Thursday, March 28, 2024

TIZ discloses ‘abuse’ of CDF

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TIZTransparent International Zambia has disclosed that there is massive abuse of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by many Members of Parliament and Councillors in all the 150 constituencies of Zambia.

TIZ Director of Programmes Wesley Chibamba said the situation of abuse of CDF is worse for communities which are far from urban areas as they hardly know about the existence of CDF.

Mr. Chibamba said this today at parliament building during the TIZ’S submission to the Committee on Local Governance, Housing and Chiefs Affairs on the implementation of the Constituency Development Fund.

He said TIZ continues to receive reports and perception that the CDF projects have been highly politicised by MPs and Councillors.

Mr. Chibamba stated that the CDF was wrongly associated with personal funding from MPs or Councillors who are usually mistaken as being the ones that source the money for the benefit of the people.

He also said Members of Parliament and their councillors dominate the decision making process for projects to be funded at times thereby making the CDF process guidelines to be circumvented.

Meanwhile, TIZ Advocacy Officer Patrick Chilufya said his organization has recommended that the need to implement the recommendations of the review of the current utilisation of CDF.

Mr. Chilufya said TIZ also recommended that CDF decision making over projects should be carried in a consultative, inclusive and participatory manner involving all key stakeholders.

He also suggested that the income generating activities under the CDF should be abolished with immediate effect to create transparency of CDF.

Mr. Chilufya further said in order to guarantee regular and effective project monitoring, there should be sufficient funding for project implementation.

He additionally stated that there was need for community dialogue meetings so as to provide an opportunity for community members to interface with local officials and project implementers so that they can determine the projects which respond to their needs.

And Chairperson of the Committee on Local governance, Housing and Chiefs Affairs on the implementation of the Constituency Development Fund, Allan Mbewe thanked TIZ for the job it did during its research on CDF.

Mr. Mbewe said the TIZ submission will be tabled before parliament when it resumes sitting where all the recommendations will be discussed at length by members of the house.

1 COMMENT

  1. Well hardly surprising, when in the past MP’s campaigned for higher wages because of fear of poverty! So they found a way around it!! Let’s hope the situation is not as bad as this and that action will be taken to deal firmly with any fraudulent actions by MPs. Even here in the West MPs have to be reigned in from abusing expenses. Some type of madness overtakes MPs….’Rake it in before it’s too late’. It must be a form of Anxiety and Stress related to this profession!

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