Members of the technical committee drafting the new constitution get K650,000 per day as sitting allowance.
Committee Chairperson Justice Annel Silungwe has also disclosed to journalists at a press briefing in Lusaka today that the chairperson and his vice are getting K750,000 and 745,000 respectively.
QFM News reports that Justice Silungwe could however not give the total budget for the entire operations of the technical committee saying the financial plan has not been finalized.
He further noted that the technical committee meets every working day and has so far had 19 meetings since December last year.
And Justice Silungwe has indicated that the draft constitution once ready by the end of next month would be translated into seven official local languages.
He adds that the document would also be produced in Braille form to allow the visually impaired study and comment on the draft constitution.
Justice Silungwe adds that the technical committee has been looking at constitutions from other African countries and has had interactive sessions with other stakeholders to ensure that the committee comes up with a more inclusive draft constitution.
The former Chief Justice has also recommended that a Zambian constitution Act be put in place saying the white paper arrangement has in the past been used to manipulate the constitution.
He adds that a referendum commission will have to be put in place to continue with the constitution making process as the mandate of the technical committee would have ended by June when the final report and draft constitution will be presented to President Michael Sata.
Meanwhile the committee today met with the Zambia Congress of Trade unions to discuss constitutional issues bordering on labour.
And ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba who was accompanied by his secretary general Roy Mwaba advised the technical committee to ensure it brings all political players on board to avoid having another failed constitution making process.
Mr. Hikaumba said the labour movement will participate in the constitution making process and has hoped that the country will this time around have a successful conclusion of the constitution making process.
QFM
Oh well let’s see! Its not much! About $120 or thereby per sitting!
It’s not easy work! they have to put up with a lot of excrement. Good luck to them if they are earning that per sitting they deserve it.
More money in their pockets!
If you consider that this is like digging a pit and reburying it, quite a handsome amount of money to get for doing something that is going nowhere.
650,000 FOR DOING UNNECESSARY WORK??THESE GUYS ARE 20 OR SO, NOT SO? – THAT IS k250,000,000 SO FAR. DOES NOT INCLUDE COST FOR VENUE (MULUNGUSHI CONFERENCE CENTER I SUPPOSE) STATIONERY ETC. I CAN BET MY LAST KWACHA IN MY POCKET THEY WILL SPEND MORE THAN THE NCC BY THE TIME THEY HOLD THEIR PROVINCIAL CONFERENCES
Ok! What about those in commission of inquieries,how much do they get per sitting?
We are informed dat they get 2.6M per sitting.The puzzle is why the difference with those on the constitutional Technical committee?
The difference is that the Constitutional Committee has nobody to fix – yet! Â The Commissions of Inquiry have specific deliverables to their masters. Â They have to fulfil preset objectives of fixing the previous govt, otherwise they get rubbished like the initial ZRA report was.
This guys are thieves..how much is a civil servant getting per day after doing a hard job its 50 000 per day…what hard job can one compare with the cops with what they are doing
Masipa!!!!
Mwanahesu don’t use insults. Just comment on the issue – constructively. Matapa a maswe.
The Lozis are finally learning to insult in public…
Lu latelela manyai. Â Haiba aukoni kubatuhelisa bukaponya, ba joine wahesu. Â Malete a bona!!
Its like Qfm is a news provider these days. All these online publications ie zambian watchdog, lusaka times and tumfweko quote them alot.
George Kunda it is not per sitting but per day, if they have two sittings per day they still get 650,000.00. It is not very bad but they should make up a good proposal. If it fails now all those involved should pay back tax payers money.
Ok, how much did you want them to get per sitting? K0.3m, K0.4m? Then what?
Ten (10) sittings = K6.5m, Fifty (50) sittings (by the time they’ll finish) = K32.5m: not enough to even pay for a good stationwagon on tradecarview to dar es salaam
Seven official local languages. Which are these? I just wanna know.
1. Bemba 2. Bemba 3. Bemba 4. Bemba 5. Bemba 6. Bemba 7. Bemba. Â
There you are. Â Are you happy now?
@ 10, It could be  Luvale, Kaonde, Tonga, Chinyanja, Lozi, Bemba and may be Lunda.
For the first time in Zambia we are going to have a constitution that will stand the taste of time. A million kwacha would have been fare,not 650,000. I am informed the dual citizenship has been included.Good for us in Diaspora
@ #12, I meant test of time
bucnh of thieves to hell with you bembas.
Unfortunately, even fools are allowed to have an opinion on matters which they cannot grasp.
This what we said in the first place that this so called Members of the technical committee drafting the new Zambian constitution are VULTURES!
What is the difference between the current technical committee Member Kabaanda (Ghost) and ZCTU Hikaumba of the NCC? They are all VULTURES devouring our money from poor Zambians who need this money for poverty alleviation! What a shame!
Committee Chairperson Justice Annel Silungwe should be ashamed of himself for chewing our money which can be better spent on POVERTY ALLEVIATION!
Sata should not be HYPOCRITICAL, he stops permanent secretaries from having a USEFUL workshop 4 them 2 better understand govt protocols but allows Silungwe & his Members of the technical committee which are gobbling a lot of OUR public money!
Simple question are u related to a Permanent Secretary Cause PS can do what they wanted to do over conference phone.
Did Sata think that permanent secretaries are not entitled to Workshops or government policy education which can be USEFUL in understanding govt protocols and policies?
President Sata should be the first one who need to be taken for WORKSHOPS so that he will understand how a government operates and how to follow protocols NOT be abrupt like DYSLEXIC!
When President Sata is taken for workshops to be taught on government protocol and policies he will be the last one to bring Permanent Secretaries from useful workshops like the one he mishandled recently.
President Sata has no diplomacy and is unpredictable because he has not been taught on how to delegate, how to follow protocol, policies e.t.c just like his relative Kambwili he recently reprimanded who ABUSED Chinese in Kitwe
@ Shako OZa simmer down ukafwapofye ku cikonko! Kanshi ninshi mufwaya abena Zed. So U expect to the Committee to work 4 mahala. Yo blog sounds to come from a frustated member of the Bantustan party of Up N Down good for nothing thankless sychophants. Lekeni MCS ateke yo turm might come ka! maybe in 2116 hahahahaha! All the time its blah blah even if yo emplyer says Ba Shaka yo salary has been hiked by 50 % U will hear @ why this hike blah blah coz U a always complaining Shaa!
There is a lot of work involved. We need a constitution that will stand the test of time. K650,000 is not much actually, only works out to about $16.00 (Aus) per hour x 8hrs. (just a dollar over the minimum wage!) The govt would probably pay more if this work was being done by Consultants (Constitution lawyers)
There is no such thing as a constitution that stands the test of time. Â Even the American constitution has been amended many times over, including by interpretations by the Supreme Court. Â It is only Zambians who chase after this fake dream of a perfect constitution. Â Every constitution is made for the generation that makes it. Â The people who follow have to amend it to their age and times.
lets just do away with this constitution crap. who follows it anyway because the people that make it dont follow it either
Sadly, people like you with small minds that cannot see beyond today.
JUST FOR SITTINGS: 20 PEOPLE X 26 SITTINGS/MONTH X K650,000 X 7MONTHS = K2,366,000,000 + VENUE + REFRESHMENTS + ACCOMMODATION + STATIONARY + OTHERS????????????????
Silungwe still looks young. Is he a vegetarian like super kenÂ
# 22 Justice Silungwe just eats very health food but he is not Vegetarian. By the way how much was the constitution committee getting paid in the last government???
Silungwe’s last act as Chief Justice was a controversial acquittal of Kambarage Kaunda who shot someone’s daughter. People in the MMD (to which Sata belonged then) demonstrated in vain against that acquittal. Indeed the dinosaurs have been resurrected and rehabilitated. This country has no history and sense of ethical conduct and order. Shameful.
Please, please, please negro, get a life.
So you are white and proud?
#16 why are you calling them vultures? Consultancy fees in Zambia range from K500,000 per day to K1,500,000 per day depending on the qualification and competency of a consultant. These fees are within market values. In addition as others have pointed out, this team is doing something extremely important. Remember the previous parliament did not approve the constitution that came from the NCC – Â we MUST work on a new one. This is what this team is doing. Just get ready to make your contributions when the right time comes. PF is doing so well so far.
From what i gather this document will not be different from from what the NCC did except that it is done under PF were everyone seem to be saying yes even to wrong things. So all in all we have wasted money and time. By the way is this committe supported by an act of parliament? If not, which i believe is the case, then what they will produce can easily be thrown out coz of no legitimacy!
So the financial plan has not been finalized? I guess that is one way to avoid being accused of misappropriation of funds. Must be nice to have a blank check from GRZ.
whats the point of even allowing them to change it and spend so much tax payers money, when the next president after Sata will change it too again to suite his/her office. Maybe they should put it in that constitution that budget be allocated for constitutional change with every regime that crops in.
The catholic Bishops are really powerful,just at the release of the pastoral letter,the relevant information seems to be coming out from the don’t kubeba govt which thrives on people’s ignorance.We want to see the president address a press conference where he will clarify a few issues from pressmen,what is he afraid of.
We do not need these technical committee to get such colossal amounts of money.What the Zambian government can do is bring the Republic of South African constitution and superimpose it on Zambia with a few amendments. Another constitution which can be looked at is the United States of America constitution but of course remove homosexuality practices from it.
These people are repeating what their friends did and they will have spent more money than the NCC. Dollar    Â
Please learn to read, and avoid straining your peanut brain. “Justice Silungwe adds that the technical committee has been looking at constitutions from other African countries and has had interactive sessions with other stakeholders to ensure that the committee comes up with a more inclusive draft constitution.”
#18 ziman,
You BAFOON Chimpanzee who has no line of thought! Get on board and stop trusting these GREED Politicians who are in power either for SELFISHNESS or GRANDIOSE self gratification!
You are where you but still have a mind of an IGNORANT abusive village chief!
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE EXPENSES AS AT 31.01.12 (19 TIMES OF SITTING)
Chairperson 750,000.00 14,250,000.00
Vice Chairperson
745,000.00 14,155,000.00
Others 11,700,000.00 222,300,000.00
TOTAL 250,705,000.00
#18 ziman,
You BAFOON Chimpanzee who has no line of thought! Get on board and stop trusting these GREED Politicians who are in power either for SELFISHNESS or GRANDIOSE self gratification!
You are where you are but still you have a mind of an IGNORANT abusive village chief!
Ba Shaka oz,balimijuba ka seminar allowance.Ninshi mwakalipa.mwangalafwe no kulya Taz payers money.
Guys its just about $32000 and about USD5000 the room rents total usd40000 plus food etc. It nothing compared top the 300 billion spent previously.. they deserve more than this i think
Guys its just about $32000 and about USD5000 the room rents total usd40000 plus food etc. Its nothing compared to the 300 billion spent previously.. they deserve more than this i think
its not fair, how can someone be getting such a huge amount of money for doing a simple job while i get 50pin for hard job. foolishness. we all need money. Dr kaseba has increased salaries for health workers by 100% and others get 2%, are we not all workers and proffesionals
These allowances are modest ad the Technical Committee is working expeditiously. They were given twelve months to do the work but have indicated they finalise their part by June, six months earlier, these are committed patriots, ask Hon. Chifumu Banda!!!
I did not know that in Zambia, people can get as much as K650, 000 per day. It seems the government has money to spend unnecessarily. Just working/or rather sitting in a group and say nothing or just say ‘I agree with Mr. A’ gives you K650,000? Wow, for 19 days, they already K12,350,000 each for mere members and I think more for chairperson and deputy. More money in their pockets. Good salary for the selected few!!!
I am shocked that some people can say that the allowances are modest when we have civil servants getting twice that amount every month. That work should be voluntary. It is a service to the nation. They shd be given 150,000 or 200pin per sitting since Zambian is a poor country as the politicians always tell us.
@MWANAMULOZI
Bondate, there is no such thing as a constitution that stands the test of time. Â Even the American constitution has been amended many times over, including by interpretations by the Supreme Court. Â It is only Zambians who chase after this fake dream of a perfect constitution. Â Every constitution is made for the generation that makes it. Â The people who follow have to amend it to their age and times.
Pipo should know that these guys are not backed by any law to get such allowance it raise an audit query in future.There is no law for this constitution making process.But what is the difference with the last one which was held at Mulungushi conference centre.There is plenty of money in Zambia where even Chiefs get 650,000 per night per sitting.What about the retainer for the chief and the wife how much are they getting.
So like the Catholic Pastoral Letter, the Chair Justice Silungwe agrees that this thing has no legal backing and is therefore illegal? Surely the PF should know that spending public money illegally is laying the ground for another lifting of immunity in 2016?
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