Finance Minister Felix Mutati has said government is fully committed to strengthening implementation of the Public Financial Management Reform Program and will ensure that amendments are made to the Public Finance Act, and that the Planning and Budgeting Bill is enacted in the next sitting of parliament.
During post budget liaison meetings across the country, the issue of fiscal discipline was eminent, Mr. Mutati has said, adding that, “the government will implement strict expenditure monitoring measures to ensure that wastage is curbed, resource leakages sealed, and errant officials chastised accordingly.”
“Although the Ministry of Finance will ensure that funding is made timely, we will not accept expenditure that is inconsistent with the approved budget. Non-compliant public officials will encounter regulatory correctional measures,” said Mr. Mutati, adding that “work on the Planning and Budgeting Bill, and the Public Financial Act is progressing well. They will both be ready for consideration in the next sitting of Parliament,” assured the Minister.
Mr. Mutati was commenting in relation to budget releases made to date under the 2017 Budget. For the period 1st to 13th January, 2017, some key funding releases for developmental and welfare programs were made as follows:
1. K100 million for the E-voucher system [under the Farmer Input Support Programme – FISP], targeted at helping to reduce excessive overheads and wastage associated with the current FISP arrangement and ensure prudent use of resources in line with the Economic Recovery and Stabilisation Programme;
2. K20.2 million for battling the army worms invasion;
3. K41.7 million for the social cash transfer programme in line with the 2017 budget commitment to up-scale social protection programmes both in terms of coverage and monthly amounts to be given to each beneficiary household. The target for 2017 is to increase the number of beneficiary households from 242,000 to over 500,000 and raise the monthly amounts given to each household by 28 percent;
4. K2.2 million for food security packs in line with the government’s commitment to continue implementing the program in all the ten provinces in order to alleviate hunger and poverty among vulnerable but viable farmers. In 2017, the government will scale-up this programme from the current 30,000 to 40,000 beneficiaries;
5. K44 million for dismantling arrears of which, K30 million is funding related to suppliers and service providers contracted by the Electoral Commission of Zambia for the August, 2016 general elections;
6. K369 million as grants to institutions supported by government, of which, K59.7 million is for the local government equalization fund, K52.4 million to hospitals, and K31 million to universities.
The Minister of Finance has pledged to make sure that in 2017, the Integrated Financial Management Information [IFMIS] and the Single Treasury Account [TSA] Systems are implemented in full in all targeted Ministries, Provinces and Government Spending
“Errant officials chastised accordingly ” start with one who always wants to go out every weekend peeping through the sunroof and burning unnecessary fuel, with hounds of officials and police officers following him.
So Mutati is no longer MMD president?
Mutati has joined the PF bandits of visionless Lungu. What is Mutati’s position in MMD?
Someone should deliver the auditor generals last 5years full report to wake up early, these visionless PF bandits. Playing the gallery is so cheap than the cost of a mealie meal bag. Thanks to visionless PF bandits of typical dununa regret.
The Skeleton Key
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Please Mr Mutati ….. IFMIS …. really ? You left this project as MMD and you have found it again as Min. of Finance and still it hasn’t taken off and now you want us to believe that its ready for full implementation ???
Rhetoric from our MMD colleagues
What about measures to prevent theft by Pf members like one who claims to halve his salary by increasing his travel allowances. U silly rats.
Muchinga has better structures than King lewanika. Is it because of sad or what
Are these tins even on the same page…why no one acting on the AGs Report?
I think he is outnumbered. He believes he is saving his country but , unbeknown to him, he has been employed to cover up Edgar Lungu’s fraud.
Mutati and the ZRA chief are a good combination. Seal up the loop holes and make atleast 90% of those who qualify to pay the Tax do so.Have in mind the whole sale in freedom way and the Kamwala guys.