Friday, March 29, 2024

Government to stop paying electricity and water bills for police officers in police camps

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File : Police officers on duty
File : Police officers on duty

Government has announced that it will soon stop servicing water and electricity bills for police officers living in police camps in order to cut public expenditure.

Historically, the Zambian Government has been paying water and electricity bills in police camps as a way of motivating the men and women in uniform.
But Home Affairs Deputy Minister Colonel Gerry Chanda said in an interview that Government has been failing to offset the huge electricity and water bills.

Colonel Chanda explained that the escalation of water and electricity bills is a matter of grave concern for the government.

‘As a policy matter, You as a police officer employed by the state and living a police camp, you must pay for your water but what has been happing is that because of the general billing system, you find that the bill comes as if all the bill is being used by the institution but we need to start separating the bills per household,’ Colonel Chanda said.

He said Government’s continued paying of utility bills is a mistake which should not be allowed to continue.

‘For electricity, each household has a meter but for purposes of billing, the bill is channelled institutionally but that has to come to end. It is our mistake, we should have separated the water and electricity coming to offices and the houses,’ he said.

19 COMMENTS

  1. It is sensible if the officers are abusing the provision of these utilities. Example of this is using the facilities for commercial ventures, such as carpentry, welding, ice making, baking or block making.

    It the same as using a person-to-holder vehicle for ferrying passengers or goods to make some money.

    The same rule should apply to government ministers and other civil servants living in government houses.

    If military barracks residents are also engaged in commercial activities using water and electricity paid for by the tax payers, the facility must be withdrawn from them too.

    • What is spent on poor policemen is nothing to what minister PSs and Directors get. Here are other options for reducing expenditure:

      1. Reduce the number of deputy ministers

      2. Stop buying phones and talktime for ministers, PSs and Directors

      3. Reduce fuel allowances for ministers, PSs and Directors

      4. Let diplomats start paying tax.

      5. Reduce on the number of vehicles given to ministers, PSs and Directors

      6. Stop paying entertainment/ servants allowances to ministers, PSs and Directors

      Ministers are grown ups who can pay for their own bills!

    • If this is the case governement should stop paying water and electricity bills for all civil servants and ministers. After all if you think about it Ministers and other top govt officials get more money and should pay their own bills. I would support payment of bills for police officers because of their low salaries but I am not because they are so corrupt to the core!

    • For starters, it’s a shame that those camps are even in existence. I think it’s pathetic that these officers live in those 2-roomed ablution blocks. Get ’em better living conditions

  2. @Mwaba Jr: there should be no “reduce”; its all about “stop”. If these politicians could stop getting all these freebies they can channel resources to other things. Their salaries are good enough to pay for their own cars, house rentals, fuels and their lodging if they are in Lusaka. I could cut all these if I had powers.
    They can start working. Problem, they are the ones in charge of decisions on emoluments so you dont expect them to undercut anything. Its like Kenya where MPs are some of the best paid in the world and their pay is tax free; what nonsense is that sure?

    • PF police whats your take.Fintu ni Lungu see what you have put your selves in.We soldier we told you Lungu is useless but mwaletalika ati awe Lungu mwaume.Now lets see how you will manage to pay for electricity and water with your migre salary coupled with wage freeze?

  3. Anyone, working anywhere must take care of their own bills. This communist economics of “govt take the ticket” have only managed to stifle efficiency in the delivery of basic needs.
    I have never understood why government foots housing, water, electricity, phone, transport and in some cases food bills for Ministers, PS, Police and Military. What a Waste!! What is the rationale behind this foolish, socialist and incompetent mode of handling public funds? This is done here in Zambia, in one of the poorest countries in the world while infact it is unheard of in wealthier nations! Someone needs a workshop on how to manage meager resources from Rwanda’s KAGAME. Shame on Zambia that with all the yrs of stability efficient management of public wealth is at zero!

  4. Instead of paying for them why not add it on to their wages for them to pay themselves as GRZ never pays these utility companies…

  5. These ministers of ours do they ever care to research a matter before they talk? Its now three years since the process of making police officers pay for their household utility bills started.This is when he is thinking about it. I have greet respect for army officers but the colonel has greatly disappointed me.

  6. This minister should have researched before he opens his mouth. Now you wonder what kind of leaders we have in Zambia. With the coming in of prepaid meters by Zesco Limited, signaled the end of one bill. Hon. Should be reading. Its like this guys are not in Zambia, yet controlling zambia. What a shame. This are the guys letting H.E. Lungu down.

    • @Kwindi trying to sound to be too exposed,you are forgetting that most houses in police camps are on fixed and not on pre paid.Research before you expose your self.

  7. I enjoy seeing these police Officers buy electricity and water tokens in midst of complaining.I remind them that when PF came in Sata revoked Mealie meal and electricity bills,now Lungu has axed again by taking pre-paid water meters.And Lungu will still axe them by making them pay for accommodation and yet Lungu and his Pigs are enjoying all the necessary facilities.Now wait and see how these poor police officers will be rough on road blocks.

    • ?@GIFT
      Can you compare yourself to traffic officer?Wachepa Sana, these guys are filthy rich. They just pretend and even you know that. So what’s a bill for electricity or water

  8. this makes a lot of sense,indeed as spoken it should be extended to military barracks and Ministers after all these fat cats get too much money. EL is on the right path.

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