The Report of the Auditor General on the Management of Constituency Development Funds and Grants to Local Authorities for the financial year ended 31st December 2012 is out with 41 billion kwacha remaining unspent as of January 2014.
The major irregularities concerning the management of CDF are Irregular payments amounting to K10, 012, 678, 075, Failure to follow Tender guidelines at K8, 242, 391, 620, Unsupported payment of K5, 250, 574, 050 and Unspent Funds that stood at K41, 395, 116, 148, among others.
The unspent funds involve 58 constituencies in seven (7) provinces namely Copperbelt, Lusaka, North Western, Muchinga, Eastern, Southern and Central.
On the other hand, the major irregularities on Grants to Local Authorities include failure to remit statutory contributions in amounts totaling K8, 125, 102, 460, unsupported payments of K3, 010, 113, 094 and misapplication of funds amounting to K2, 735, 524, 080 among others.
The CDF was established in 1995 to finance micro-community based projects for poverty reduction.
The Office hopes that the public will take keen interest in knowing how their resources are being managed and utilized by those entrusted to superintend over public affairs.
Auditor General Public Relations Officer Ellen Chikale said in a statement that corrective action should be taken so as to promote confidence in the Management of CDF and Grants to Local Authorities as well as the much needed development.
These are staggering figures and no one will be made to account for all these irregularities.
Irregular payments; failure to follow tender guidelines; unsupported payments; and unspent funds and you wondered why the country can’t develop.
This level of corruption, abuse of resources and unprecedented level of incompetence should really send people to jail or forced out of public office. The painful thing about it this kind of revelation will come to pass and swept under carpet as business as usual. Surely there’s something we can do as citizens even with current deformed constitution.
Did you say “should really send people to jail or forced out of public office” ??
Please let me rephrase that. You should have said “forced out of public office, AND BANNED FROM EVER HOLDING PUBLIC OFFICE AGAIN”. We do not need to recycle corrupt civil servants and politicians!
And if a crime was committed they need to BE PROSECUTED FOR IT!
We are very lucky to have a government that is transparent. Next step is to mail the culprits big time to deter would be offenders. In the dark days of RB, this revelation would not have seen light. Bravo PF and keep it up.
Congrts Northern,Western &Luapula provinces fr spending everythng.