The Ministry of Gender is working on a stringent law that will ensure that all men take responsibility of their wives and children as a way of bring a sense of responsibility in society.
Gender minister Professor Nkandu Luo said the new law, which she will ensure is passed before parliament is dissolved, will also deal with men who are married but continue fathering children outside wedlock and neglect to take responsibility.
Prof Luo said that it was disheartening that in most cases when divorce occurs it is not only the women that suffer but the children also endure and they end up not going to school despite them being intelligent.
She was speaking in Nkeyema district in Western Province yesterday during the handover of equipment under the Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) project which was also witnessed by regional permanent secretary Mwangala Liomba, area district commissioner Albertina Mwanamwalye and other government officials.
Prof Luo, who is also the Munali lawmaker, said that the tractor, plough and ripper which have been allocated to Nkeyema Cooperative Society in chief Kahare’s area is a government initiative aimed at decentralizing to the lowest level unit.
She said that though the equipment has been handed over at a time when the rainy season is coming to an end, agriculture should not be only when there are rains as there are many wetlands in Nkeyema district that can be harnessed for the purpose.
Prof Luo said that the farming equipment is being given to chiefdoms and not districts and it will be under the supervision of chiefs who should ensure that whichever group uses it takes responsibility unlike taking it as government property.
She said that the Ministry of Gender will work closely with other line ministries in a bid to achieve high productivity and scale down poverty among the poor who are the majority of voters at about 80 per cent as they are the ones that ushered the PF into government.
Prof Luo said her ministry will work with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that District Agricultural Coordinators oversee agricultural activities in the project areas while the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries will supervise the correct way of looking after livestock and fisheries as alternative forming modes.
She said the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry will on the other hand help to identify areas of high production and it will also help in setting up processing activities in the chiefdoms so as to add value to their produce.
Prof Luo said that government has resolved as a policy to improve the lives of the poor who did not have the capacity to access resources meant for poverty reduction because they could write project proposals.
Prof Luo said that government has redesigned the empowerment programmes in the Ministry of Gender because it has realized that women were unable to pay back loans because they were not empowered with knowledge.
And speaking at the same function, Western Province Permanent Secretary Mwangala Liomba said that any misuse of equipment under the ADVANCE project will be disappointing as it will retard development.
Mr Liomba said that he was hopeful that another set of agricultural equipment will soon be delivered to the province as Prof Luo is known to have a heart for the people of that region.
Here we go again saying anything that comes in our minds as long as we are given microphone. How do you exclude women from responsibility of children when it is actually women who have got jobs and means. Go to all govt depts, offices, shops, ZAF, Zambia Army, markets, streets at night, ploughing fields, etc, majority of people making money are women. May be that law should apply to MPs, Cabinet, Political Parties were there few women earning a living. We are fighting gender imbalance and promoting girl child empowerment meanwhile we are telling the child that sit back, men will empower you. Please, stop all practices which promote men as breadwinners for women like prostitution, lobola, laws bent on degrading women for example mothers day, lower cut-off points.
For once she said something sensible. Many Zambian men are so irresponsible when it comes to child care. I doubt a parliament dominated by men would pass the law, anyway hope so. Coming from Zambian man.
Promote Africanism, what she says is only partly true. It’s true that men should take responsibility for their children, even if the child is born out of wedlock. Some countries like the USA have very strict child support laws. However, it’s not only men who are required to pay child support, women pay child support too, depending on who gets custody of the children at divorce. So, insisting that the man alone should be responsible for his wife and kids, flies in the face of modern society where women are crying for equal rights and treatment under the law. True, that there are more irresponsible men than women, with regard to child welfare, but to say the financial responsibility of the family is exclusively for men is simply not true.
Good move
Indeed, good move. We are tired of seeing children suffer because of irresponsible men who refuse to support their children and wives and get away unpunished. Our culture favours men so this one is a welcome move. A child is created by two people and so raising it and providing is collective responsibility. All the lazy men out there, watch out. To those who can provide, continue being examples and pillars of your communities. There are many young men out there who need you to be shining examples.
She married?
Was? And your point is?
Who wants to marry this scarecrow?
Where is equality in this proposal?
Let us here back from you Nkandu.
Bana Tasintha nabena, her mind is just full of sex. Women don’t need that bull. They need education, access to finance, clean water, etc. Today’s woman chooses when & how to have children. Think of laws that are progressive to benefit the whole society not laws that takes us centuries back.
Asking women to get divorced just like. You see how frustrated some divorced women get!
Is this April fools’ day joke or is she planning on getting married to have children?
Yaba tumfweko; as a way of bring sense of responsibility! Always consult me for corrections before u publish.
Am not just happy with the way lip stick was applied .
The lips are too long …
There is no wet lands in Nkeyema apart from small streams which get dry in the dry season,and besides this no successful Government has build any dam there so I don’t know why this tractor could have been brought this time around especially that it is towards election time.The road to the palace is pathetic, that is why she failed even to pay a courtesy call to the chief. So its litente litulike
But Mwamba can work for more than 10 years. So let the people do a dont kubeba by getting the tractor, vote wisely and continue using the tractor for many more years to come.
The only problem is that the chief will just grab that thing immediately there is change of govt
This woman is retading marriege. what about those married women who are misbehaving, double crossing. What are your measures you have put in place. Men are doing so because women have stoped obeying their husband. May be you are doing so because you are old.
Another useless law hasn’t she been to magistrate court before…there are laws to deal with this it is called divorce…why should a woman stick to a woman still to a husband if he is unfaithful!
Nkandu Luo was married to the late Dr. Manda of the manzi and mtoto fame. Dr. Manda run away from her. Now she wants to hold every man responsible for Dr. Manda’s misadventure? Why should all men suffer because of the problems she had with Dr. Manda? Luo should know there are good men out there, let her ask Sarah Longwe ( married to Roy Clarke), or Muntinta HH’s spouse, or Mbulo (Nawakwi’s betterhaf). Or even better still Masebo, Silvia Masebo divorced husband. Any law that is enacted to settle old scores is a bad one. This law should not be rushed. Let a sober person present it instead of Luo who is out to settle old scores because of what she went through under Dr. (Mtoto) Manda.
Don’t insult the late illustrious son of Zambia Dr Manda.
Coming to Luo s nonsense please Honourable consult.You have access to free legal advice at Ministry of Justice,make use of it.The laws you are talking about are already there.It is a criminal offence for a parent whether father or mother or even guardian to neglect a child and these are in addition to civil laws providing for maintenance.
Well how about passing a law to punish women who allow themselves to have children with irresponsible men? Are women incapable of thinking for themselves that they should need a law passed. Talk about empowerment and not this rubbish that degrades women as non thinkers. What a backward suggestion from a professor!
True, the irresponsible men go out with other women who should also be punished.
Judy, you are right! A lot of these women nowadays are only interested in having a child. So many children born out of wedlock. In 10 years times Zambia will be a crisis because of absent irresponsible fathers (and in some cases the mothers too) everyone wants to have good time, open legs have a child and continue clubbing and drinking like fish. Most children have poor role models.
Good message, bad messenger.
Such a law would only entrench gender inequality. Today’s liberated women don’t want such “protection”
ALL I CAN SAY IS DON’T MAKE LAWS FOR INDIVIDUALS OR A GROUP OF PEOPLE. MAKE LAWS FOR LAWS FOR EVERYONE INCLUDING YOURSELVES. EVEN THEN DON’T MAKE LAWS BECAUSE YOU ARE AGGRIEVED, HATEFUL OR BITTER. MAKE LAWS BECAUSE IT’S APPROPRIATE FOR SUCH A LAW TO IMPROVE SOCIAL, LABOUR AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS (OR ANIMALS AND PLANTS). LAWS WHICH ARE MADE WITH A PERSON IN MIND BACKFIRE INTO NASTY RESULTS. IN THIS CASE LUO WANTS TO MAKES LAWS FOR MEN ALONE, EXCLUDING WOMEN. I MEAN WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT IS RIGHT- RESPONSIBILITY. HOWEVER, ANYONE CAN BE IRRESPONSIBLE FROM BOTH SIDES. SOME OF THESE LAWS HAVE BACKFIRED IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY WERE MADE FOR MEN AND MOSTLY MEN BUTCHER CHILDREN AND PARTNERS/WIVES LIKE NOBODY’S BUSINESS. SO BA LUO BE CAREFUL OF DREAMING.
DO NOT PUT ZAMBIA ON FIRE CARELESSLY. I MEAN I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE WORD YOU USED- RESPONSIBILITY IF DIRECTED AT EVERY PARENT OR GUARDIAN. JUST AS I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THOSE (MAINLY MEN) WHO BUTCHER THEIR CHILDREN DUE TO CERTAIN BIASED LAWS WHICH HAVE FOR A LONG TIME BEEN USED AGAINST MEN. IT’S LIKE GUN LAWS IN AMERICA WHICH WERE MEANT TO EMPOWER WHITES AGAINST THE BLACKS RACE. NOW THAT THERE’S NO SLAVERY AND EVERYONE CAN OWN A GUNS- MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THOSE GUNS ARE TURNED ON THE WHITES WHO FORGOT (OR IGNORED) TO REPEAL THE LAW IN ORDER TO ABOLISH ARMS OWNERSHIP. BECAUSE THE DANGER BY THEN CAME FROM THE OPPRESSED TO THE OPPRESSOR. SO, THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT LAW FOR MEN.
Ba Luo, yayayaa!!!!!!! Amano yachifyalilya emano. How do you think like that? If we men are not careful, these women will bring us down one day and they are almost there. Men who are blindly supporting these lunatics will one day realise they were on the wrong side. lets uphold equality and not tread upon others in order to promote the rights of another.
Laws are already there but mothers don’t want to pursue them. Some big Lusaka lawyer who alleged to have disregarded rights of illegitimate children in a will of a deceased client estate ended meeting failure costs.
Te law is already there in bible and those not following it strictly are not committed Christians.