, how ridiculous is that? What is the job of the Public Accounts Committee? The whole commission directotare including the shameless chairperson who is a judge for goodness sake should be replaced. The levels of the ECZ management’s incompetences exhibited by the AG’s revelations are embarassing to the donors who give so much money to the commission. Levi fired Mbita for breaching the diplomatic code of conduct but this misapplication of money at ECZ is way too uggly, even worse than what led to Gladys Nyirongo’s firing…
Sorry to digress, what has happened to the Post, no news online since Friday, anyone?
Apparently, Fred M’membe choked on a koswe (rat / mice) when he was celebrating the year of the rat with the chinese community in Zambia that is why the post has been down since friday. As a result he has been rushed to beijing via morning side clinic to remove the colarbone of the koswe stuck on his throat. Those stealing tax money should stop so that we can build more hospitals in Zambia so that next time fred has a koswe up his throat, he can be treated locally.
#6 be serious what #5 asked deserved a seroius answer no jokes.For us who are residing abroad the post is the only credible media we get updaded with what is happening in zambia.But am surprised that from friday,the post hasn’t been updated online.what is happening.we desreve an answer from the post management especially for us who subscribe.what will happen,will post refund our Euros.
Miss Mwansa, I have some news for you, the Post, were you waste your euros by subcribing to their propaganda, is not a credible media. If you really want to know what is happening with the post, why don’t you use your euros to give post a call and find out the facts….about the year of the rat celebrations?
“I want either less corruption or more chance to participate in it” – Ashleigh Brilliant. The Zambian political system favours the latter as evidenced by appointments of incompetent people and lack of effective corruption of people involved in taking money away from the people they pledged to ‘serve and protect’ or is it ‘sever and persecute’ by any means by possible. Incompetence and inaction are tantamount to knowingly subjecting people to torture – no money for food,school fees, health care ad nauseum. So are they going to form a committee that is going to investigate the misuse of tax payers’ money? Good use of money I say,let’s waste more money invetigating why money is being wasted.
Do we really have 2 pretend when we know what the core of the problem is.family tree.can u please reshuffle and have some moved.they even create sub family trees within ministries.do u have 2 be of a cerTain tribe 2 benefit.and the bogus companies that ar awarded tenders belong 2 them.and they misuse tax payers money transporting building materials 4rom one province 2 another.tender prices ar inflated and cheap labour is picked 4rom outside the labour office.the list is endless natakala.lets do sthing.pac is toothless oiled with ncc
Opposition MP Charles Milupi talking about misappropriation? This is funny. I remember growing up in the mines. This Milupi was one of the guys at the top of ZCCM during our days.
I remember how these bosses were driving big Benz cars and allocating themselves big allowances. He has no right to talk about misapplication of public funds. He did the same theft of company money during our days.
We know old habits die hard, so let us not be hypocrites Mr MP.