CORRECTION. In our earlier story regarding expenditure on Cholera fight, we erroneously stated that the figure spent on Cholera was K1 billion, it has however come to our attention that the correct figure is K100 million. We sincerely apologize for the mix up.
The fight against a crippling Cholera outbreak has cost the treasury close to K 100 million, latest figures released by the Ministry of Finance have shown.
In January 2018, the treasury released K35 million towards Cholera control in addition to the K64 million which was released in 2017.
Zambia has been battling a serious Cholera outbreak that has claimed 80 lives and seen over 4,000 people treated.
Local Government and Housing Minister Vincent Mwale recently confirmed that some funds from toll gates and the 2018 allocation for Constituency Development Funds have been diverted to fight Cholera.
The Government has however failed to disclose how much it has received financially and materially from a flood of local and international donors to fight Cholera.
And the Treasury in January released a total of K5.2 billion of which K1.6 billion was for personal emoluments for public service workers, K1.8 billion went to debt service, and K1 billion was allocated for grants.
The remainder of K0.8 billion went to other key programmes, including capital projects.
The K1.6 billion expenditure on personal emoluments includes the 2018 wage increment awarded to public service workers in the month under review.
Of the K1 billion grant amount to various institutions, K233.2 million went to the Ministry of Agriculture for the Farmer Input Support Programme while the Food Reserve Agency received K172 million as final installment for clearing arrears accumulated in the 2016/17 marketing season.
The Treasury also released K89.9 million for the Local Government Equalisation Fund to fiscally empower local authorities and ensure equitable distribution of resources. The allocation for the Local Government Equalisation Fund has been increased by 21.5% to K1.1 billion in the 2018 budget compared to K863 million in the 2017 budget.
Public universities received a total of K92 million. The University of Zambia received K33.4 million of which K16.7 million is for student loans and allowances, the Copperbelt University K38.3 million of which student loans and allowances was allocated K23.8 million, and Mulungushi University received a total of K2.4 million.
The Zambia Revenue Authority received K123.1 million for operations and expenditure on the pilot electronic fiscal registers programme.
The programme, once fully implemented, is expected to improve domestic resource mobilization and help to create a sustained pool of the tax revenues needed to facilitate the financing of government operations and accelerate the implementation of development programmes.
The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services received K45.8 million for the Social Cash Transfer Programme while the Public Service Pensions Fund received K88.3 million for payment of retirement benefits to former public service workers.
The budget releases for the social cash transfer and pensions tally with government’s commitment to reduce vulnerability and inequalities among Zambians.
January 2018 road sector funding drawn from road toll collections, fuel levy, and Road Traffic and Safety Agency fees and charges totaled K210 million.
The funds were channeled to various road projects in line with the affirmation made in the 2018 Budget Speech to continue with Link Zambia, C400, L400, and rehabilitation and upgrading of feeder roads across the country – through rural roads connectivity.
K112 million was released for the Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage Project under the Millennium Challenge Account, and K25.7 Million towards the Lusaka Peri-Urban Water Network Extension Project in cholera areas such as Kanyama, Mandevu, Chipata, Chawama, Bauleni, Garden, Chaisa, Ng’ombe, Chazanga, Garden House, and Kabanana Settlements.
K1.8 billion was released towards debt service of which K629 million went towards servicing the domestic debt and K1.2 billion went towards servicing foreign debt.
When asked to comment on this release of funds by the Treasury in January, 2018, Finance Minister Felix Mutati said by virtue of sharing the information, the Ministry of Finance looked forward to citizens participating in economic transformation programmes with open minds by taking greater interest in monitoring government financed projects in their localities through the relevant district and provincial establishments.
“This is because, the successes which the economy is scoring through fiscal consolidation are not a twist of luck but a result of articulate reforms and the toils of citizens,” Mr Mutati said.
“On a daily basis, citizens look for opportunities created by the government for business development. Therefore, “through citizen induced project monitoring, the government will be able to implement projects effectively and ensure that value for money prevails in state financed projects,” he said.
Lol
Prevention is better than cure !!!
Keeping Lusaka clean as a preventive measure would have been cheaper than fighting the “fire” when it breaks out.
Take out a lesson, so this carelessness does not happen again in neither Lusaka nor any town in Zambia. Those responsible and caught sleeping, pull up your sleeves and start working. You are excused for now.
How much did 42 ordinary Scania Fire Trucks gobble up in kwacha?
Look at Vincent Mwale in that picture, he doesn’t believe those number too.
What is bad is that” The Government has however failed to disclose how much it has received financially and materially from a flood of local and international donors to fight Cholera.”
They are quick to say how much they spent but not able to account for what they received. This is total incompetence at the highest level. How can you even believe those number, if they are providing half-baked details about financing?
Quarter of that in Mwale’s pocket
this is how Africa is managed… a country running on toll gate money….for emergency funding. If you had any doubts about how the country has been mismanaged and broke there you have it…
managing a country like a backyard house…. what a bunch go Monkeys
We have always said, and we say it again, Edgar Lungu and his PF have no capacity to superintend over the affairs of this country…and this is just the plain truth.
Sad that in day and era we spend that much fighting an embarrassing outbreak.
I only judge in dollars, I don’t know these PF money, the real or fake Kwacha.
You see now, you incompetent PF leaders–do you see that you save money when you keep the country clean? Keeping the country clean helps the economy too. If you keep the country clean, you prevent deadly diseases like Cholera. If you prevent diseases, you’ve cut down on health costs. And the money saved can be used on other issues such as education, infrastructure development, etc. Plus you gain through tourism, if your country is clean. Instead, you’ve just wasted 1billion kwacha of taxpayer’s hard earned money–because of your incompetence. You all need to pay back this money, and then be voted out in 2021. You’re wasting our meager resources because of your incompetence. Shame on you.
K1 billion is equivalent to USD100 million. Had the govt invested in proper drainage systems and better garbage collection in Lusaka with just say less than 10 million dollars (K100 million) these funds couldve been saved. But rather we have a govt very eager to spend millions of dollars on Luxury Suvs, allowances and salaries for non performing useless high ranking civil servants. Such a sad state of affairs.
Half of that mentioned amount went into these mpobwes pockets…these thieves have no shame!!
This money would have been pumped in Education or improve health infrastructure around the country.
PF steals ar every opportunity it finds including when people are dying of disease. How heartless can they be!
Zambia will be great again when it gets rid of PF.
UPND will make Zambia great again.
The K1.1 billion allocated to local government will go to fire engines and these institutions will continue choleraring for years to come.
Cholera is business i must tell you. the Public Health Association of Zambia released a position paper on the Cholera issue. What has the ministry of health done? nothing. why because it pays to treat than to prevent
O MY GOD, THESE ARE REALLY CRIMINALS OF THE MODERN TIME!!! WHY AND HOW THEY DID THEY COME UP WITH SUCH FIGURES!!! FOR GOD’S SAKE WHERE ARE THE RECEIPTS WHAT??
ZAMBIANS LET US WAKE AND KICK OUT PF GOVERNMENT.
Imagine and they used free labour to clean up…
They even say it with a straight face.
It looks like they are pocketing 75% of all expenditures.
Do they even know how they will spend all this money they are stealing ?
Zambians, let us throw these thieves into jail after 2021.
By the look of things it will take an eternity of time before Zambians wake up and hold their leaders accountable to them. Like they do in most democracies. In Zambia lungu can fart all his wants he will still have fanatical supporters shouting “ifintu ni lungu”.
Does that include the donations you filthy reckless incompetent foooools!!
It also includes costs for those 5 Israelis Engineers, whose results only God knows…ki..ki..ki
Chanda was busy boasting and driving them around and everyone worshipping that he was doing the right things, it’s us so-called “UPND” just talking aloud, and now here are the results..baba…baba.
Of course, they will come out defending like wounded buffaloes. Wapya!!
No that was Lazy Lungu’s blank cheque book called Presidential Empowerment Fund or Slush fund for bribes!!
God save this nation…K1 billion on chlorine!!!!
These crooks like to profit from tragedy ..remember the loadshedding period nowone knows how much Zesco send.
MY THOUGHTS TOO. ONE BILLION ON WHAT EXACTLY? CHLORINE DOES NOT COST THAT MUCH NEITHER DOES FLAGYL OR I V FLUIDS.
It’s K100 million and not K1000 million guys. There is a difference so LT do your homework and report properly. In the text, it’s actually K99 million (K35 million plus K64 million). Read before commenting.
That’s good .at least countless lives have been saved .0ne billion sounds big but in reality is not.This is kwacha we are talking about and not dollars.my employers spend more than doing marketing and advertising Zambia. Life is precious and priceless.only unlearned and primitive people get scared with one billion kwacha .
so says the businessman who couldn’t care what the gov does after he pays his taxes……
I hope you are bluffing when you support reckless spending but if you are not then Iam afraid to have such characters like you masquerading as part of the intelligentsia of this country. Spending huge sums of public money on things you can control is not only scandalous but unforgivable whether in sh.ithole countries or not.
Kaponya (HH) brought this disease from Mukobeko. now look how much it has cost us
Kindly argue objectively. This article here is not about HH. It is you HH haters who are his number one campaigners by always talking about him. Your leaders tax you and collect money from you left right and center and cannot even account for it properly…shi*hole thinking right here
awe ze biggie this an issue for all Zambians naimwe. Just recall those 45 plus girl school leavers from Copperbelt who died from the same ku Lwanfumu Rural Construction Center in the KK ruling (RR) This has been there for many years
I am not supporting the present GOVT if they are not doing enough. Tu Fikala
Fyonse ati HH
The disease came from inside your pants (mulibamba)chi kudos
Its the price you have to pay for being negligent. I am very sure Rwandan President Kagame spent much less than that in making Kigali the cleanest city in Africa
Lusakatimes the two amounts released add up to just over 100Million where have you got the billion from?
Many months ago I advised PF to use the kaponyas on the streets to act as cleanliness marshals……instead of using them as attack dogs to attack the opposition……..the streets of Lusaka would not be so dirty with kaponyas trained as cleanliness marshals on every corner…..
Good idea but city council won’t pay them
I agree with James Moonga, what kind of reporting is this? The figures mention in your report don’t add up to K1billion. Is there anything missing in your report or the headline that is misleading?
And how much was pocketed???????????????
…mmmmmmm…K1bn..(KI TRILLION)….???…Nooooooooo
The costs in human lives lost is probably 300bn Kwacha or more – a cost which was brought to many families by PF incompetence, neglect and PF politicking with human lives.
The cholera fight is even under valued
K1billion surely mwebuteko,i can’t believe my own eyes.pleaz revisit your figures maybe it’s k1milion.
awe ya chilamo
Hahaha I knew it, ati mwakwibila impiya. How come the so many victims are not even known? Yaba!
As we all know by now this was a very good opportunity for them to steal from the Zambian people.
Most of that money is in their pockets.
My thoughts too
One billion??? give as breakdown and very detailed report on what was spent on what. ama receipts kabili. Muka nwa chabe, takwaba
Yaba kwena kwiba uku.local govt ba mwaloe is dead.your concillor don’t even work.in compunds like metero area,the gabage vehicles dont even pass .can u imagine now where pipo gona throw the rubbish.i have never seen such imcopentence govt like this one.tukansela tonse useles
These PF thieves create a problem of cholera and then profit from it thru supply tenders for medical & sanitation stuff to combat the disease.
That’s why Dr Chilufya and crooks can afford to Luapula to campaign and dish out bribes as they single sourced everything at overpriced rates including Bill Gates useless vaccines!!
Prevention is better than cure. Its fine lets move own. The councils should continue to implement codes. Even those who bank money in Panama can bring about cholera.
UPND are so childish that in their vocabulary all they know is “corruption, theft, dictator!” Like little boys their vocabulary has not expanded that is why they are all Under Fives.
No one here is talking about UPND, it is u same so called PF cadres that are making UPND popular
Most of the money is in your mother’s pockets! Right!
Bakoswe aba they used cholera to syphon off more money.
Zambians you need to learn lessons from this failed pf Project. Lungu was struck off the list of practicing lawyers because he stole a clients money which was in few thousands. That was enough evidence for you not to vote for him. Now you entrust him with the country’s money-what are you thinking?
Yaba, does this include the loss in business hours during the week of prayers? You guys enough of this mediocrity. Just how much money is enough to pocket?
UPND chronic losers!
@Dousing a Fire is more costly than preventing it; I agree with you and with some others too; had Lungu and his vuvuzela PF cadres listed to us about street vendind, we would not have wasted the money we have wasted whether in billions or millions of Kwachas; go to UTH and you will find some patients sleeping on the floor; the money wasted could have improved UTH and elsewhere; yes prevention is cheaper than cure;
Hmm how much in total was donated by companies that were giving donations toward the fight of Cholera?
can they give a proper break down of how the money was spent not block figures,and they should remember that they used free labour…
Reporters you need to do your job with hard facts the more you miss the mark some one some where loses credibility , just see how the the government has been condemned from all sides .
It is no wonder reporters are are enemies of the ministers and politicians at large .
Really it was a big question to some of us how 1billion kwacha can just be spent in a week on cholera and cleaning , please be objective you reporters, what you dont know is how harmful you can be to readers of your papers and how you damage the reputation of some innocent people.
What a price to pay for negligence of hygienic duty by our leaders. With pictures of civic leaders asleep on civic duties splashed on social media, the epidemic comes as no surprise. That picture meant that all is well and it’s business as usual. By the time the civic leader woke up, cholera had hit the streets and running, killing a good number of our citizens in its wake. Even more sad is the fact that cholera victims are never given a decent burial, that in itself is an excruciating pain to the affected families. What follows now is damage control by our civic leaders in form of updates and what has been gobbled up to fight the cholera epidemic. Unsurprisingly, no one has resigned or been fired for the cholera outbreak- it’s normal in African countries.
..even 100 million is way too high…
….there is no way high profile guys can mistake K1bn to K100m…it can make sense if it was K100m and K10m with an omission or addition of a zero…
It is okay, that is what dirty left to accumulate can do! You need to pay the people cleaning up too! If we let the Tribal Party thrive that is also how much it will take to clean up its cholera mess. We must make sure we clean it up well now.
If we can spend another million cleaning up Mr. Cholera Wamene, that will be worthy it.
Us $10Million on Cholera
I think in Zambia people are playing with money
.
Only in Lusaka