By Situmbeko Musokotwane
When canvasing for power, the Patriotic Front party (PF) declared to the electorates that it was going to be a party for poor people. Sadly, it has abandoned poor people.
This is in spite of the fact that few governments since independence have had so much money to spend in a short period of time as the PF; thanks to their appetite for borrowing big.
The other week I pointed out that Zambia’s public debt could be anywhere between US$17 billion to US$20 billion. If the loan funds had been allocated evenly across the country, anything between US$113 million to US$133 million would have been invested in each constituency.
By now most rural problems to do with school infrastructure, teachers’ houses, health centres, water boreholes, simple irrigation systems, etc. would have been history.
Of course not all borrowed money can be “shared” to constituencies since some national projects not directly linked to any constituency must also be funded. That not withstanding, we have under the PF witnessed an extreme situation whereby most rural constituencies can hardly point to any development which has been financed by Zambia’s ballooned debt.
The biggest beneficiaries of the loans have been urban areas.
Yet in repaying the country’s loans, the victims are the rural dwellers who see funding for development in their areas reduced or stopped so that the government can save money to repay debts. To illustrate my statement, lets look at the case of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the fight against poverty.
CDF was introduced in the mid 1990s. It refers to the pot of money that Parliament appropriates to each constituency to finance development needs that the residents identify through their CDF Committee.
It is a noble idea intended to empower local people with financial resources to attend to issues that higher levels of government may not easily appreciate. The legal status of CDF has now been strengthened because it is a constitutional requirement to make it available.
The CDF is a critical tool in the development process, especially for rural constituencies. Here is why this is so.
Firstly, CDF is the only Treasury pot that is intended to ensure that each and every constituency does receive some funding for development every year. Of course development funding in a constituency can also come from line ministries. For example, the Ministry of Health may establish a rural health centre. Another example is when the Ministry of Education builds a teacher’s house in a constituency.
Secondly, CDF is a development equiliser. There is no guarantee that in a given financial year, line ministries will undertake any development in every constituency. In fact, especially in the recent years, people in constituencies have almost forgotten about any developments from line ministries because district offices are not adequately funded.
Further, many ministers when asked in Parliament as to when a particular development issue in a given constituency will be attended to by that relevant ministry, have often replied that the concerned Member of Parliament must utilise CDF.
That is because that ministry has no money. In this regard, CDF becomes useful because if no line ministry does anything in the constituency, then at least there will be CDF to fall back on every year. Since every constituency is meant to receive some funding, it follows that CDF plays the role of a development equiliser.
Thirdly and lastly, CDF often finances projects that ordinarily cannot be managed by the central government. Examples include construction of latrines for schools, repairing blown up classroom roofs, funding womens’ clubs, etc.
Indeed all MPs, both from the rulling party and from the opposition will readily confirm that CDF has undertaken many useful community projects. CDF funds have been used to construct classroom blocks, teachers’ houses, rural health centers, boreholes for water.
The CDF has also been used to repair rural public infrastructure, especially blown up roofs of classrooms and health centres. In many constituencies, CDF is the main driver of development without which very little or nothing happens in that constituency.
Further, District Councils, which are the administors of CDF, become busy undertaking development work only upon CDF being released. In the absence of CDF, District Councils staff have little to do.
I have respect for the sincerity of the Minister of Local Government. Sadly, however, the PF government has not appreciated the importance of CDF.
For two consecutive years namely 2015 and 2016 they never released CDF. For the financial year 2017, they released only half of the appropriated K1, 400, 000 per constituency, with the promise that the remaining half would be released before end of 2017. This has not happened although a few constituencies are understood to have received the full amount of K1, 400, 000.
In the absence of the full 2017 CDF, the backlog of development programs accumulated over the past three years will not be fully attended to. Rural teachers will continue to sleep in makeshift structures unfit for human habitation. Rural children will continue to learn in classrooms without roofs over their heads such as at Kalumbu School in Liuwa.
Rural communities will continue to drink water unfit for human consumption. In Liuwa CDF, we had budged more than K50, 000 in counter part funding to an African Development Fund loan to sink more than 40 boreholes. By not releasing the 2017 CDF, the government is perpetuating rural poverty because not all projects we had budgeted for on the assumption that the full amount will be released in accordance with government’s promise.
This is true for other constituencies except the few that got full funding.
In the first week of January 2018 an announcement was made by the government to the effect that the second half of the 2017 CDF would not be released at all because the funds have been diverted to fighting cholera which was ravaging Lusaka. This is unfortunate and unacceptable.
In the first instance, it is hard to accept the government explanation for not releasing 2017 CDF in full; i.e. that the money has been diverted to fighting cholera. The fight against cholera only intensified in December 2017 and January 2018.
The government had plenty of time between January 2017 and December 2017 to release CDF in full after Parliament appropriated the money way back in December 2016. Why didn’t they release it over all this long time period? Was the money mearnt for CDF used to service the expensive debts instead?
Under the circumstances, we are more inclined to believe that the cholera story is just a convenient excuse. Bear in mind that this government already showed no commitment to CDF since 2015.
Having skipped CDF since 2015, one would have expected that in 2017 the government could have diverted money from other budget lines other than CDF to fight cholera.
This would have opened the way for pending issues under CDF to be attended to also. This could have eased the burden on poor rural folks in terms of being neglected.
More painfull still is that rural constituencies have nothing to do with the Lusaka cholera. They did not cause it. Unfortunately, through the diversion of CDF, they are being made to suffer for urban areas.
We urge the government to take steps to reimburse the 2017 CDF in full. Further, all MPs and in particular the rural ones and irespective of party affiliation should push for this on behalf of their electorates.
The government must bring forth a supplementary budget in 2018 so that constituencies that did not receive the full CDF in 2017 will receive the half that remained plus the full amount of 2018.
We wish to remind the government that if they do not take this course, then they will have discriminated against those constituencies that did not receive the full amount in 2017 when others received.
This unfair treatment implies that in the eyes of the PF some constituencies and therefore some citizens are more important than others.
The Author is a Former Finance Minister during the reign of the MMD Government and is now opposition UPND Liuwa Member of Parliament
You don’t recognise the government but you it work for you.What’s wrong with intellectuals of today.You won because you promise your people that you develop your constituency. Wy cry now,apf I don’t support you,but I urge to concentrate on the constituencies which gave you sppory or else you will in 2021.Thank you.
The gap between the rich and the poor in Zambia, is one of the highest of any other country in the world. That is the story. It is a painful story. It speaks of how selfish our politicians have been.
CORRECTION:
The gap between the rich and the poor in Zambia, is one of the highest of that of any other country in the world. That is the story. It is a painful story. It speaks of how selfish our politicians have been.
FAILURES OF YESTERYEARS NOW SUPPOSEDLY CHAMPIONS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE – POLITICAL PROBLEMS CAN NOW BE SOLVED THEORETICALLY NOWADAYS .
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Like a dullchild at school wanting to solve school problems for the smart kids. In practice the Dr. lamentably failed in his time. Listening to the Dr. right now is tantamount to expecting rains in a season dubbed dry in Zambia. It is as good as trying to extract the truth out’a HH’s reasons for wanting to reign over our land.
The best Finance Minister the country ever had. The best President the country never had.
Interesting analysis but why did’nt he take time to study, investigate and understand these problems when he was Finance Minister in order to find appropriate solutions?
As usual it is always easy to blame the government of the day when most of these problems are a result of governance structures set and upheld by colonial masters in pre-independence times.
From how he has explained he did just that, study, investigate and understood these problems, does it matter when?
@ 3 Nine Chale
Good that you find the analysis “interesting.” It is, actually.
This gentleman left MMD soon after Never Mumba a Bemba man became party president and joined you know what party.
No he left mmd after mmd aligned his mmd faction to pf in 2016, why do you always have wrong data like sata?
After mutati aligned…
Very sober writing. Keep it up!The CDF should be released for rural development
Cholera is public health issue. In public health, what matters is policy. In policy, what counts is professional argument and not personal sentiment. In public health, multi-disciplinary teams need support and understanding from the public. Isolated initiatives and interventions can not conquer epidemics. A national indaba on cholera can go a long way in raising awareness and in mobilizing all resources available. These are: managerial, financial, equipment, moral and spiritual.
ONLY A TONGA MUST LEAD UPND says Sejani. This man is talking like he does not know how his party behaves, it like he is also brainwashed by HH. UPND MPS have been instructed by their supreme god and leader HH never to work with the government as long as the government is headed by Lungu. Most of these UPND MPs come from rural constituencies which are underdeveloped because of UPND negative stance against the government, how come rural constituencies in PF strongholds have seen developmental projects being rolled out by the government? It is because these MPS are working with the government.That is why I say HH is not a politician but a crooked businessman by theft. He is delaying development in the constituencies held by his tribal grouping.
This Lozi man called Dr.Situmbeko Musokotwane and his HH do not recognize PF Govnt,so why cry for CDF from a Govnt UPND do not recognize?wonders in life shall never end.Govnt has already released CDF to constituencies which recognize PF Govnt in 6.5 provinces.in 3.5 provinces ask Kainde to fund you.since you say HH is rich and he is the one you vote for,let him bring back privatization money which he hid in offshore accounts to development the bantustan areas!!
Otherwise this is just noise from this lozi man.plus UPND blames PF of having a lot former MMD members.is Dr.Situmbeko Musokotwane not from MMD?they are a lot ex-MMD members in upnd especially those from 3.5 provinces!!
Let Mighty PF work in peace!!
“….This Lozi man called Dr.Situmbeko Musokotwane and his HH do not recognize PF Govnt,so why cry for CDF from a Govnt UPND do not recognize..”
Ni CDF yanyoko ? They pay taxes as well and are entitled to CDF…..
What’s that got to do with CDF when they are taxpayers?
This njimbu fagot thinks CDF is PF money get a life and take time to read and understand the important issues the Dr has raised.
Who tells you that an MP should fund constituency projects from his pocket whilst jona and his cronies pockets tax payers and donor money.
God will one day speak for the poor. The Bible says so. You think Zambia is yours, and yours alone. No, it is not your alone. It’s ours, we the poor included.
CORRECTION:
God will one day speak for the poor. The Bible says so. You think Zambia is yours, and yours alone. No, it is not yours alone. It’s ours together, we the poor included.
And yet you call yourself a “Christian Nation.” Well, what kind of Christianity is that, where the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer? You are making an ugly mockery of the religion of Jesus Christ who was truly the man of the poor. For it was to the poor He came, and the poor heard Him gladly.
Don’t confuse things. Christ never preached material wealth but spiritual wealth. Much as he had compassion on the poor, he was never partial and also reached out to rich people like Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler (Luke 18:30).
In Matthew 6,33 He said: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” which clearly tells us that there are riches that the eyes can’t see.
@ 10.1 Nine Chale:
I would like to believe that Jesus fed the hungry. In Zambia, the rich feed themselves, leaving the hungry starving. It is the reason the country is ranking third hungriest worldwide. That is a record, is it not? And you would like me to believe that God is not seeing all of this injustice being inflicted upon the poor “that are in your midst.” Please check the Old Testament and see for yourself how the Israelites were commanded to look after the poor, particularly during harvest time. Was that just “spiritual” poverty? I guess not.
You even have the audacity to argue against clear facts. Zambia is the third hungriest country in the world. That is a fact. And yet, look at your own stomachs and the shadows they make as you move around!
I don’t know where you get your data from but on the GHI (Global Hunger Index) for 2017, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Haiti, Niger, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Yemen are on top of the list.
Zambia is not even on the list of 9 countries that are identified as a cause for significant concern: Burundi, the Comoros, the DRC, Eritrea, Libya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria.
Fact is that the majority of Zambians face poverty and undernourishment but this has a lot to do with the economic challenges of the nation as a whole.
Too bad LT is not allowing me to provide me the web site. They are subject my response to so called: “Your comment is awaiting moderation.” At any rate, I just came across another study, ranking Zambia as the fifth hungriest in the world, after Central African Republic, Chad, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar.
Mean’t to say: “to provide you, not me…” the web site.
It’s good that you recognize the importance of CDF because some constituencies fail to utilize their allocation because the MP didn’t play his role, especially in UPND strongholds. So don’t just write articles, engage your colleagues in govt to ensure your people get their share. I haven’t forgotten how the UPND accused you of illegal deals with Varum, the owners of Pepsi in Zambia. Today Pepsi is a viable business thanks to your initiative
Thanks Dr Situmbeko, but you are upnd aren’t you? Can’t take you seriously, there is too much problem with u.pnd starting from the purpose of their exisyence, just to have one of their own to rule nothing else no development agenda. And no economic policy different from anybody else, that is what Stephen Sackur said and h.h failed to defend because he was surprised that somebody from BBC knows his agenda. And that means equally corrupt, just check the names in the Auditor General’s report, to them corruption is not corruption if they are the ones stealing.
Sounds like Animal Farm affair.Very sad indeed most affected constituencies
Like I always say; Ignorance is the number 1 cause of poverty and underdevelopment in Zambia.