Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) today walked out of the House to the surprise of ruling Patriotic Front (PF) members in protest over the allocation of K1.5 billion to the First Lady in 2013 national Budget.
This happened when United Party for National Development (UPND) Monze MP Jack Mwiimbu rose on a point of order to get clarification whether Government had created office of the First Lady in view of K1.5 billion allocation.
UPND Kalomo MP Request Muntanga also wondered why Government could allocate such huge funds when there was no office of the First Lady in existence.
But Vice President Guy Scott told the House in response that the allocation of the funds did not mean Government had created the office of the First Lady in the country.
Dr Scott explained that First Ladies from across several countries were allocated with resources and that the Zambian First Lady was committed to assisting in areas of improving health services.
“First Ladies are supported in many countries and there is no office what we have is Cabinet office,” Dr Scott said
It was at this point that the opposition MPs stood up and walked out of the House leaving MMD appointed Deputy Ministers with PF members.
[pullquote]“Why walking out…they should be around in the House and listen to their questions,”Dr Scott said[/pullquote]
Other who remained are MMD Keembe MP Ronnie Shikapwasha, MMD Chipangali MP Vincent Mwale, MMD Mpongwe MP Gabriel Namulambe and
Kasenengwa MP Victoria Kalima.
The walk out of the MPs however, never interrupted business in the House as deliberations conducted by Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini went on smoothly.
The opposition MPs assembled at the Parliament building public foyer where they held a caucus meeting.
When contacted for a comment, MMD Chief Whip who is also party Nalikwanda MP Geoffrey Lungwangwa said they would call for a press briefing within the course of the day to issue a comprehensive statement.
But speaking in an exclusive interview, Dr Scott wondered why the MPs could abruptly walk out instead of listening to answers their questions.
“Why walking out…they should be around in the House and listen to their questions,”Dr Scott said
The MPs after a long stay outside, however started trooping inside the House one by one after the mid-morning tea break
Meanwhile, the Zambia Direct Democraacy Movement (ZDDM) today presented a petition to Dr Matibini in protest of allocation of the
K1.5 billion to the First Lady.
Presenting the petition signed by ZDDM president Edwin Sakala and his vice Joshua Kafumbo to Mr Pande at the entrance of the main gate to
Parliament, the duo stated that the office of the First Lady never constitutionally existed.
“Our understanding and that of our membership is that the office of the First Lady does not constitutionally exist hence does not qualify to be allocated such funds as there is no justification to support it hence our Hon August House is in the wrong to vote for the allocation,” the duo said
They appealed to Mr Pande to lobby the Parliamentarians to revisit the bill and that the office of the First Lady should be formally constitutionalised before funds were allotted to it.
In another development, ZDDM raised concerned on continued stay in office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mutembo Nchito and why Parliament ratified him as they alleged that he had some criminal cases in courts such as K14 billion owed to then Zambian Airways where he was a director.
In receiving the petition, Mr Pande who was accompanied by MMD Kasenengwa MP Victoria Kalima and UPND Mbabala MP Ephraim Bbelemu, assured the duo that he would deliver it to Dr Matibini saying they had raised issues of national matters.
there are more dignified ways of doing things than to walk away. these MPs should learn from Mushota and Nick.
The opposition are acting like spoilt children. National matters are serious – stay there and debate. Soon PF will have majority in such a way that your walking out will be meaningless. Grow up MPs and stop wasting tax payer’s money.
Talk of tax payers money, why allocate K1.5billion tax payers money to an office that does not constitutionally exist?
Kopala, that is a stupid question. MMD did not even tell you what they were giving Thandiwe, now these guys become transparent and you want to kill them? Infact they have even reduced the amount. Grow up or shut up.
NOW OUR OPPOSITION MPS ARE BAHAVING LIKE HEADLESS CHICKENS. THEY ARE NOT EVEN AGREED ON WHAT TO DO. SOME WALK OUT, OTHERS REMAIN. WHAT IS THAT? YES PARLIAMENT SHOULD KEEP ON WITH DELIBERATIONS EVEN IF THESE GUYS WALK OUT. WE NEED TO BE SERIOUS YOU GUYS.
TROOPING BACK, HUMILIATED WITH THEIR TAILS BETWEEN THEIR HIND LEGS. WHAT A SHAME. NO STRATEGY, NO QUALITY.
@assisting in areas of improving health services…let her apply for a job in the ministry of health then.
Good job!, all this will be used as evidence in future to show that this move was ‘bamba zonked’ on the tax payer.
Illegal expenditure on a non-existent office constitutes financial abuse!
Grow up you fo-ol.Why do you hate bembas so much ? Did a bemba do your wife without protection ?
zebige, you are the fool, i did your mother already
#5 you are talking bout the future; will you be there in the future?? why not just keep quiet. sha
I will, you wont!
And i will always talk, will never be quite
Iyoo chimayo ichi chisuma, ichachindama. You are beautiful mayo. Smile yekafye….. Enjoy the k1.5 billion, abo abalechita walkout shingi baiba. Bembas say UMWAICHE UWIKALA PA NSAKA AFITILE AMAPULI KU CHUSHI !!!
hehehheheheh, iyo ichi bemba ichi cha ndepula bweshapo nafuti!
Kwaaaah. Walipena monko iwe!
what we know is Dr.kaseba was not voted 2 be the first lady. why start alocating funds careless like this.why ca,nt we just say no 2 it as a country and not waiting for yo MP`s. what u should not forget is that some of this MP`s were just village heamen and primary school teachers,so they can acept any thing
Why did they even troop back to the house? They should have stayed outside these brainless MPs
Keep smiling ‘first lady’ while your time to make easy cash lasts.
Even the ka girl Kalima walked out again with 8 bottles of water in her handbag. Am told they use the water to take whisky from the parliament bar.
Parasitic political cadres blogging on this site are really nauseating. Unfortunately, given their opportunistic and massive posting into the diaspora, they’ll soon outbread patriotic zambians and set a stage for the battle of food at any cost versus liberty….
“why walking out? They should stayed to listen to their favourite questions.” I dont understand how u cn listen to your own questions.You ask and not listen to your questions.Scot is British but poorly speaks his own mother tongue.
I dont agree with Dr Scott’s weak argument. Just because First Ladies elsewhere are allocated with resources doesnt mean we should follow suit. Things are not done because others are doing them.
We have way too many jokers in the house no wonder this.
Nobody solved anything by walking away.
Please fire these no-position imbeciles. I am sick and tired of their tantrums.
You cannot fire elected officials you degenerate!!!!
Spot on princess ! These low life creatures ought to be fired.
It is good that they walked out to register their unhappiness about allocating billions of Kwacha ( even if it is useless currency) to a fake office; the so called First Lady’s Office or whatever it is called. This is veiled plunder.
Wow 2016 some will be arrested
You can easily see how stupid parliament is and as a reflection of the people they represent.No wonder in Zambia people worship wrong doing, worshipping sin.No wonder Sata just wakes up after smoking dagga and shouts then MPs and the zambian people simply say yes bwana
SAD
Am vindicated when I said these opposition United Party for National Destruction are upto no good for the people of Zambia. How can they be so chaildish and petty by walking out on serrious business?
They can walk out, kabili they are very angry because most of them would have been Ministers if they did not divorce PF. Disgruntled lot, you will lose it before 2016.
Walking out in such a forum is unfortunate but sometimes it drives a message of distancing ones self from the rotten bunch. When it was reported that parliament had approved this allocation, every enlightened blogger questioned what the parliamentarians where doing. Atleast this walk out shows that they are just as disquiet as any reasonable citizen and don’t want to be lumped with the CNP’s who are on a path to distraction.
These United Party for National Destruction (UPND) MPs. What else do you expect from them, surely?
If this last lady has any morals, let her decline this. Why should resources be concentrated in these two people who never even had a wedding when many Zambians are suffering? Who and how does she want to help. The whole point is that Sata besides being so selfish by getting 100% of his predecessor, he wants to get more money through his abused girl friend people call a first lady.
Mr Vice President Sir, lets close this chapter once and for all so that we can address other developmental projects that needs urgent attention by first legalising this office of the first lady. Create the office of the first lady first and then allocate it the K1.5bn thats all our MPs are asking for, simple eg The districts which The president has created have not been budgeted for coz they were not in existance hence they will be allocated money in the next budget.
Why should it be there in the first place?
Let them continue walking out.We can`t care less.They are just a bitter lot.
I dont thnk Mr kaingu walked out also, he has a better way of dealing with such petty issues.. Viva kaingu viiiivaaaaaaa
Don’t misuse titles. Who is a lady? First Prostitute is befitting the item in question. First Prostitute! Say all of you. Again. Repeat. Good. Now sit down.
Chiluba and his wife went to court, Banda and his family are going to court and no one seems to learn from others mistakes. Stay away from the money and you will retire quietly. Those entrusted to manage the funds on her behalf maybe careless but she will be held accountable and waste time appearing in court.
Stop justifying theft . Kaseba is not an employee of the Zambian State nor the govt. She just happens to be married to Sata who was elected to the Presidency. Kaseba should just confine herself to keeping State House warm for her husband. She should not be allowed to deep her fingers in the Nations’s cookie jar. She is a medical doctor , and if she’s bored she better make herself useful. She can go use her pretty fingers to probe patients at anyone of the clinics near state house like Bauleni, Chainda or Chilenje. Parliament should not be used to rubber stamp theft. Well done MPs . You did well to walkout. As for Scott, what an id.iot!
shut up #30. You are just misleading yourself and others. That’s only about GBP187,500. Nick and Mushota easily have more than that. by the way change your ka name also, “GONCLAVES IS UNCREATIVE AND A VERY SILLY & CHILDISH NAME.”
You’re very uncomfortable with intelligent and rational people. If you want to insult someone make sure you know how to spell his name. Anyway thanks for your response. Seems I hit some raw nerve that’s why you seem to be uncomfortable with the truth. You must be living on taxpayer money at one of the foreign missions…….typical parasite.
chanda chimba the great warned us,mwamona nomba iyi beba ati munshebwa.
I think the people walking out of parliament are hypocrites. They are resisting the government for being transparent when they kept quiet when in previous administrations. Did anyone ask where Vera’s Hope Foundation, Maureen’s MMCI, or Thandiwe’s ‘charitable’ activities got their money? Of course it was governement money, or else those former first ladies would still be doing those activities. First ladies world over usually do these charitable activities. I think Dr Kaseba must be must be supported in her activities on health because she seems to know what she is doing. The governement can fund this expenditure secretly if they wanted; allow them to be transparent.
Are you saying wrong things should continue? Transparent stealing
But am thinking if the previous Presidents allocated money to the first lady without asking Mr.Sata can do the same by putting it understate house. If he is questioned he can simply say its been tradition that the first lady is given money. If it is the tradition of state house to do that then it means its not illegal. I remember Thandiwe Banda used to give that money to women organisations as well as campaigns for her husband RB No one questioned. What these Mp’s were to do was to say ok. You have allocated this money do we agree as Mp’s to make this an office for the first lady if they say yes. They do the paper work and we move on rather than wasting time. Something that can be done in a day or two will take over a month to solve,.
ba first lady, hair style ibavuta maningi mwee, let her try bold. she doesnt look good in artificial hair.
This is a scandal! Thats the long and short of it; its plunder of national resources presented in “parliamentary clothing”. The dozzie MPs must have known it was illegal before they endorsed the allocation. Trying to close the barn door after the horse has left.
Kaseba and her sugar daddy are selfish kleptomaniacs. Sata recently increased his salary and allowances by 150%. He is already building his retirement home at taxpayers expense. These two and their clans already live at taxpayer expense in State House. They don’t pay for anything electricity, water, food etc. They have no expenditure! Now to add insult to injury Kaseba is demanding money she’s not entitled to! We already have three Ministers dealing with health. We do need to be burdened with another fake portfolio. Sata please stop your theft.
I am shocked at Christine Kaseba. Common sense would dictate that she should be above reproach and not have her name be a subject of innuendo and suspicion. She could come clean and declared she will raise her own funds for the cancer cause. There will be a lot of well wishers willing to donate out there. She should not be a beneficiary of tax payers money appropriated treachlously. Surely, she is smart enough to be above this kind of debate, or is she?
Can you imagine the level of ignorance and insolence being exhibited by these so-called MPs. We, who have lived in many countries know how so many first ladies are being treated with honor and respect, due to a sufficient level of independence in their operations.Grow up, so-called MPs, and don’t behave like children.U are hurting us, and all Zambian academicians.
@38. Chileshe. Which countries are these ? Stop defending kleptocracy! Stealing seems ingrained in your culture if you can’t see anything wrong with this!
@Chileshe,
You are the one exposing ignorance. Where have you seen a country with an “office of the first lady” later on funded by the tax payer? There are loads of cancer charities that Kaseba can “tap” into and raise funds both at national and international level without putting her name into suspicious and illegitimate wrangles with the humble people of Zambia. We can offload K1.5b to an office that does not exist. Period.
How I wish that money could immediately be directed to improve water supply and buy a huge back-up generator at UTH. How many lives would we save? A then minister of health or Lusaka governor (Man of Action) Sata would do that. But this new sata awe mwandi. Yes all you diasporans could be supporting this, but ask the suffering Zambians if they could support such an allocation. I guess not. people voted for change and not the same MMD first lady Hope Foundation, MM, or thandiwe banda nonsense.
It seems we are running out of ideas… What does democracy entail??? MPs voted and majority carried the day. Why is it that the minority who lost want to turn the tables?? It doesn’t work like that. Let’s be careful and not allow them to set a very grave precedence, or else in 2016 when they loose, they’ll again demand that they be given an opportunity to govern based on what will appear as objective and justifiable basis (wealth, education qualification of members, soundness of manifesto etc).
When we tell you that Zambia has retards in government we mean it. How can a vic-president say, “First Ladies are supported in many countries and there is no office what we have is Cabinet office,” as a reason for allocating money to Kaseba. If Scott cannot even understand that you only allocate money to an established government office, then the country is in real trouble. Scott should just say his government suffers from a disease called kleptomania.
This is a no brainer. MPs pledge to uphold the constitution of our Country. Allocating money to an office that is not gazetted is a breach of the constitution. Period, So well done, MPs, remember you are there to serve the people who elected you, and you can best do that by upholding the constitution and the rule of law. Well done, you sent a clear message to that effect. May God be with you.
what was Thandiwe Banda using?Kwacha
Do not worry about what Thandiwe Banda was using. She is no more! Zambians are very much awake, you ain’t cheating them no way.
Which vote was Thandiwe Banda drawing the cash she was using to move around and give cash handouts to women groups? We know that a lot of kwachas was spent in her futile galivanting, under the pretext of an NGO empowering women. This Govt is rite to bare it all 2 say our 1st Lady is goimg to use 1.5 Billion to run her activities, rather than giving some1 a blank cheque. There is a lot of transparency in this! We must change the way we are running things. So HH is happy to see 1st Lady spending collosal amounts of Kwachas in the background! without knowing how much. I would rather side with some one who says I am going for shopping, I ve 1 million to spend than the 1 who says I am going 4 shopping and how much I spend is non of yo bizness.
Is she back in State House?
Which first lady – Ing’utu Suba or Dr. Kaseba?
THE OPPOSITION HAS BEEN DEFLATED BY SATA. THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THEMSELVES AND OPPOSE SATA. SO THEY HAVE RESORTED TO CHEAP CHILDISH TACTICS. SURELY HOW CAN ONE APPRECIATE THEIR MOVE TO WALK OUT OF PARLIAMENT. THIS IS ACTUALLY MAKING THEM MORE UNPOPULAR BY THE END OFTHE DAY. IN 2010 THE FIRST LADY’S OFFICE GOBBLED K2.4 BN AND IN 2011 IT GOBBLED K1.4BN EVEN WHEN THE OFFICE WAS NOT CONSTITUTIONAL. NOW A WISE GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO BUDGET FOR THE EXPENSES IN ORDER TO BE TRANSPARENT. THE POOR, HEADLESS OPPOSITION START WALKING OUT. SURELY. LETS BE SERIOUS. IS IT THE MONEY YOU WANT TO SAVE OR IS IT THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THAT OFFICE THAT IS A MATTER? OR YOU HOPE TO GAIN SOME POLITICAL MILEAGE?
So what is MMD suggesting?
That we arrest all former First ladies who ever received money from GRZ for their charitable activities? Constitutional issues I can agree with but the fact that Madam Kaseba has solid programs she is running can not be denied, Thandiwe never ran any meaningful works but she gobbled so much money and the MMD & UPND never argued. What field is Lungwangwa a professor in?
I once said that all that a sitting President in Zambia needs to do is cover the basic and the coop will be a-flap with confused chickens… a lot of what is going on currently would have only been done in an election year by previous regimes. Most of what these MPs are flapping about is of no consequence and has precedence that is simply being formalized. If you have ever served as Chief Executive, or Senior Manager in a sane company they do have an allocation for your spouse, your help around the house, and in some cases, support for your kids. This is as normal as it gets. Some use their spouse’s allowances on ma-hules …
Chisenga #50 – well said!!!
Nkapyana mwandi Mayo, simailo fye yekayeka fye!!!! uhmmmmmnn.
By far the most helpful as well as current info I recently found for this area. I am sure pleased that I saw that article by chance. I’ll probably be subscribing to your own rss feed so that I can have the most recent updates. Love all the stuff here.
The MP’s walked or trooped back after this item was over. The trooping out is allowed in parliament that is why they cannot be punished for trooping out. It is a tool used to exprress displeasure.
PF has bought some MP’s. why dont they push to Institutionalise the Office of the First lady bill and it can GO through? Then this will GO away.
The Opposition where in order to walk away.
she il be compaining for sata