Government has banned foreign travel for public officers with outstanding unretired imprest from official trips.
According to guidelines issued by Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba and obtained by the Times of Zambia, public officers with outstanding imprest from their previous foreign travel shall not be permitted to undertake trips abroad until they retire the imprest.
“Imprest not retired within two working days of the officers return shall be recovered through the payroll the following month,” the guidelines further read.
The guidelines state that where foreign travel vote is exhausted, the controlling officer shall not vary funds from other programmes.
Recently Finance minister Alexander Chikwanda told Parliament that Government has approved policy changes aimed at eliminating the abuse of imprest by public officers and that it would fearlessly pursue the perpetrators of fraud to safeguard funds for national development.
Mr Chikwanda said the Government had approved the public financial management strategy whose objective was to improve accountability and managing of public resources.
“The PF Government will continue to fearlessly and aggressively pursue perpetrators of fraud so that public resources are safeguarded and utilised for their intended objectives and for the purpose of meeting the aspirations of our people.
“I wish to reiterate that our Government remains committed to serving our people and ensuring that we improve the quality of their lives through corrupt free, local and central Government establishments,” Mr Chikwanda said.
According to the specific guidelines in travelling on duty outside Zambia, Mr Yamba stated that controlling officers must ensure that travel abroad is absolutely necessary and in line with current programmes of respective ministries, provinces and spending agencies.
The guidelines state that officers travelling abroad on duty should use the most direct route and no transit allowance shall be paid to officials travelling on direct routes when there is no stop over.
Further, requests for travel abroad by officers from respective ministries shall be approved by controlling officers.
“Controlling officers shall also approve authority to travel abroad for Chief Executives of Spending Agencies under their supervision.
Requests from Permanent Secretaries, equivalent and above shall be approved by the Secretary to the Cabinet,” the guidelines read.
Authority for accountable imprest fro Ministers must be obtained from the President or Secretary to the Treasury’s office for other officers.
[Times of Zambia]
The noose is tightening…
Sounds good!!!!!!!!!
Getting imprest from salaries has always been there just never implemented
Authrity to travel will now be approved by the ps for officers Is good cause it means that the delay of having to wait for authrity from secretary to the cabinet is good however from past experience we know that certain officers will always travel wether they have imprest or not because they are the experts in that field or they are the ones who have been negotiating on behalf of government .. I believe the best way to control imprest is to have a clear list of what
hints need to be retired and what doesn’t need to be retired…….also only accountable imprest needs to be retired not special imprest
Gov. workers survive through corruption and stealing public resources. where do you think they will be getting money when you pay them peanuts. k3m per month for degree holder. that is the money i spend in a day for personal leisure
whats wrong with you? criticising everything that pf is doing even when the move is good wont take you anywhere. it will just propound on the ‘bitterness and envy’ sentiments being peddled here. grow up man.
k3,000.000 will lead one day into ARVs like the so called,take care mwana
If you are a Degree Holder and qualified to work in the Private sector or Abroad then look at those options instead of stealing from us Tax payers.
The Pf Government is trying to protect public funds from being stolen and then people like want to steal the same money we are working hard to generate all in the name of being a Graduate!!!! Shame on you bastard Graduate.
Dollar
@Bwalya Chiselema, that is the money you realize from cleaning toilets in the USA. I would never be a labor migrant in my life. It really kills all the skills I have amassed in my life. Romney will round up all of you and send you to King Cobra.
my friend. don’t be misled by LT flags am very much in zambia. within kabulonga. and will never clean a toilet. am a businessman within Zambia. it seems you are one of the people who get k3m? i employ Unza graduates in my consulting firm and i pay them k8m net. how many zambians have created such employment?
Bwalya Chiselema, You are a liar.You are a Civil servant who has been stealing public funds from the Zambian Civil Service since you do not like what the Pf government is doing by controlling the tax money to prevent thieves like you from stealing the same.
Now you are upset since King Cobra is catching up with you and your cronies.
Shame on you UNZA Bastard who can not genuinely earn clean money unless given an opportunity to steal from the poor people.***** chap,you will be arrested soon. watch out before you are cornered..
Well done. Its about time!
@bwalya chiselema sulks.
You are defeated by Bwalya Chiselema that you are mauless ka! Kikikikiki
THAT’S THE WAY TO GO, AND MAKE THE PROCESS FAST IN ORDER TO LESSEN THE COST OF RECOVERING THAT MONEY. CIVIL SERVANTS MUST BE RESPONSIBLE OF WHATEVER THEY DO.
“…The guidelines state that officers travelling abroad on duty should use the most direct route and no transit allowance shall be paid to officials travelling on direct routes when there is no stop over”
KWALI UKWIBA. WHY WERE THEY PAID TRANSIT ALLOWANCES ON A DIRECT TRIP?
ba LT why are you still blocking some blogs here? bwalya chiselema’s contributions are never moderated while others are. why? be fair in your coverage.
ba LT its like you have your prefered contributors. especially those against the govt. what are you upto?
@San Jose, Are you implying that because someone is a toilet cleaner, you dont have respect for them? We all have a role to play in society. Someone of your type in the Tory Party in the UK has finally resigned as his job became untainable for called a police officer a pleb who ought to know his station in society. What someone does for a living, so long its legal is no ones problem. There is a separation between ones opinions and what they do
Good move by PF, but maybe two days is too early. May be they should be given up to a week upon return. This is to take care of those that may have jet lag. According to Medical practitioners some individuals may take up to two weeks to recover from the effects of jetlag depending on where they went.
Kelvin, Which Jet lag then they are not healthy people and must be retired on medical grounds.The receipts must be provided with two working days otherwise Civil Servants will go and get them from their friends.
One week is too much bwana.Pf good move we need accountability here so that thieves are cornered.
Dollar
@San Jose, that viewpoint is actually bigotry and where you are can be punished by law. If your arse closed up you wouldn’t go to the toilet! Jobs are like body parts – respect each one of them!!
This Government will go down in history as the one that was serious with safeguarding state coffers and spending it wisely for development of the nation to benefit the citizenry: the tax payers. Travel and sitting allowances have been a massive fraud of shameful proportons. It is the channel used by public service workers to STEAL. Outright theft!! FTJ boasted that he wooed Regina through travel allowances?! Ba Chikwanda and bwana Yamba, we salute you. Be firm and resolute. All corporates whether it be BBZ, KCM, or Zambia Breweries do not pay even a single cent for travel in or outside the company but to re-imburse genuine and auditable claims. Make not mistake, Zambia will now develop. I didnt vote PF but I now realise it is God who brought PF to clean up Zambia!! Thx God!!!
Sorry people, I did not mean to demean anybody. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to anybody. I am sorry.
You are wise and forgiven. Most people who came to the USA or the UK where on scholarships, meaning they are schooled. Try getting a visa as an imbecile and see how they will treat you.
ba LT, i can see that you have become selective as to who and whose blog you will publish or not regardless as to wether its full of insults or not. nevertheless, there are so many channels which are willing to accommodate our contributions. thanks.
this was long overdue! you need to go a step further. computerise the issuance of imprest if recover for future would be imprest holders is to be quickened. Design a program that will decline issuance of imprest to those with unretired imprest!
Niimwe bene abebasana bakolwe mwebo