Public anger is amounting against the work of the Technical Committee Drafting the Constitution after revelations that the committee is paying people appearing on its radio programme K450, 000 each per programme.
The amount is paid as transport refunds for featuring on hour radio programmes.The radio programmes are part of the sensitization efforts by the Technical Committee Drafting the Constitution.
The Committee recently paid K900, 000 to a member of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) for featuring on two radio programmes to discuss the draft constitution.
But YALI Executive Director Andrew Ntewewe condemned the decision by the Technical Committee to pay such huge allowances for transport.
“This is the worst case of abuse of national resources and we are now demanding that government tabulates how much the Technical Committee is paying for various services,” Ntewewe said.
“This could be a tip of the ice berg, how do they justify the payment of close to K500, 000 to each and every guest appearing on their programmes for a mere one hour?”
Ntewewe demanded that Finance Minister Alex Chikwanda addresses the nation on the funding of the work of the Technical Committee.
“This process lacks transparency and it is therefore likely to fail, it appears some people are now using this process as a cash machine,” he said.
When reached for a comment, Technical Committee Spokesman Simon Kabanda said he could not comment on the revelations but promised to call back when he is furnished with details.
During the NCC process, Mr. Kabanda then as Executive Secretary of the then vocal Citizens Forum had refused to accept a K250, 000 transport refund for appearing on a TV programme on ZNBC.
Mr. Kabanda who was a strong critic of the NCC process had said the payment was abuse of national resources because he did not understand how they could pay him K250, 000 when his house was not far from Mass Media, the building that houses ZNBC studios.
More money in peoples pockets
ZMK 450,000/hour this is day light robbery….
How about a 4 hour phone in program on which i’ll be the guest of honor ??
Point of correction, the said amont is not paid per programme not per hour. We already have enough negative tension in the country, just be careful not to fun it.
Thanks ZOE.
We needs yours brains to correct us.
Zoe what are you correcting ?? have you read the article?? The writer eluded that “how do they justify the payment of close to K500, 000 to each and every guest appearing on their programmes for a mere one hour?” what does this mean to you??
We seriously need revolution in zambia.
thieves stealing for the poor zambians i pity the kaponyas who were cheated with more money in the pockets not nowing that its money in Satanas pockets.
Their constitution will not go anywhere. Just a waste of funds
No god in Zambia
How about Mumembe how much is he getting from putting the draft constitution in his post. We need to know this could be reason why he is pro PF.
Fr. Simon Kabanda was once a vibrant civil society advocate. I know him very well when he was a priest before he retired and became an ordinary man of fresh with all the faculties of a man. This man is a PF cadre and he is the one that first stated that the committee more money to do the task at hand. He is such a useless man now!
450,00 ZMK is just too much espevially that, this same amount is work a salary of a domestic worker for a month’s work.
LETS SEE, ZMK 450 000 /HOUR = ZMK 3 600 000/DAY = ZMK 90 000 000/MOUNTH = ZMK 1 080 000 000/YEAR . THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY IS THREE TIMES THE PRESIDENTS SALARY, BUT YOU SEE THEY HAVE SAID TRANSPORT REFUND, ONE MAY USE A CHOOPER, MAY HIRE THE WHOLE ENTIRE EURO BUS, EVEN A SPACE CRAFT, EVEN WHEN YOU WALK YOU LOOSE ENERGY AND DAMAGE SHOES, THEREFORE DONT CRITISIZE ME CRITICALLY.
If they can abuse money like that by paying every Jim and Jake, how much are they abusing for their own pockets? It is all about enriching themselves as they deny the nation a people driven constitution which will ensure transparency and accountability from our leaders. They would rather Zambia and the masses remain poor forever as Sata continues ruling on behalf of Fred Mmembe while they enrich themselves. I know of people who have been on constitution committes who who ammassed so much wealth over the period of their presence on this committee. Successive governments including Mwanawasa’s have continued using technical committees drafting the constitution by providing them with unlimited money so that they end up abusing it and keep shutting up and denying us a people driven const
Useless kabanda.how this fool use to behave during mmd like if they cared for the people.let learn people we have learned a bitter lession with pama fi
$100 an hour just to waffle some jargon!good money whereever you wrk in he world…There is money in that poor piece of land eh?
This is sad, I dont think we can even trust these civil societies, give them money you have bought there silence. On this matter, it is a broad daylight robbery. I will understand if these people were coming outside Lusaka. We are in trouble, I dont see this process being completed in the next 5 years.
how can transport refubd cost so much. even per diem for govt organisations if about K500,000 from which you pay accomodation for a lodge and buy your food. Hypocrites!
Global food prices have leapt by 10% in the month of July, raising fears of soaring prices for the planet’s poorest, the World Bank has warned.
The bank said that a US heatwave and drought in parts of Eastern Europe were partly to blame for the rising costs.
The price of key grains such as corn, wheat and soybean saw the most dramatic increases, described by the World Bank president as “historic”.
Transport refunds are a must in government. This is not news to me. Even if you stay within the studio transport refund must be paid to you for sitting in that studio waffling marubbish. So guys dont try to play clever here you are just exposing too much of what you dont know. By the way government workers like teachers are paid transport allowance now even if some of them stay in childrens classroom. So to me this is not news maybe talk about the 90 days lies that have since started backfiring tizanvera otherwise just shut up, observe and learn. Yes that fool stays just across the studios and he could have refuesd to be paid if thats what he wanted instead of just making empty news. Learn how the government works before criticising bafikili. I end here!
This money could not just be transport refund/costs. I think it includes a stipend for appearing on the show and all the prior preparations that the guest makes in readiness.
The amount paid is neither here nor there. However, by comparison to the national minimum wage, this sum is humongous, simply because one has to work for at least four weeks to earn it. What this should be saying to all of us is that the national minimum wage is not enough, and secondly, that we are still a very poor nation to only afford to pay our people that level of minimum wage – (about £60?), when prices are decided against the “best” global economies.
What the tech committee are doing is to recognise the difficulty that this radio/tv show appearance represents. In any case, you have got to pay for professional services.
FORMER FATHER KABANDA YOU HAVE EXPOSED YOUR HYPROCY K250,000 AND k450,000 WHICH ONE IS GREATER THAN THE OTHER?
YOU REFUSED K250,000,BUT SEE THE SITUATION YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR SELF.LIES HAVE SHORT HANDS.
BRAVO YALI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,THIS IS THE COURAGE WE NEED TO BUILD ZAMBIA.
ALL THE LIES HAVE BEEN EXPOSED.PF THE WORS CORRUPT GOVERMENT.MORE REVELATIONS ARE TO COME.
SHAME ON YOU.
absolute stealing..!
The last part is interesting. Kabanda refused to get the money: “abuse of resources”. A member of YALI received the payment and yet saying: “This is the worst case of abuse of national resources.” The YALI statement is surely a sponsored statement, if it wasn’t YALI would have refused to get the money in the first place.
Well done YALI for getting the money. At least you have evidence in your hands that Govt is wasting cash instead of reducing expenditure.
At a time when people at Mapatizya mine are getting paid K200,000 for working for 30days (hard labour and not just talking), Government is paying a few people K900,000 for talking for 2 hours. That is so inconsiderate and inhuman. Well done YALI. Maintain your stance and be vigilant
Let us all stand up and stop the loot of public resources. We cant have a country where a few individuals buy expensive luxurious vehicles at the expense of the nation at large. President sata must stand up and condemn this abuse of resources. This is taxpayers, our money and we must guard it jealously. YALII – keep standing up for what is right. I would like to see you get to TIZ standards where you can “Show me the Money!” and expose this scam
SO NCC WAS CHEAPER
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