Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu has warned officers reported to be misusing funds under the Village bank project being administered by the department of Community Development.
Speaking during a Village Bank programme Evaluation meeting in Kitwe today Mr. Mpundu said his office has received reports of officers being engaged in misappropriation of the funds which are aimed at empowering vulnerable women.
“We will not allow any government officer to take us back in the programme through dishonesty in the management of the funds under this programme as such we will not condone any officer that will be engaged in dishonesty in the handling of the funds, we want to empower the women,” Mr. Mpundu charged.
The District Commissioner who was impressed with the progress recorded by the department in the district said the programme could be used to address the high poverty levels which he said was contributing to the high crime rate in the district.
He noted that it was going to take honesty and transparency among officers in the Community Development department for the village bank programme to be successful.
He however noted that Kitwe district was among the districts where the programme was highly successful.
Mr. Mpundu urged the officers in the department to continue working hard towards the success of the programme and growing the capital base for the project.
And Kitwe District Community Development Officer Michael Miyoba said a total of 732 women have been empowered in Kitwe district since 2014 when the programme was introduced.
Mr. Miyoba said a total of K654 has so far been disbursed and beneficiaries have been able to save about K116, 700.
He said the programme is being implemented in Chimwemwe, Kamfinsa, Wusakile and Kwacha constituencies.
The women Village bank programme is a social protection programme implemented national wide by the Ministry of Community Development.
Surely people are not scared to steal or abuse office.
I miss the days when people feared Boma and knew that non conformance resulted in stiff punishment.
But these days, they see their superiors and ministers stealing, so they follow suit.
That is why Kambwili knows he will never spend a day in jail for corruption as long as Lungu is leader.
Lets punish the privatisation thief first.
Civil servants who pretend to be working for the government are the ones who steal just to make the government look as if it promotes corruption and theft. Especially supporters of one privatisation thief. God will turn round the hands of the clock and will deal with you in 2021.