Vice President Mutale Nalumango has directed the Nchelenge Town Council and the District Administration to prioritise projects impacting communities using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Ms Nalumango stated that through the enhanced CDF, government has made funds available for decentralised response to development challenges.
The Vice President is however disappointed to learn that the local Authority has failed to provide proper sanitation facilities through construction of flushable toilets at Nchelenge Secondary school.
Speaking when she paid a courtesy call on Chief Nshimba of the Shila people and Chieftainess Kanyembo of the Lunda people in Nchelenge, Mrs Nalumango noted that with the constant increase of CDF education and health infrastructure should be a priority.
Earlier, Chief Nshimba appealed to government to construct flushable toilets at Nchelenge Secondary school where learners are still using pit latrines.
But Mrs Nalumango said it was government policy to provide flushable toilets at learning institutions stating that any departure from that was work against the policy directive by President Hakainde Hichilema.
” No school should run without flushable toilets. This is a report I should not hear anywhere. When the President increased CDF, it was sanitation and desks as a priority,” Mrs Nalumango said.
Mrs Nalumango further said that maternity annexes should also be prioritised through the CDF.
“It is disappointing for Nchelenge to hear that some health facilities do not have maternity annexes. What are you doing as the government here in Nchelenge. The President has already given the directive and you must follow it,” Mrs Nalumango said.
And Chief Nshimba appealed to government to commission Nchelenge District Hospital.
“Nchelenge district is big with bigger villages all accessing one hospital which is St. Pauls. We appeal that the district hospital in commissioned before the general elections next month,” he said.
And Chieftainess Kanyembo who spoke through a representative commended government for enacting free education law.
“A lot of children have gone back to school and this deserves commendation and also through CDF we now have a market as Kanyembo chiefdom,” Chieftainess Kanyembo said.
Chieftainess Kanyembo also appealed to government to put up a police post in her chiefdom.
“We thank you for Bill 7 and delimitation and I am glad that my chiefdom is in the new constituency. We need boarder control and also a police post to provide security in the area,” she said.
