Increasing CDF allocation without putting up proper monitoring mechanism is tantamount to increasing corruption

Catholic Priest Fr. Andrew Chewe Mukosa says increasing Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation without putting up proper monitoring mechanism by the Government is tantamount to increasing corruption.

In the 2026 National Budget, the Government has pronounced that CDF allocation per constituency has been increased to K40, 000, 000.

Speaking in his capacity as Director of Dignitatis Humanae Social Teacher, Fr Mukosa said increasing CDF allocation to K40, 000,000 per constituency will mean nothing without proper monitoring strategies on the ground.

In his budget analysis, Fr. Mukosa, of St. Francis Catholic Church in Kapesha, Mansa challenged leaders to visit grassroots to check the utilisation of CDF on the ground.

“Regardless of how much CDF is increased it does not make much sense without proper monitoring. Most of this money is landing in wrong hands, corruption is on the increase. Even if CDF is increased to K40 million. It will not help because our leadership today is now more digital than factual, meaning it’s more about pronouncements to gain mileage while ignoring what’s on the ground. The increased CDF will mean nothing without monitoring on the ground,” Fr. Mukosa said.

“All our MPS are in Lusaka, most of them don’t visit their constituencies and yet they have the audacity to debate issues in parliament. They debate issues without facts. Here in rural areas the story is different, we don’t see CDF projects as depicted up there. Come down to us and empower us where we are. This is the cry of the youths I am talking to,” he said.

“You know it’s different now, when President Michael Chilufya Sata was in power, he used to visit local initiatives, our leadership now is glued to the comfort of their offices and luxurious homes and hotels, they don’t visit shanty compounds, markets and deep rural areas to find out what people are going through. Our leadership only visits people when they campaign and are looking for people’s vote to get the power.”

On the national power deficit, Fr. Mukosa said the Government should stop power exports until it meets domestic demand.

“Let us stop the export of power and empower our country’s initiatives especially the youths whose businesses such as barber shops, welding, metal fabrication are non functional. I appreciate the efforts that are being made toward the energy sector that is very impressive,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fr. Mukosa said the issue of amending the republican constitution is an important matter.

“Please leave the constitution alone at the moment; it is not a critical issue, look at it when you bounce back to power. They are critical issues however, such as food security in our country focus on that, issues such as the street kids pathology focus on that, the dilapidated roads in our country focus on that, issues of unemployment, focus on that. Lastly, the best thing is to move around and monitor projects, be with the people who need your presence, I have the capacity to talk on behalf of the people because I am always with them. Our leadership should move,” Fr. Mukosa concluded.