Tuesday, 16th November, 2021

Tuesday, 16^th November, 2021

The House met at 1430 hours

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

BY MR KAFYAYA, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR LUNTE, ON THE VICE-PRESIDENT OVER GOVERNMENT’S DELAY IN APPOINTING PERMANENT SECRETARIES

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, the matter is directed at Her Honour the Vice-President.

Madam Speaker, the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018 empowers the Secretary to the Treasury to designate some officers in the Public Service as controlling officers. The same Act indicates that some Permanent Secretaries (PSs) are designated as such. Given the heightened responsibilities that controlling officers have been granted by the same Act, it is very important that we have controlling officers in place in public institutions that have heads of revenue and expenditure appropriated by Parliament. However, some of our ministries have gone for months without controlling officers. Further, we are in an era of the fight against corruption, in which we want to ensure that our people’s money is secured and that the decisions that are being made in those institutions are in accordance with the Act that I just cited, the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018.

Madam Speaker, given that there are no controlling officers in some institutions, is Her Honour the Vice-President in order to not address this issue, which is very important in terms of transparency, accountability and compliance with the law? As a matter of fact, we are now in a time in which compliance with the law is a must because the New Dawn Government has indicated that it is going to act in accordance with provisions of the law.

Madam Speaker, I seek your further direction on the matter.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Lunte, are you raising that matter under Standing Order No. 134? As a matter of urgent public importance?

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, yes.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much.

Hon. Members, the criteria for admission of matters of urgent public importance is clearly stated in Standing Order No. 135(1) and (2), and there have been previous rulings in this honourable House that have assisted in determining whether a matter qualifies to be considered as a matter of urgent public importance. From what the hon. Member for Lunte has said, I have not seen anything that would result in a catastrophe or cause the death of anyone, such as one resulting from a flood or some other urgent matter that would need the immediate attention of the Government. In this regard, this matter does not fall under Standing Order No. 134. Definitely, it cannot be raised under Standing Order No. 134. Therefore, it is improperly raised. However, the hon. Member can use other mechanisms to raise the issue. Also, as a Parliament, our duty is to provide checks and balances on the Government. It is not to dictate to the Government what it needs to do or has to do at what point. For example, I cannot order the Vice-President to tell this House when the Permanent Secretaries will be appointed because, definitely, that will be out of our mandate. Therefore, this issue does not stand.

BY MR LUBOZHA, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR CHIFUBU, ON THE VICE-PRESIDENT OVER A LACK OF ASSISTANCE TO PEOPLE WHOSE ROOFS HAD BEEN BLOWN OFF BY A STORM

Mr Lubozha (Chifubu): On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Lubozha: Madam Speaker, there was disastrous and catastrophic rainfall in Chifubu Constituency yesterday, which blew off the roofs of about 100 houses, five churches and one school in Chifubu, and almost 100 families slept in the cold.

Madam Speaker, I direct this matter of urgent public importance to the Vice-President, who is the mother of the nation, to quickly consider our suffering families in Chifubu Constituency through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).

Madam Speaker, I submit.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much.

Mr Mundubile (Mporokoso): Madam Speaker, –

Madam Speaker: Is there another urgent matter of public importance? I have not responded to the hon. Member for Chifubu. Anyway, I think you can go ahead and raise all the matters, then I will respond to you.

Laughter

BY MR MUNDUBILE, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MPOROKOSO, ON ADMISSIBILITY OF THE MATTER RAISED BY MR KAFWAYA AS A MATTER OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker, I just seek your guidance on the admissibility of matters of urgent public importance. I wish to refer to Standing Order No. 135(1)(c), which reads as follows:

“A matter shall be considered urgent and of public importance if it involves the administrative or ministerial responsibility of Government.”

Madam Speaker, I seek your further guidance on the matter.

Madam Speaker: Now, I do not know if I qualify to start interpreting the Standing Orders. Hon. Leader of the Opposition, what do you understand by that? Maybe, you can shed some light on whether the matter that was raised by the hon. Member for Lunte qualifies under Standing Order No. 135(1)(c).

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, that is the reason I seek your further guidance.

Madam Speaker, it was our considered view that the matter that the hon. Member raised was, indeed, a matter of national importance because when we looked at the Standing Orders, specifically on admissibility, it was our view that the issue was competent to be raised under Standing Order No. 134.

Madam Speaker: Maybe, we need to examine what Standing Order No. 135(1)(c) is about or what it wants to address here. So, I reserve the ruling so that I can examine the proper meaning of “involving administrative or ministerial responsibility of Government” and whether appointments or the discharge of Executive duties by the President fall under this Standing Order. I will come back when I am ready to address the matter.

MR B. MPUNDU, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR NKANA, ON THE MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ON THE POOR STATE OF CHIBULUMA CENTRAL STREET

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): Madam Speaker, the matter I raise is directed at the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

Madam Speaker, this morning, I received a very disturbing report of criminals being captured attacking a moving truck in broad daylight, obviously, in an attempt to get away with goods, and that has been the pattern in that section of our constituency over the last almost one month. Not a day passes without a report of criminals attacking moving trucks and other vehicles. One Member of this House, the hon. Member for Lufwanyama, was equally attacked. Today, the criminals are walking away with goods; tomorrow, there will be a loss of lives.

Madam Speaker, the criminal activities are happening on a stretch of the road called Chibuluma Central Street because of the poor state of the road, which makes vehicles to move at not more than 10 km/h. The road passes through a very dangerous community whose young people, because of a lack of things to do, are pouncing on truckers. You may wish to note that a few weeks ago, the stretch of road was named by an international media as Africa’s fourth most dangerous road because truckers who move on it are from outside the country and they send these reports.

Madam Speaker, is it in order that the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development should, instead of pursuing other means of addressing the situation, even if it means taking temporary measures, sit and wait for a time when we are going to lose lives on that section of the road, which is of economic importance, and allow criminals to continue disturbing the peace of this country and denting the name this country because of the criminal activities, all on account of, “We have to look for funds”?

Madam Speaker, I seek your ruling.

Madam Speaker: There are two issues that have been raised under matters of urgent public importance. One was by the hon. Member for Chifubu, on the rainfall that devastated some families and blew off some roofs. The hon. Member is requesting Her Honour the Vice-President’s Office, through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), to offer some explanation as to what is going to happen to those families that have found themselves sleeping outside their homes. Since there are families that are affected by the devastation of their homes, Her Honour the Vice-President can shed some light on what exactly happened and what measures have been taken by the DMMU to address that issue and preserve the lives of the affected families. She can render a statement, maybe, this Friday, when we sit in the morning. I do not know if this gives her sufficient time.

The hon. Member for Nkana has raised an issue of a road. I am not aware whether the hon. Minister is aware of that issue or, maybe, he got it from the press or on radio. Of course, we want lives to be preserved. Issues like that, indeed, need the immediate attention of the Government in order to avert a loss of life and goods. I am not sure whether this issue should be for the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, because it borders on criminality, or for the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, because of the roads that are in a bad state. However, since the hon. Member for Nkana has addressed it to the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, that hon. Minister can also render a statement. Since Friday is already too crowded, on Tuesday, next week, the hon. Minister should render the statement on what measures are being taken to address the issue of the bad state of the road that is making vehicles to move at a snail’s pace, and allowing criminals onto them and steal goods, so that we do not risk losing lives and goods.

BY MR CHEWE, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR LUBANSENSHI, ON THE MINISTER OF MINES AND MINERALS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE PROTEST BY MOPANI COPPER MINES EMPLOYEES

Mr Chewe (Lubansenshi): On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Chewe: Madam Speaker, my matter of urgent public importance is raised under Standing Order No. 34.

Madam Speaker, this morning and part of this afternoon, miners or employees of Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) in Kitwe –

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, before you proceed, what Standing Order did you mention?

Mr Chewe: Madam Speaker, Standing Order No. 134.

Madam Speaker, the employees wanted to protest, and the news was confirmed by the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) News at 1315 hours. It has been alleged that MCM has not been paying its employees following the buying of Glencore’s shares by the Government, and that has caused many issues among the workers. Is the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development in order to keep quiet when people are being threatened and, at the same time, want to stop work when the people of Zambia need resources from the mining sector?

Madam Speaker, we need to know the status of MCM and that of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM). Are the two now viable and making a profit? I ask this question because these are issues that have been affecting our people. The previous Government tried to intervene in these matters and ensure that the employees of MCM, KCM and other mines were assured that their jobs would be safe.

I need your guidance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: This matter definitely does not arise under Standing Order No. 134.

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member is advised to use other mechanisms of bringing that issue to the attention of the Government. The Government should also take the initiative sometimes to address issues before they are raised as matters of urgent public importance.

Does that exhaust the matters of urgent public importance?

BY MR MUNG’ANDU, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR CHAMA SOUTH, ON THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE NON-COMPLETION OF WORKS AT MBOCHA CROSSING POINT

Mr Mung’andu: On a matter of urgent public importance.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I equally rise on Standing Order No. 134. This matter is directed to the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

Madam Speaker, in Chama South, there is a road that stretches over a distance of about 84 km from Chama Boma to Chikwa where there is a contractor who has worked on three crossing points. Further, he has done all the steel works on the fourth crossing point and diverted the main stream of Mbocha River. The problem is that we are remaining with only a few weeks before it starts raining heavily, and if the stream gets flooded, no human being will ever attempt to cross it because of the earthworks that have been carried out, and because it is heavily infested with crocodiles and hippos. So, if the crossing point, which is the only access way to Chama Boma, is not attended to, the entire population of Chief Chifunda’s and Chief Chikwa’s areas will not access medical services, and no patients will be taken to Chama General Hospital, unless they use an air ambulance. Therefore, when is the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development releasing some funds for that crossing point, not the entire stretch, to enable the contractor to bridge it so that our people can start accessing Chama Boma in the next few weeks?

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Chama South, again, this matter does not qualify to be raised under Standing Order No. 134. I suggest that you use other mechanisms to address it. I also encourage you to get in touch with the hon. Minister responsible to see how the matter can be addressed. That will help in sorting out the problem.

Hon. Members, I am sure we have exhausted matters of urgent public importance, and we can make some progress.

Hon. Members, ministerial statements are supposed to be considered within 30 minutes from the time of presentation and discussion. So, when hon. Members ask questions, the questions should be points of clarification only, not debates.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

STATUS OF ROAD SECTOR DEBT AS AT 30^TH JUNE 2021

The Minister of Finance and National Planning (Dr Musokotwane): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to brief the House on the status of debt in the road sector. I will start by highlighting the five main players in the sector.

Madam, the five main players are as follows:

the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) under the Ministry of Finance and National Planning;
the Road Development Agency (RDA) under the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development;
the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) under the Ministry of Transport and Logistics;
the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development; and
the National Council for Construction (NCC) under the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

Madam Speaker, the RDA is responsible for the procurement and implementation of road works in the country. In collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, the RDA signs contracts with various contractors for major road works, mainly on trunk, main and district roads, including bridges. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is responsible for feeder and urban roads in the country while the NRFA is responsible for funding all road works.

Madam Speaker, funding for the road sector in Zambia is derived from both local and external sources. The local sources of funding include the fuel levy, inland and port of entry tolls; road licence, registration and examination fees; and weighbridge fines, while external funding is derived from loans and grants from co-operating partners like the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), European Union (EU), contractors financing initiatives and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Madam Speaker, during the last ten years, the Government signed road contracts valued at K127 billion without clear foresight on how the commitments would be met. As at 30^th June, 2021, arrears payable to contractors and consultants had accumulated to K9.6 billion. Further, the Government had obtained expensive loans from the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and the National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE) valued at K4.2 billion, but these initiatives did not clear all the arrears due to a huge over-commitment.

Madam Speaker, the breakdown of the contract commitments, debt arrears and loans as at 30^th June, 2021, is as follows:

Contract Commitments

RDA 690 111.46

Ministry of Local Government 31516.15

and Rural Development

1,005 127.61

Debt Areas

Madam speaker, K9.6 billion is also owed to contractors in debt arrears.

Commercial Loans Obtained by the NRFA

Lender Amount (K)

NAPSA 3.8 billion;

NATSAVE (first loan) 260 million;

NATSAVE (second loan) 500 million

Indo-Zambia Bank Limited (IBZ) 500 million

Approximate Total 5.06 billion:

Madam Speaker, the totals of the arrears and loans added up to K14.7 billion.

Madam Speaker, it is clear that the approach that was used in funding road works is unsustainable and, obviously, requires serious adjustments. My ministry has, therefore, directed the NRFA, in consultation with other road agencies, to develop a ten-year debt service sustainability plan. The plan will outline how the Government will implement road infrastructure in a more sustainable manner, going forward. It will also do the following:

prioritise the payment of all debt arrears for routine maintenance, and small and medium contractors and, thereafter, ensure timely monthly payments to all routine maintenance contractors;
propose a financing mechanism for the costly NASPA and NATSAVE loans within the next six months. The full payment of the loans are fully paid within five years will result in significant savings;
prioritise planning and provision of adequate funding for the implementation of periodic maintenance and rehabilitation of roads before considering costly upgrading of roads over the ten-year period;
prioritise annual planning and provision of adequate funding for the completion of the upgrading of roads that are at 80 per cent or above within the first two years of the ten-year period; and
propose to the implementing agencies, that is, the RDA and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the immediate termination of dormant road contracts to stop intangible cash claims, such as interest claims, on delayed payment of interim payment certificates (IPCs). The termination costs will be part of the debt arrears.

Madam Speaker, the ten-year debt service sustainability plan will, in addition, propose an overall suspension for the debt arrears in terms of:

the proportion redeemable through the road sector ten-year annual work plan;
the proportion likely to be suspended now and redeemed during the second five-year period, that is, after all the five-year loans have been fully redeemed;
the proportion that could be negotiated at the sovereign level; and
the proportion that could be a candidate for a medium to long-term bond till adequate funding is available to redeem the arrears fully.

Madam Speaker, if the debt sustainability plan is approved by the Cabinet, it will ensure that beginning 2022, the Government does not incur debt unnecessarily and without any viable repayment plan. My ministry will table the debt service sustainability plan for Cabinet approval before 31^st December, 2021. Further, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Unit under the Ministry of Finance and National Planning has been directed to immediately engage the RDA and NRFA to identify potential road projects across the country that could be financed and implemented under PPP arrangements to give relief to the Treasury, going forward.

Madam Speaker, lastly, but not the least, the NRFA, RDA and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development have been guided to develop a transparent, effective and fair payment mechanism for the period October, 2021, to December, 2021, in line with the National Road Fund Act No. 13 of 2002. Going forward, with the system in place, I do not expect contractors owed to lobby for payments, as that is the breeding ground for the corruption the New Dawn Government will not tolerate at all costs.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Mr Mundubile (Mporokoso): Madam Speaker, looking at the relationship between the borrower and the lender, normally, the lender will do due diligence to establish the ability of the borrower to pay. Now, the hon. Minister has made reference to the loan relationships between the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) and INDO-Zambia Bank (IBZ) Limited, the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and other local lenders. My question is: Did the NRFA borrow beyond its capacity to pay?

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, yes, the NRFA borrowed beyond its ability to pay, and that is why although the mentioned loans are being serviced, you can see that the other contracts are suffering.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for the elaborate ministerial statement, which clearly shows us the status quo insofar as arrears in the road sector are concerned.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister mentioned the termination of on-going contracts and about the Government being ready to bite the bullet by paying the penalties for termination of contracts rather than live with this perennial problem the men on your left created.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Zambezi East!

Ask a question on a point of clarification. Do not debate, please.

Mr Mumba: You are wasting time.

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for your counsel. Of course, the public knows who is to blame for this situation, which is very gloomy.

Madam Speaker, what I want to know is whether the hon. Minister, having been careful enough to organise the debts, has estimated how much it will cost the Government to terminate the contracts that the people on your left signed wantonly.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Zambezi East for the question on whether we can estimate how much it will cost us to compensate those who have contracts and then we say to them, ‘Sorry, we are unable to continue’.

Madam Speaker, the termination of contracts has to be done painstakingly by going through each contract to see what was agreed upon and then negotiating with each contractor. Only then shall we know how much it will cost. However, whatever the cost, I think we are very confident that leaving matters the way they are now, with the contracts running in perpetuity, we will be paying for running costs every month or year while there is no work being done. So, it is cheaper to negotiate and pay off.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Madam Speaker, when we were on your right, I began on the Backbench. So, my hon. Colleagues who want to be Ministers can come to me for counsel, and I will provide it free of charge.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for the level of transparency he is attaching to these numbers.

Mr Mutale: Hear, hear! Ema former Backbenchers aba.

Mr Kafwaya: However, I expect anything that exists to do so in time and space. I think that the ability to pay can only exist in time and space. So, the obligations that he has established, and I could be wrong, sound to me like they are for one financial year. What is the time frame for all the contracts that were signed? Were they supposed to be paid in one year? I ask this question because a contract can straddle so many years that the numbers should not worry the hon. Minister today when he looks at the period involved. So, what is the average period for the contracts in the obligations the hon. Minister has established?

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Lunte for this question in which he wants to know why we are worried about having 1,005 contracts valued at K127 billion running when the money is supposed to be paid over a number of years, not in one or two years. If one looks at the debt from that perspective, it might not be a problem. I think that is the essence of his question, and my answer is, first of all, that I do not have the precise numbers, but the indications, even before you do the time analysis, are that this is still a problem. I say so because in my statement, I said that we have arrears totalling almost K10 billion, and arrears mean that people have worked and submitted IPCs, and should have paid them there and then, but we have not paid them K10 billion. That makes it very clear that this issue is a problem even before you work out the numbers. Secondly, other commitments may arise in the future. For example, one of our roads might suffer a catastrophe, and that would increase the obligations from K127 billion to some other figure. So, this issue remains a problem.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mutale (Chitambo): Madam Speaker, I am very grateful for this statement by the hon. Minister. I know that Zambians are very happy to hear that contractors are on the roads. However, hearing that some contracts will be terminated and some contractors pushed away from the roads is saddening. My question to the hon. Minister is: Are the roads in question important or of economic significance? I am sure, for the Government to have signed those contracts, there was a need.

Hon. UPND Members: No!

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, simplified, the question is: You have more than 1,000 contracts worth K127 billion running and now you propose to cancel some because you say you cannot afford them. Do you not realise that all those contracts were signed because they are important? If you do, why should you cancel them? That is what the hon. Member is asking, and all I can say is that in life, there are many important things that we want to have.

Eng. Milupi interjected.

Dr Musokotwane: Somebody behind me says, I, who comes from Liuwa, very far away from the roads, and where there is not even a gravel road, need a chopper.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Dr Musokotwane: I am sure that there are many others here who need important things of one type or another. However, ultimately, one has to look at one’s pocket. For the roads or whatever things that are very important, such as cars, boats or canals, does one just sign and say, ‘I want this’? That is not practical.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Katakwe (Solwezi East): Madam Speaker, I just need some clarification on the contractors who are borrowing from, for example, the Road Development Agency (RDA). If I put it in an equation, I see that it is ‘P’ borrowing from the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and the RDA to pay ‘F’. Maybe, same people are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. So, we just need to know some of the contractors so that, maybe, we can establish that there is, indeed, justification for the termination of the contracts.

Mr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, as you have always guided in this House, we cannot start naming contractors who are not in a position to say one thing or another to defend themselves. If they are here, maybe, they should stand up and say so. Then, perhaps, we can respond intelligently.

Laughter

Dr Musokotwane: I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Speaker, on a lighter note, let me start by assuring the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, who is my predecessor here as former Opposition Whip; the people of Shiwang’andu; and the Patriotic Front (PF) family, that what is trending on social media about me talking about committing suicide is false and baseless.

Hon. Member: Point of Order, Madam Speaker!

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, there was a directive by the Cabinet to the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) and the Road Development Agency (RDA) to re-scope most road contracts after it was realised that the fiscal space was becoming a challenge, and a lot of work was undertaken towards the re-scoping. Were the figures the hon. Minister has shared with the House compiled and computed after the re-scoping exercise?

Madam Speaker: We were also getting worried.

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I am grateful. We are now fully-fledged and very solid politicians. In addition, I am a Catholic Christian who cannot entertain the thought of making such a selfish decision.

Mr Kangombe: Be strong.

Madam Speaker: Order!

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, I confirm that the hon. Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu is definitely not going to commit suicide because just this morning, he arrived from Kalabo where we assisted him to never commit suicide.

Laughter

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, the short answer is ‘Yes’. The modification that the hon. Member talked about was taken into account in coming up with the numbers that I read out.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mumba (Kantanshi): Madam Speaker, I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the hon. Minister on this matter because of my passion to see Zambians paid, and on time. However, it is clear from the hon. Minister’ statement that the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) failed to do that. My question is: What steps is the hon. Minister going to take to ensure that future contracts are cheaper and free of accusations right up to implementation? I ask this question because that is one area that has pushed Zambian contractors into this huge debt that has kept rising and affecting the books in the infrastructure sector.

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, indeed, we got to where we are partly because some contracts appear to have been very expensive. So, the hon. Member is right. The other reason we got where we are is that there appears to have been a frenzy of awarding contracts. Obviously, there are knowledgeable people in these institutions who knew that what was being signed for was well above the capacity of the Government to honour. However, they were under intense pressure. The experts would say, “We do not think we can handle this anymore,” but the political ‘Jesuses’ would say, ‘You are going to do it’. As a result, here we are now.

Madam Speaker, obviously, as an in-coming Government, I think, we have learnt our lessons. Moreover, we knew that we were headed in this direction, and we shall do everything possible to avoid making the same mistakes.

I thank you, Madam Speaker

Madam Speaker: We have exhausted our time. So, I will allow only one more question.

Mr Chitotela (Pambashe): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister because governance is continuous.

Madam Speaker, the more than 1,000 contracts include the Formula 1 Road Projects that were signed in 2008 and 2010. We all want the cost to reduce but, just two days ago, we read of the signing of the Chingola/Solwezi Road contract at the cost of US$1.4 million per kilometre, and The hon. Minister was quoted by the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) as having said that the implementation of the project would start next year at five times the cost at which it was initially supposed to be worked on, which was condemned. Is the hon. Minister able to give the nation the categorised areas, province by province, that will benefit from the more than 1,000 contracts that were signed as a result of communities and hon. Members of Parliament demanding that road projects be implemented in the areas of their interest? Is the hon. Minister able to state how many roads were allocated to each province and indicate which contracts are active and which ones are inactive?

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, the 1,005 contracts that the hon. Member talked about do not include the Formula 1 Road Project. These are projects that were signed by the Patriotic Front (PF) Government.

Madam Speaker, regarding the breakdown, province by province, maybe, the hon. Member can put in a question to the RDA, through the hon. Minister who is responsible for that here. However, we already know the answer because there were certain provinces that hardly saw any road project being implemented in the last ten years. I can certainly confirm that for the Western Province because when you drive from here to Mongu, there is that patch from Tateyoyo to Katunda Turnoff that has been like that for the last twelve years. There has been no contractor. In fact, I do not remember any. However, we used to hear, ten years or just a few years ago, some of our colleagues boast by saying, “Those who are ungrateful are children of witches.” Is it not so? That is what we used to hear.

Hon. Government Members: Shame!

Dr Musokotwane: “Those who are not grateful are children of witches. As for us, we are children of angels, and that is why we are having so many roads, schools and hospitals.”

Madam Speaker, we can wait for the actual data, but we can rest assured that it will point out very clearly that certain provinces were favoured while others discriminated against. However, I can assure you that under this Government, there will be no discrimination.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Musokotwane: Even the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which we will talk about later, was an attempt to hold the hand of those who want to swallow too quickly so that we move at the same pace.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: I have also permitted the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to issue a ministerial statement.

ACCRUED DEBT ON FEEDER AND TOWNSHIP ROADS

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (Mr Nkombo): Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to render a ministerial statement regarding the accrued debt on feeder and township road projects implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in the last four years. My statement is meant to augment what the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has presented before us this afternoon, but it is safe to say it will be specific to certain matters that came from the follow-up questions asked by hon. Members of Parliament.

Madam, the importance of feeder and township roads cannot be overemphasised, as they create a vital link for the delivery of social and economic services, particularly in rural communities. It is for this reason that the New Dawn Government, led by His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, remains committed to uplifting the status of feeder and township roads in our country, especially those that are in a deplorable state, as the road in Chama North, or was it Chama South, was described to us this afternoon.

Madam Speaker, the ministry is determined to rehabilitate feeder and township roads in an effort to provide the much-needed social and economic services to our community. We are enhancing programmes like the National Feeder and Township Roads Programme to improve accessibility, mobility and connectivity to agricultural sites and socio-economic facilities in rural areas. However, the Government can only achieve this if we rationalise the implementation of feeder and township roads contracts, as the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has said. To put this matter into perspective, I will highlight the current state of feeder and township road projects that were implemented from 2016 to August, this year.

Madam Speaker, over the period mentioned, the total numbers of contracts for feeder roads in each province were as follows:

Province km Total Contract Sum (K) Amount Certified

Muchinga 1,354 1.7416966 billion 440 million

Central 1,746 2.284 billion 567 million

Northern 1,888 2.7 billion 962 million

Lusaka 893 1.3 billion 283 million

Copperbelt 757 1 billion 158 million

Southern 98 ˗

Hon. Government Members: Aah! Shame!

Mr Nkombo: I will repeat that.

Southern 98 96 million 62 million

Western 152 270 million 57 million

Eastern 1,909 2.4 billion 886 million

North-Western _ - -

Laughter

Luapula 612 915 million 160 million

Totals 9,084 13 billion 3.5 billion

Madam Speaker, the total contracted works for township roads from 2014 to 2021 are as follows:

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Let us listen to the hon. Minister

Mr Nkombo:

Eastern Length (km) Contract Sum (K) Amount Certified (K)

Petauke 73 617 million 230 million

Lundazi

Chipata

Sinda

Nyimba

Central

Chisamba 70 1 billion 117 million

Mumbwa

Mkushi

Copperbelt

Kitwe 70 466 million 453 million

Kalulushi

Chililabombwe

North Western

Mufumbwe 80 866 million 283 million

Mwinilunga

Solwezi

Kasempa

Zambezi

Chavuma

Western 44 674 million 275 million

Mongu,

Kaoma

Senanga

Luapula 93 510 million 238 million

Kawambwa

Nchelenge

Mwense

Samfya

Mansa

Northern 27 110 million 81 million

Mpulungu

Kasama

Southern 77 512 million 200 million

Choma

Sinazongwe

Monze

Muchinga 25 539 million 191 million

Chinsali

Mpika

Isoka

Lusaka City 1,028 183 million 448 million

Performance contracts,

Routine maintenance

Grant total: 750 6.5 billion 2.5 billion.

Madam Speaker, in terms of the Road Sector Annual Work Plan (RSAWP) of the ministry, the local budget figures from 2016 to 2021 were as follows:

Year Amount (K’ million)

2016 315

2017 260

2018 260

2019 150

2020 204

2021 196

Total 1,305

Madam Speaker, the information above means that there was over-contraction by K11 billion in the last four years, the subject period.

UPND hon. Members: Hmmm!

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I confirm and inform the hon. Members of this august House that of the contracts signed, so far, some projects have been completed, yet some contractors are still owed for works done. An example is that of the township roads in Kitwe, Chililabombwe, Kalulushi and Mongu. Some contracts in towns like Mazabuka, Choma, Serenje and Chadiza were suspended because of what were deemed financial constraints, and not even one metre of tarmac road was constructed. However, just like is the case with completed projects, contractors are still owed for the works done and, in some instances, interest is accruing and being claimed. Currently, the township roads with active contracts are those in Lusaka, Mwinilunga, Mkushi, Chinsali and Lundazi.

Madam Speaker, the actual amounts being owed have not yet been fully reconciled with the National Roads Fund Agency (NRFA), which is the road fund manager. The House will be informed soon once the reconciliations are completed.

Madam Speaker, with the current budgetary allocations to the road sector, it will take the Government up to forty years to clear the outstanding debt without undertaking any new projects.

UPND Hon. Member: Eh!

Mr Nkombo: I will repeat that: With the current budgetary allocations to the road sector, which I have just read, it will take the Government up to forty years to clear the outstanding debt without contracting any new projects.

From the presentation I have made to the House, Madam Speaker, it is clear that there was serious over-procurement of works on feeder and township roads against the available resources. Further, I wish to highlight the fact that the distribution of works was biased towards certain regions, as you have heard. No contest about that. However, that is not the subject of today’s discussion.

Madam Speaker, the over-procurement of road contracts has left the Government with a huge debt, with a number of contractors being owed huge sums of money for works they have done or they claim to have done. So, if we are to move forward, there is a need to resolve these huge debts in a very systematic and orderly manner, as stated earlier by my senior, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, in his statement.

Madam Speaker, it has become imperative for the ministry to take a number of measures to address the state of distress in the feeder and township roads sector. The ministry will rationalise the procurement and implementation of current contracts on feeder and township roads in order to redress the current backlog while establishing a sustainable regime of procurement and administration of future contracts.

Madam Speaker, whereas the ministry has been taking measures to reduce debt growth in the road sector, there is a need to do a little more. I am, therefore, glad to inform this august House that my ministry has engaged a services engineer in the name of Mr Levy Zulu, of Zulu Burrow Consulting Limited, through the Association of Consulting Engineers of Zambia, to strengthen the effort of the Government by providing professional support to the ministry. Mr Zulu is a seasoned engineer with forty-one years of experience in the field of project management and infrastructure development. The services that Mr Zulu is offering are pro bono; they are free of charge. Just to make it clear, there is no cost to the Government for Mr Zulu’s technical assistance to our ministry.

Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that the scope of the services offered by the consultant will include a review of the whole portfolio of current contracts and assessment of their status with a view to recommending the, as the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning said:

re-scoping the contracts with a view to down-sizing;
suspension or cancellation of the contracts while avenues are explored for aligning the contracts to the Budget or the 2022 RSAWP while according the contractors the right of first refusal upon resumption of works, if it does happen;
termination of contracts altogether, as long as there may be no cost to the Government; and
renegotiation of the exit terms.

Madam Speaker, I appeal to our esteemed customers in the road sector to exercise patience as we attempt to correct this malaise; this situation which was created by our erstwhile governors.

UPND Hon. Member: The PF!

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, as I terminate my statement, I invite follow-up questions with the caveat that hon. Members who have an interest in these road contracts must declare interest before they ask a question.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

PF Hon. Members: Question!

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for this statement.

M r Chitotela: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chitotela: Madam Speaker, our rules do not allow us to raise points of order when Ministers are speaking. However, we are allowed to do so after that, and that is why I have risen on this point of order.

Madam Speaker, this House demands that statements made to this House be backed by facts. Standing Order No. 65 clearly states that. Further, the proceedings of this Parliament are followed both online and by Zambians across the country. Listening to the statement by the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, it makes me wonder whether it was a deliberate move on the part of the hon. Minister to state that there were no contracts for township roads in the North-Western Province or whether the staff in the ministry misled him. I think the hon. Member of Parliament for Mwinilunga must be shaking in disbelief because the township roads in Mwinilunga have been worked on, and Mwinilunga is part of the North-Western Province. Is the hon. Minister in order to mislead this august House by stating that no contracts for township and feeder roads were signed for the North-Western Province?

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

Madam Speaker: The hon. Minister issued the statement according to the facts that were provided by the officials in the ministry. So, that is the position. If the hon. Member for Pambashe has more information, maybe, he can lay it on the Table so that we see who is telling the truth. Otherwise, this point of order cannot stand.

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, as guided by the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, I will start by declaring interests.

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mundubile: I have been a road contractor for the past fifteen years. However, today, I am not speaking on behalf of my company or other companies, but on behalf of Zambians.

Madam Speaker, at the beginning of his statement, the hon. Minister mentioned that he was augmenting the statement made earlier by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. I am happy that he did that because I feel his concerns, especially on perceived biases.

Madam Speaker, when we look at the road sector in its totality, we are talking about trunk and feeder roads, bridges and other infrastructure. So, in considering investment in the sector, we should know that in certain areas, there have been investments, say, in higher-grade roads while in other areas, the Government could only invest in feeder roads.

Madam Speaker, I have in mind –

Government hon. Member: Ask a question.

Mr Mundubile: No, I am giving the background.

Madam Speaker, I have in mind the Kazungula Bridge and Solwezi/Chingola Road. Most of the challenges highlighted here by the hon. Ministers of Finance and National Planning, and Local Government and Rural Development were a result of the huge investment that went into the two projects, and this is a fact. My question to the hon. Minister is: Going forward, when he begins to develop projects, especially on feeder and township roads, in his ministry, is he also going to look at the investment that has gone into the road sector in various areas in terms of balancing the investment? I ask this question because if he does not do that, he will come up with projects that will be perceived to be biased. The total sum of investment in the sector –

Interruptions

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, am I protected?

Hon Government Members: Question!

Mr Mubanga: Contractors!

Madam Speaker: Order!

Hon. Leader of the Opposition, please, resume your seat.

Hon. Members, let us remain quiet and listen to the points of clarification. However, as we raise points of clarification, we should also remember that it is not a time to rebut; it is time to raise points of clarification. We are not debating.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Hon. Leader of the Opposition, please, raise a point of clarification.

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, I am well guided. We will continue to provide the truth to the House so that Zambians are well informed.

Madam Speaker, when considering developing feeder and township roads, will the hon. Minister also look at equity in distribution in terms of the total investment in the road sector of a given area?

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to answer the question from the hon. Leader of the Opposition. In order for the country to know the truth, I seek your permission to respond to the point of order raised by the hon. Member for Pambashe, who might not have paid attention when I was reading my report.

Government hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I was very clear in stating that I have different schedules for feeder and township roads here. For avoidance of doubt, the total amount of feeder roads worked on in the North-Western Province is zero. However, as the hon. Member stated clearly, the township roads worked on in the North-Western Province, specifically in Mwinilunga, Mufumbwe, Solwezi, Kasempa, Zambezi and Chavuma, was – read my lips – 80 km of bituminous roads, and I indicated that. I hope this settles his anxiety.

Madam Speaker, to answer the hon. Leader of the Opposition, I state that if he listened to my presentation, under feeder roads, he heard me very clearly state that at the level of over-contraction that the hon. Member’s Government made, it would take forty years for this country to clear the debt without contracting new projects. Forty years is like the time Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness, except His were days. That is the true picture because the figures that I gave in terms of budgetary provisions made by our colleagues, for instance, in 2020, amounted to only K204 million, and I mentioned a total of K1.3 billion for the period 2016 to 2021, against a whopping K12.9 billion expenditure that was not provided for in any appropriation Bill passed in this House as we were approving the Budgets over the years. So, we have a huge task before even attending to issues of equality in development processes.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Leader of the Opposition gave the example of the Kazungula Bridge. However, even a Grade 4 pupil knows how that bridge was built, and to bring it into the equation on feeder roads is like comparing apples with oranges. So, I elect to leave that to the responsible ministry, the Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Urban Development, to give a little more insight on in terms of how it was contracted.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, I am more interested in the outstanding certificates issued, meaning the works done on which payments claimed have not been honoured, in each of the provinces or districts mentioned, as we come from those districts or constituencies.

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Minister, through the consultant who is going to offer free services, considering going down to check whether what the contractors are claiming is what they have done on the ground? I do not want to see his engineers because they are the ones who came up with the contracts. I ask this question because in my constituency, there are two contracts on which I believe the contractor has done nothing, but claims may have been made or the Government might have made the payment. At the end of the day, it might be discovered that of the K12 billion debt mentioned, maybe, only K1 billion is actually owed.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Chama for his very constructive question.

Madam Speaker, as hon. Members of Parliament, we are all gate-keepers for the Treasury of this country. One of the terms of reference for Zulu Burrow Development Consultants is to take a random sample of the roads that are claimed to have been completed with signed interim payment certificates (IPCs). At the risk of putting the cart before the horse, I confirm to this House that one of the reasons for the delay, apart from there being no money to pay the contractors, is that we are also embarking on a verification exercise. So, I am thankful for the extra information from the hon. Member for Chama South, that whilst some contractor is claiming money, no work has been done on the ground. That could be the truth in many of the contracts. To put it plainly, even if money was available, we would not dish it out as if we were buying bottles of beer, to borrow the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning’s statement made a few weeks ago.

Madam Speaker, because this is a public matter, let me take this opportunity to confirm here that nearly 60 per cent of the names on this list (showing a document) are Patriotic Front (PF) members, some cadres and hon. Members of this House. Further, regarding the contracts in this document, I have searched high and low in my ministry to see whether there was involvement of the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) in awarding the tenders, and I have discovered that there was none.

Government Hon. Member: Mm!

Mr Nkombo: So, going forward, there is more that we will disclose to show that the contracts were being shared among friends.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Time seems to be running very fast but, because of the interest that has been generated in this statement, I will give it another fifteen minutes.

Mr Menyani Zulu (Nyimba): Madam Speaker, I think listening to the ministerial statement has even made me sick because Nyimba is mentioned among the districts in the Eastern Province that benefitted from the feeder and township roads project.

Madam Speaker, you may wish to note that in 2014, Nyimba was given 14.7 km or 17.7 km of township tarmac roads, if I am not mistaken. However, we have not seen a single metre of tarred road. In addition to that, there has not been any contractor in Nyimba. There is a contractor who has packed his machinery by the Great East Road and has done only less than 2 km of gravel road. Therefore, I think to be mentioned among the beneficiaries of the more than 1,000 km road contracts given to the Eastern Province is not fair. If you look at the statement by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, you will see that it says there was a selective approach in giving contracts, yet Nyimba, as a constituency and a district, is put in the same bracket as those that have benefitted, which is very unfortunate.

Madam Speaker, let me appeal to the hon. Ministers who issue statements to this august House to get factual information even from the Town Clerks in respective districts. Otherwise, we are going to be among the districts that are not going to benefit from national resources following the statement by the hon. Minister.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Mr Menyani Zulu: Madam Speaker, my question is: As Nyimba District, are we going to be put in the same bracket as the districts that benefitted?

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I am saddened to hear that my dear colleague and friend is sickened by the report I have given.

Laughter

Hon. Member: Theft!

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I give him some degree of comfort by saying that when I first laid my eyes on the report, I went home at 1700 hours and reflected on it in an attempt to internalise what I had just seen. I am sorry about it.

Madam Speaker, allow me to also attend to the question of the hon. Member for Chama South, which I feel I did not attend to adequately, because he seems to have an emergency in terms of the threat of one area of our people being cut off.

Madam Speaker, last week, I had a meeting with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning in which he indicated that all hon. Members who seem to be running into crises like the one the hon. Member for Nyimba is running into must quickly come forward. Maybe, we can find a solution for such areas. This is not a wholesale invitation. However, those who are threatened with being cut off, like Hon. Mtayachalo, who has been to the office to report that state of affairs in his area, are welcome, and we will try our best to attend to their problems, maybe, via the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) or as the situation may dictate. We are committed to doing that.

Madam Speaker, if the hon. Member for Nyimba listened to me carefully, he heard me clearly read the schedule for township roads in the Southern Province, where Mazabuka, a constituency that I represent, is indicated as having been allocated 22 km, yet not a single kilometre was worked on. So, he and I are in the same shoe and, for now, he should not feel discriminated because we are determined to correct what went wrong. It is very clear that there was a formula that was being used before to award the contracts. We will know that formula very soon, and our aim and task is to correct it so that we adhere to the constitutional requirement of developing this country in an equitable manner.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, certainly, there is demand for road works by people, and priorities are made. I do recall the hon. Minister standing here and pressurising the Minister then responsible for infrastructure to prioritise the Mazabuka/Turnpike Road, which was in a bad state at the same time that the roads in Mazabuka were supposed to have been worked on, and prioritisation had to be done.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

The hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, raise a point of clarification. We do not have much time. I have provided another fifteen minutes to accommodate questions from other hon. Members. However, when we prolong our points of clarification, we will not allow other hon. Members to participate. So, please, let us take into consideration the fact that other hon. Members also want to raise points of clarification.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister shared with us the certified figures, but he did not share with us how many kilometres were worked on. I think that is the reason my colleagues and I are concerned. I want to know how many kilometres were allocated to Shiwang’andu and how many were actually worked on so that even as we speak about these figures and the contracts that were given, we are able to follow through. Yes, we can go to the hon. Minister’s office. However, since he has given the information to the nation, it is important that he gives more details on how many kilometres were contracted and how many have actually been worked on insofar as feeder roads are concerned. He combined feeder and township roads. So, it was very difficult to follow.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, according to my recollection, I made one report, but in two parts. I started with feeder roads and went province by province. However, since my colleague wants to know how many kilometres were worked on in Shiwang’andu, he can help me by getting a calculator as I read the figures.

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: In Shiwang’andu, Muchinga, 85 km of the Chitundu/Mpande/Masango/ Chumbo Road were rehabilitated. That is one feeder road. In Shiwang’andu, again, ...

Government Hon. Member: Again!

Mr Nkombo: ... there was the periodic maintenance of 45 km of the Yosamu/Mufolo Road. That is specific to Shiwang’andu.

Mr Kampyongo interjected.

Government Hon. Members: Ah!

Mr Nkombo: Sorry?

Madam Speaker, I think it will be expedient for the hon. Member for Shiwang’andu to come to the office. Otherwise, this will take a lot of time. However, I can tell him that the report says that the projects are ongoing. That is why I said that we are all gate-keepers. If hon. Members came, through to their offices, to the ministry, we could go through this document together and establish the truth. Hon. Members of Parliament just came out of the campaigns. So, they are able to tell the ministry whether the roads have truly been worked on or not, and that will be the first line of getting this matter resolved while we engage the private contractors to verify projects.

Madam Speaker, part of what we are doing is calling the provincial engineers to our office to chat with our consultant because it is clear that certain certificates were signed without the provincial engineers going on site to verify the works. So, without saying too much, I will say that we want to establish that by facilitating a chat between the consultant, and the provincial engineers and district engineers in several councils. We are getting a lot of information, more than we require, which suggests that some roads were worked on, but not according to the specifications.

Madam Speaker, we have a mountain of work to do, and that is why, in the conclusion of my statement, I appeal for patience on the part of our bona fide contractors. Some contractors are not bona fide at all.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: We have exhausted the fifteen minutes and there are still eighteen indications by hon. Members wanting to ask questions on points of clarification. Hon. Members, as you have heard from the hon. Minister, please, do take time to go to the ministry to clarify your issues and find out how many kilometres were worked on and how many were not, or what work was actually done because we cannot spend all the time we have discussing this issue. We have the core business on the Floor of the House, which is the Motion of Supply moved by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. Consequently, we make progress.

_______

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

CONTAGIOUS BOVINE PLEUROPNEUMONIA OUTBREAK IN MWINILUNGA

86. Mr Kamondo (Mufumbwe) (on behalf of Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga)) asked the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock:

whether the Government is aware that there is an outbreak of Contagious Bovine Pleural Pneumonia (CBPP) disease in Chief Kabwika and Senior Chief Kanongesha’s chiefdoms in Mwinilunga District; and
if so, what urgent measures the Government is taking to contain the disease and stop it from spreading to other areas.

The Minister of Fisheries and Livestock (Mr Chikote): Madam Speaker, the Government is aware of the outbreak of Contagious Bovine Pleural Pneumonia (CBPP) in Chief Kabwika and Senior Chief Kanongesha’s Chiefdoms in Mwinilunga District of the North-Western Province.

Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that the first two cases were detected during a routine inspection by the veterinary staff in Mwinilunga District at a local slaughter slab on 1^st November, 2021. The two affected animals were traced to have originated from one communal kraal in Kasenga area in Kabwika Veterinary Camp. After detection of the disease, my staff conducted surveillance in the area with suspected diseases and five more animals showing typical clinical signs were identified. Samples were collected from the affected animals and the disease was later confirmed.

Madam Speaker, I confirm the outbreak of the disease and inform the House that 2,800 cattle are at risk. The House may also wish to note that the outbreak has occurred outside the CBPP Protection Zone delineated according to the CBPP Eradication Programme for the country.

Madam Speaker, in response to the outbreak, the Government is taking the following urgent measures to contain the disease:

Sensitisation of Farmers and other Stakeholders

Madam Speaker, my ministry will work with Chief Chibwika and Senior Chief Kanongesha to sensitise the local communities on the outbreak of the disease. Other stakeholders the ministry will work with to sensitise the farmer on the outbreak are hon. Members of Parliament, Councillors, local radio stations and other community leaders.

Removal of Positive Herds

Madam Speaker, infected herds will be removed to ensure the source of infection in the outbreak areas is removed. If the infected cattle are not removed, the disease will not be controlled and there is a high risk of it spreading to the rest of the district and beyond.

Vaccination

Madam Speaker, cattle in Chief Chibwika’s and Senior Chief Kanongesha’s chiefdoms and surrounding areas will be vaccinated. The Government has already dispatched 9,000 doses of CBPP vaccines to the area. The vaccination will commence immediately.

Movement Controls

Madam Speaker, my ministry will intensify controls on the movement of cattle into and out of the disease area to ensure that only healthy cattle are allowed to move.

Restriction of Meat Trade

Madam Speaker, the selling of cattle in the area has been banned to stop the spread of the disease. Once the situation is under control, the ban will be lifted.

Intensification of Surveillance

Madam Speaker, surveillance has been intensified in the district to ensure that any spread of the disease is quickly detected and arrested as quickly as possible.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Samakayi: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the answers that he has provided and for the measures that have been taken to ensure that the disease does not spread.

Madam Speaker, if I got the hon. Minister clearly, he wants to get rid of the animals that are affected. I am not clear on when that exercises is going to be undertaken. How soon is the exercise going to be done? Further, will there be any compensation for farmers whose animals are affected by the disease?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, the Government has already dispatched staff to the chiefdoms that are affected. So, as soon as they arrive there, the exercise will start.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Sampa (Matero): Madam Speaker, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is what the disease is called. I am not sure whether that is what is called ‘denkete’. That said, I must say that the problem in Mwinilunga is also obtaining in most districts of the nation. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is another disease that has broken out. Would the hon. Minister say the outbreaks are due to a lack of pasture and grass because of the rainfall pattern? If so, is the ministry considering making hay or silage readily available to the farmers?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, the main cause of the disease is the illegal movement of animals from affected areas to areas that are not affected. It is not rainfall patterns or availability of pastures. Hence, my response that one of the first interventions that we have made is to sensitise our farmers on the disease and ensure they understand how it affects our animals.

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to say that diseases have been moving from one place to another, especially in areas that are near our neighbouring countries like Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The movement of animals is not properly controlled. Hence, we are facing this challenge. So, the first task is to help our farmers understand that they must adhere to the guidelines given by our staff in respective areas.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kamondo: Madam Speaker, some of the interventions that the hon. Minister has mentioned are the Government’s extension of the sensitisation of farmers and stakeholders to Chief Chibwika’s and Chief Kanongesha’s chiefdoms, and the vaccination of animals.

Madam Speaker, the good people of Mwinilunga, the place of abundance, are surrounded by many areas where people keep a lot of cattle, such as Chief Kakoma’s Chief Sailunga’s and Chief Kanyama’s areas. Is the Government not going to extend the vaccination and sensitisation exercises that the hon. Minister talked about to those areas so that we eliminate the disease?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, my response was that we firstly have to respond to areas where the disease has been identified. We have to protect those areas and quickly eradicate the disease. On the sensitisation exercise, I said we are going to use radio stations, and I know that the radio stations in Mwinilunga cover even the surrounding areas. Hence, our farmers in areas surrounding the affected chiefdoms will benefit from the exercise that we are going to undertake soon. I also encourage hon. Members of Parliament to have keen interest in what we are doing in to eradicate the diseases. We have to work as a team to help our farmers be informed about the diseases.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Ms Mulenga (Kalulushi): Madam Speaker, I am just concerned about the Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP). We know it is a bacteria and that it spreads very rapidly. So, my appeal is that the affected animals be slaughtered as a way of protecting animals that are not infected. The hon. Minister’s predecessor in the ministry left a very good stocking and restocking programme in place.

UPND hon. Member: Question!

Ms Mulenga: Why then does the hon. Minister not slaughter the infected animals and compensate the affected farmers through the stocking and restocking exercises so that we eradicate the disease from Mwinilunga and the surrounding chiefdoms before it spreads? I ask this question because the cure rate is very low and the disease spreads very rapidly? The hon. Minister and I both know that once the disease spreads, even the vaccine will be ineffective. The vaccines are supposed to be administered at six months and yearly, and we do not know for sure whether the six months vaccine was already administered.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, if the hon. Member listened very well, she heard me state that among the measures that we have put in place, the second is the removal of positive herds. That is the slaughtering she is talking about.

Madam Speaker, when we remove the positive herds from the farmers’ kraals or affected areas, there is a legal programme for compensating our farmers. So, the farmers who are going to be affected will be compensated.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

USE OF MILITARY VEHICLES TO TRANSPORT FARMING INPUTS

87. Mr Munir Zulu (Lumezi) asked the Minister of Defence:

why the Government is using military vehicles to transport farming inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP); and
whether the use of military vehicles does not compromise state security.

The Minister of Justice (Mr Haimbe) (on behalf of the Minister of Defence (Mr Lufuma)): Madam Speaker, the Government is not using military vehicles to transport farming inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). The military vehicles are being used to ferry maize for the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) from satellite depots to the main depots to secure the grain.

Madam, the use of military vehicles in the transportation of maize does not compromise state security because food security is part of the comprehensive human security for which the Government is responsible.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. Minister that food security is very important to this Government. However, are we not killing local transporters by using military trucks?

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, I wonder in what sense the hon. Member is talking about killing local transporters because it is quite clear that for us to resort to using military equipment, then there is a gap in the provision of that service. In any event, the reason one would say that the local transporters are being killed has not been made clear, and the statement seems speculative. To the best of our knowledge, the law is very clear and, perhaps, the hon. Member may wish to defer to the clear provisions of the Defence Act, Section 5, which provides that His Excellency the President can give the military any duty to perform. So, really there is no point of controversy here.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Speaker, I appreciate the response of the acting hon. Minister of Defence. Indeed, the Commander-in-Chief can direct the Defence Forces to undertake various tasks. However, there are farming sector policies, and there are farmers across the country. Can we hear from the hon. Minister how many regions and districts are going to be catered for. I ask this question because I know that there are still stacks of maize that are stuck in various areas, including Shiwang’andu. I want to be comforted by the hon. Minister of Defence that the depots in Shiwang’andu will benefit from this task that the military is performing.

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, this seems to be a multifaceted question that borders on the obligations of two ministries. On one hand, there is the Ministry of Agriculture and, on the other, the Ministry of Defence. In fact, there are three ministries involved because there is also the Ministry of Transport and Logistics. In this regard, the question seems to digress from the essence of the principal question. Perhaps, I could go so far as to suggest that it is not directly in line with the specific issue that was raised, which is the use of military vehicles. This goes beyond that, and I shall be grateful if more information is given at an appropriate time.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Sampa, but he was unavailable.

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, the people of Zambia want to know because they have seen on social media the flagging off of the military vehicles by the hon. Minister for Southern Province, who has holed himself in the Southern Province and does not want to come to Parliament. Is that exercise by the military restricted to the Southern Province or will it be carried out countrywide?

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, to the best of the ministry’s knowledge, its functions and their execution are not restricted to any specific region. As I mentioned earlier, provided there is a need, it will be met by the military based on instructions from His Excellency the President in accordance with the Defence Act.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mutinta (Itezhi-Tezhi): Madam Speaker, we commend the innovativeness and initiative of the hon. Minister of Defence for the Southern Province. My question is: In areas that are not passable, just like someone mentioned, are there any intentions of scaling up the innovation? To us, the innovation is working very well, and we are asking that it be scaled up to other areas where there are crises so that we get the maize to the right points because very soon, it will start raining and the roads will become impassable.

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: That is a comment.

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Twasa.

Mr Twasa: Madam Speaker, my question has been overtaken by events.

Amb. Malanji (Kwacha): Madam Speaker –

Madam Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

Amb. Malanji (Kwacha): Madam Speaker, we are not here for armchair criticism, and we appreciate the intention by the ministry to cut costs on some of the operations. However, we have to look at the cost implication in the future.

Madam Speaker, the vehicles the hon. Minister is talking about are military trucks manufactured with for carrying specific tonnage and with a centrifugal mechanism for carrying troops and artillery. So, carrying many tonnes of maize will automatically damage that equipment, and security is all about human resources and equipment. Is the hon. Minister looking forward to being told by the army in the midst of an operation that, ‘Ma trucks anafera ku milisi’?

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, what is the meaning of “Ma trucks anafera ku milisi’?

Mr Malanji: Madam Speaker, kuti ma trucks yakawida ku mapopwe or ‘the trucks were damaged while hauling maize’.

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, with due respect, there is a lot of presumption in the manner in which the question has been put. There is the presumption that the vehicles being used are troop carriers, and there is a suggestion in that presumption that the army or any other part of the Defence Forces does not have equipment for carrying food and various other materials that the military needs to move. That presumption is absolutely wrong. Further, the military is wise enough to not use troop carriers for haulage, and I know that the hon. Member is aware that the military does have haulage vehicles whose specific purpose is to move various tonnages of food, other materials and equipment that the military uses because there is nothing to suggest the contrary. So, whilst the concern of the hon. Member is duly noted, I put it on record that the military is well aware of what equipment to use for what purposes. Certainly, troop carriers will not be used for hauling materials and food.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Wamunyima (Nalolo): Madam Speaker, indeed, the grain needs to be protected. That said, is this a short-term intervention or a long-term one? If it is a long-term one, it is not sustainable because the Government is now offering a service that the private sector should offer.

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, it is a short-term to medium-term project meant to fill a gap that has been identified, not to be a substitute for what the private sector should do.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to raise this very important point of order under Standing Order No. 129(4), which has to do with presentation of ministerial statements. The Standing Order states as follows:

“Members shall not debate a ministerial statement, but may ask the Vice-President or minister questions for purposes of clarifying matters raised in the statement.”

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has acknowledged that there is some military hardware in form of transport that has been deployed to move maize from sheds in various parts of the country, and we asked the question as to which areas the trucks were deployed to. Is it countrywide; in all the ten provinces? If so, which districts? The hon. Minister has not clarified this point, and my point of order is that he clarifies this very important question so that our farmers in areas where maize is still stuck know that the maize is not going to get soaked, and so that the transporters are comforted that they are no longer going to participate in the ferrying of maize under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious guidance on this matter.

Madam Speaker: I do not know if the hon. Minister is in a position to answer the question concerning where exactly the deployment has been made.

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, a general response was given, and it was to the effect that the mandate of the military is across the country. I do not know what more specificity the hon. Member requires. In any event, the Standing Order he relied on refers to ministerial statements. This is not a ministerial statement, but rather an answer to a very specific question that was asked.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: On that note, we make progress.

_______

MOTION

BUDGET 2022

(Debate resumed)

Mr Katotobwe (Luapula): Madam Speaker, it is with profound gratitude that I seize the opportunity to allow the people of Luapula Constituency to add their voice to the debate on the National Budget delivered on the Floor of this House on 29^th October, 2021.

Madam Speaker, taxation and business are closely related. Low taxation or tax incentives boost business expansion and create employment opportunities. On the other hand, high taxation inhibits business expansion and does not create business opportunities.

Madam Speaker, the reduction of Corporate Income Tax to 30 per cent is inadequate to promote the business expansion of Zambian-owned companies. This means that Zambian-owned companies will remain subservient to their foreign counterparts that have enormous support from their respective governments. Meanwhile, the mining sector, which is dominated by multinational conglomerates, has been granted tax incentives camouflaged in the mining royalties to be deducted from the income taxes, as indicated on page 46 of the Budget Address. In effect, the current mineral royalties put at a sliding rate of 5.5 per cent to 10 per cent have been discarded.

Madam Speaker, principally, Zambia operates a source-based system for Corporate Income Tax, which has now been reduced to 30 per cent. It remains to be seen whether any income will be realised from Corporate Income Tax from the mines, especially since we all know the deception and tax avoidance skills of the mining multinationals.

Madam Speaker, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), which is discussed on page 46 of the Budget Address, is seemingly good, as some investments are barometers of the microeconomic perspective and significant determiner of economic development. However, mining-sector FDIs may not yield any benefits for Zambia. The poor economic and social trends will continue and the depletion of mineral resources, which will be accelerated by the targeted 3 million tonnes for export, will leave absolutely nothing for future generations. Good FDI must leave benefits for future generations, which should inherit wealth instead of degraded environmental conditions.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning remains a dignified personality, as can be seen in the many pronouncements he has made previously, including the illustrious Budget of 2011, which was dubbed ‘The people’s Budget’. So, the paying of less attention to Zambian-owned businesses in favour of FDI can only be attributed to hidden hands at play. Affirmative action to promote the prosperity of Zambian-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is missing on page 40 of the Budget Address. In light of that, our primary producers, who are mainly farmers, are not kept in pace by manufacturing and state initiatives. For instance, the production of cassava, which is a cash crop, is not kept in pace by the ethanol producing industry. Further, cotton production is no kept in pace by the textiles and clothing industry because there is literally none, and there is no affirmative action to change the status quo.

Madam Speaker, the narrative in this Budget is not skewed towards innovation and production by the Zambians. The low overall target of 3.5 economic growth set in the 2022 Budget might be attained using primary mineral production for exports to developed countries, but the reduction of the Budget deficit to 6.7 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) will be difficult to achieve because of poor revenue collection from the minerals that will be exported.

Madam Speaker, as leaders, we need to focus on political ideologies that harness our abundant resources quickly to create incentives for production by Zambians. This means that from our natural resources, we can generate sufficient investment capital to finance research and innovation, and stimulate new production. By that, I mean capital that should be made available to Zambians to run profitable commercial banks, mining companies, commercial farms, and textile and clothing industries. Only then will the SMEs develop, prosper and grow into big business.

On page 17 of the Budget Address, Madam Speaker, there are tax incentives for the industrial parks to attract private sector investments, but on page 18, the Government has taken the position that the Zambian internal market is too small for manufacturing. This position is clearly meant to support FDI in manufacturing, but the Government forgets the fact that FDI aims at highly-automated machine production techniques for maximum profits as opposed to labour-intensive production by Zambians, which creates employment.

Madam Speaker, since Independence, and in the last thirty years, in particular, a large section of our society was made to believe that Zambians cannot run big businesses, including manufacturing, hence the appreciation for foreign goods and services. This has created an ideology of dependence in which industrial production is, more or less, left to fate. The volume and complexity of what we have to do for national development cannot exceed our ability to deliver benefits correctly, safely and reliably as politicians.

Madam Speaker, in this era, the Government must seize any opportunity to ease the burden and lower cost of development. This includes taxing mining multinationals, especially when copper prices boom. Opportunity has a habit of slipping through –

Madam Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member’s time expired.

Madam Speaker: Before I call on the next hon. Member to debate, I appeal to the leaders on both sides to ensure that there are more people to debate. So far, only four people have indicated to debate, yet we will only adjourn at 1840 hours.

Mr Mufalali (Nominated): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate the Motion on the Floor of the House.

Madam Speaker, I fully support the Motion and thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for presenting a very good Budget. This Budget has direction and power in it because it is able to attract foreign and local investment.

Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the fact that the hon. Minister made his Budget properly, contrary to what some hon. Members said on the Floor of the House; that he did not acknowledge his predecessor. On page 1, paragraph 5, of the Budget Address, the hon. Minister acknowledged the work of Dr Bwalya K. E. Ng’andu in running the economic affairs of the country, especially it related to his attempts to find solutions to the crippling indebtedness of the country. That is a clear example of the hon. Minister acknowledging his predecessor.

Madam Speaker, on paragraph 236, page 53, of the Budget Address, the hon. Minister says the following:

“Madam, let me assure you that the New Dawn Administration is equal to the task. The journey to fix the economy starts now.”

Madam Speaker, indeed, the journey of fixing the economy has started. From the policy pronouncements of the hon. Minister, one can tell that there is a lot to fix because, I think, the former Government did more harm than good.

Madam Speaker, as I listened to some presentations, I realised that some hon. Members debated without first actually reading the Budget Speech and understanding the policy direction it provides. On page 2 of the Budget Speech, the hon. Minister clearly indicates that there is extreme indebtedness that has been brought about by negligence, somehow, because our colleagues did not do things in the right way. There was too much appetite to borrow.

Madam Speaker, when the current hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning was leaving in 2011, the growth of this economy was around 7 per cent. Ten years down the line, the economy’s growth is in the negative. At the time Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane was leaving, there was serious growth of the economy despite there having been a storm that did not spare this country. The economies the world over were not doing well, but he was able to sustain economic growth. For that, kudos to him.

Madam Speaker, those who were saying Hon. Dr Musokotwane has been influenced by politicians should wait and see for themselves what he will achieve. For example, 11,000 nurses and 30,000 teachers will be employed. That is a clear indication of a visionary person who is willing to bring on board all the citizens.

Madam Speaker, K25.7 million has been allocated to each constituency for decentralisation, and this is another clear indication of the well-balanced thoughts of a Minister of Finance and National Planning who is willing to cover the whole country, unlike those who favoured certain regions and left out others. That is what we need as a country. We cannot continue on the same path we were on in the past ten years. We heard from the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development how there was no equity in sharing the national cake in the recent past. Now, each constituency will get K25.7 million. Unfortunately, those who are supposed to appreciate that are the ones asking how the money is going to be managed. Such kind of thinking is taking this country backwards. I do not see why people should belabour the point of how the funds will be managed.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister actually indicated that there is a fund for artisan training to enable people carry out some works so that they can benefit from the money that will be given to constituencies. Unfortunately, those who are being given the money are resisting. What are we looking for? Each constituency will be given K25.7 million, something that has never been done before, to grow the economy and ensure a fair sharing of what was being eaten in Lusaka.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: However, those who are used to eating in Lusaka are resisting because they do not want the cake to be shared equally.

Mr Kampyongo: Question!

Mr Mufalali: They are even resisting the recruitment of 30,000 teachers and 11,000 medical staff. Such behaviour clearly indicates to us that the Government we had before was not ready to ensure the equal participation of our people.

Madam Speaker, coming to energy, the hon. Minister has indicated that he will find ways of ensuring that solar energy is put on the grid, which is a very good thing. Unfortunately, today, only about 8 per cent of our people have access to electricity, which is not supposed to be the case. Unfortunately, there was no investment in the energy sector. so, I agree with the hon. Minister’s intention to find ways of ensuring that our people have access to electricity and benefit from that by creating small and medium enterprises (SMEs). So, everything in the Budget Address is coherently put together and is for the benefit of the people of Zambia.

Madam Speaker, I support this Budget knowing well that the hon. Minister who presented it, together with his team and the President, are capable of delivering to this country and giving our people the maximum benefit.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Katambo, but he was unavailable.

Mr Mwene (Mangango): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving the people of Mangango the opportunity to say something on the 2022 Budget. I must say that I am from Mangango, and the people there are overwhelmed with happiness over this Budget that was presented to this House by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning under the theme, ‘Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People’.

Madam Speaker, I get surprised when some of our colleagues oppose the proposals in this Budget. When the hon. Minister talks about employing 30,000 teachers, the hon. Members on the left say that the number is too little, yet they never employed 30,000 teachers during their time. On the other hand, others said 30,000 teachers were too many. I commend the New Dawn Government and the hon. Minister for employing 30,000 teachers in 2022, which has never been done in the history of Zambia. The employment of 11,700 nurses is also welcome in Mangango because we lack medical staff and teachers in schools in Mangango and the whole of Zambia. For the health and education sectors to perform very well, there is a need to employ that number of staff. Further, the Government will not only provide a service to the people, but also employ our youths, thereby moving them from unemployment and poverty to wealth.

Madam Speaker, let me also comment on the K25.7 million that all the constituencies will be given as Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in 2022. The New Dawn Government is very good because it is not selective like our colleagues on the left who used to select the constituencies to give the CDF to during their tenure. In some cases, like in 2018, Mangango Constituency did not receive the CDF just because the there was a United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament. In other cases, our colleagues were only giving the CDF to constituencies that had Patriotic Front (PF) Members of Parliament. However, in the New Dawn Government, we want to teach them a lesson in love by giving them CDF as well, even when they are pro-PF. This shows the love that our President always talks about. We are not going to revenge on our colleagues because the people who voted for them are the ones who will suffer, as it is the people on the ground who need the CDF for economic development.

Madam Speaker, some of our colleagues are saying the CDF amount is too big for the councils and hon. Members to manage. At the same time, others are contradicting their colleagues, saying the CDF is not enough. If it is not enough, how come they were not able to provide more than K1.6 million during their time?

Madam Speaker, we, the New Dawn Government, with our able hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, and the loving President of the Republic of Zambia, are giving the CDF to all so that there can be development in all constituencies. Further, the CDF is going to create jobs, and this is what it means to decentralise, as the people will come up with their own projects; they will sit down, analyse things and see which projects to embark on. So, the people will have a say on the K25.7 million. Additionally, the contracts will be given mainly to local contractors, and that is going to provide employment to our people who are in the deep rural areas of our constituencies.

Madam Speaker, at the end of 2022, when our brothers and sisters have participated in the jobs that will be provided in the constituencies, we want to see some of them having tuntemba started with the remuneration they will get. That is what it means when we talk about creating jobs for locals in the constituencies.

Madam Speaker: Meaning of “tuntemba”?

Mr Mwene: Madam Speaker, “tuntemba” means ‘small local shops’.

Madam Speaker, that is what it means to create jobs for the people, not only in Lusaka, but in all our constituencies. This is what we want, as the New Dawn Government, because everyone will now take part in the economic development of their area. It used to baffle me to see people from afar go to, for example, construct a bridge in a constituency. This time, we are going to involve our local people in doing those jobs. Our brothers and sisters who know bricklaying and other trades will do those jobs in our constituencies, and that is what we mean by creating jobs.

Madam Speaker, the true meaning of decentralisation is people having a say in the CDF that will be given to their constituencies.

Madam Speaker, it also impresses me when I look at the Monetary Policy. The inflation rate was too high during the PF, and goods were very expensive. However, in the New Dawn Government, goods have become cheaper. In Mangango, cooking oil, which used to cost K45, now costs K25.

Hon Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwene: All those are reflections of the New Dawn Government’s good Monetary Policy.

Madam Speaker: Order!

The Hon. Member’s time expired.

Mr Katambo (Masaiti): Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to debate the Motion of Supply.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has projected a 3 per cent growth in the economy against an increase in expenditure or provisions in the Patriotic Front (PF) Budget. Further, he has proposed to employ 30,000 teachers, 11,000 medical personnel and others, as alluded to by the previous speaker, without being specific on how current civil servants’ outstanding settling in allowances will be handled. If you read page 23, paragraph No. 105, is this really attainable? Zambians see more than meets the eye just like a group of Zambians hear more than a certain group thinks it does.

Madam Speaker, the projected 3 per cent growth in the economy encompasses mining, agriculture, tourism and other sectors, and we can actually attain more growth if we allowed sectors to govern themselves without intensifying the fear in them. Even the PF-aligned people who are being removed from their employment are very capable Zambians who can help to grow the economy.

Madam Speaker, the growth projection, which was made in pomp and splendour, and amidst election promises of heaven in Zambia, falls very short of the expectations of the 2.8 million Zambians who voted for the United Party for National Development (UPND), including the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, and the rest of the Zambians.

Madam Speaker, I watched the hon. Minister on the Sunday Interview and listened to him as he dissected the Budget, and it was clear that subsidies are earmarked for removal. That step will cause the prices of electricity and fuel to rise, and Zambians are not ready for the harsh conditions propagated in the Budget under the energy sector, which is married to production in agriculture.

Madam Speaker, how does one expect growth against the proposals in the Budget? The hon. Minister boasts of a rich curriculum vitae (CV) in both local and international finance, and economics, and is said to be a consultant for, among other institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) and regional financial bodies. It is, therefore, not surprising that this Budget is parroting the policies of foreign masters, not the interests of common Zambians, who expect to vote for the UPND in 2026.

Madam Speaker, I urge the hon. Minister to be more loyal to the Zambian dream and encourage him to support Zambian solutions instead of IMF ones.

Madam Speaker, a budget is not a group of words; it is about figures that speak to the realisation of promises, treated as a statement of facts in expenditure. For example, the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is very much welcome, especially given that the Head is a self-servicing issue, and hon. Members, regardless of their side, support it. However, allow me to expand on the allocations, which we are told will be constituency development, youth empowerment, women’s empowerment, bursaries and others. How feasible is that, given the lack of infrastructure and human resources in rural constituencies like Masaiti which, since Independence, only saw the construction of accommodation for service men and a district hospital, and the upgrading of schools during the reign of the PF and my tenure as area Member of Parliament?

Madam Speaker, the CDF needs to be carefully thought through. Does it mean that there is now a shift from the promise of free education for bursaries to be determined from our constituencies?

Madam Speaker, the office of the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has a duty to convey accurate figures for and on behalf of the UPND Government to the people of Zambia. The UPND is governing. So, how is this hon. Minister boosting both morale and confidence when he presented a Budget whose figures do not total correctly, as observed in the House by other hon. Members and in the nation at large? The hon. Minister must humble himself, correct the mistakes and apologise because an apology shows stability even in the group of current leaders. He should take the same opportunity to correct the errors in the implementation of the 2021/2022 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). Another election promise of the UPND was to give twelve bags per beneficiary, as opposed to the six bags per beneficiary that the Budget has provided for.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much.

Maybe, it was a slip of the tongue, but you referred to the Presiding Officer as “my sister,”. However, you are forgiven.

Laughter

Mr Kalobo (Wusakile): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the 2022 Budget and comment on a few of the main issues that do not sit well in it.

Madam Speaker, the 2022 Budget creates very little hope for the economic transformation the people expected from the United Party for National Development (UPND). The Budget is meant to create a welfare society through the allocation of 70 per cent of it to consumption and very little to industrialisation and value addition. However, the UPND wants to fund that welfare State through a projected economic growth of 3.5 per cent. How possible is that? We need to grow the economy by over 7 per cent if we are to create jobs and address poverty.

Madam Speaker, if you compare the 2022 Budget with the Patriotic Front (PF) 2021 Budget, you will discover that allocations to the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF), the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), education, health and social programmes have reduced.

Madam Speaker, let me also comment on mining. As a Member of Parliament for a mining constituency, Wusakile, the 2022 Budget makes very sad reading to me because it seeks to increase copper production to 3 million metric tonnes in ten years. For whom is that 3 million metric tonnes when we do not own the mines?

Madam Speaker, this Budget is silent on beneficiation in the mining sector or the Government have a step-on in the mines through increased beneficial shareholding, nationalisation or even setting up of new mines.

Madam Speaker, when I look at this Budget, it takes me to a time when the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning abolished Windfall Tax under the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government, and people were called mad over the Windfall Tax. Now, our copper is selling at close to US$10,000 per tonne, and the world is moving to electric cars. So, copper, cobalt and lithium are the minerals of the future. However, instead of collecting a Windfall Tax on this high price of copper, the UPND has done the opposite.

Madam Speaker, the 2022 Budget, the UPND Budget, has put more money into the pockets of multinational mining companies by making the Windfall Tax deductible.

From this Budget, the UPND, hon. Minister, wants foreign mining companies to take out more copper, yet there is no trickle-down effect on the people of Zambia in terms of fair taxes. The question from the people of Wusakile, hon. Minister, is: Is that kind of planning not a sure way to poverty? Why have you failed to fund this Budget using our mineral wealth?

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Debate in the third person. Do not address the hon. Minister as “you”.

Mr Kalobo: Madam Speaker, why has this Budget failed to tell the people of Zambia how much money we are making from our minerals other than copper?

Madam Speaker, on agriculture, the majority of Zambians are in rural areas where agriculture is the main economic activity. Further, agriculture accounts for more than 50 per cent of employment in this country, and I put it to the hon. Minister that the sector performed wonders through FISP. As a country, we have now attained food security. For example, when the UPND came into Government, it found excess maize, and it has exported 1 million tonnes, which were produced by small-scale farmers. However, the UPND, through the 2022 Budget, has reduced FISP because it wants to move to large-scale estate production.

Madam Speaker, I put it to the hon. Minister that mechanised farming spells doom for our small-scale farmers. He should have undertaken a case study of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) and Nchanga Farms in Mpongwe, where mechanised farming –

Mr M. Phiri: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker, I refer you to Standing Order No. 65(1)(b), which states the following on contents of debates:

“Ensure that the information he or she provides to the House is factual and verifiable.”

Madam Speaker, is the current speaker, who is debating very well, in order to mislead the House and, indeed, the nation by saying that the country has exported a million metric tonnes of maize when, in fact, that is totally incorrect?

Madam Speaker, I seek your ruling.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Wusakile, do you have any document to support your assertion that 100 million tonnes have been exported?

Mr Kalobo: Madam Speaker, I did not say ‘100 million tonnes’; I said, “1 million tonnes”.

Madam Speaker: Sorry, it is my mistake. It is 1 million tonnes

Mr Kalobo: Madam Speaker, I did not carry the evidence, but I can bring it tomorrow.

Madam Speaker: To the extent that you do not have supporting documents, you are out of order, according to Standing Order No. 65(1)(b).

If you have facts, produce them before this honourable House. Otherwise, withdraw the statement and proceed.

Mr Kalobo: Withdrawn, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Member: Withdraw!

Mr Kalobo: Madam Speaker, I was saying that the UPND has reduced FISP –

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, withdraw the statement about the exportation of 1 million tonnes.

Mr Kalobo: I have already withdrawn it. You just did not hear, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Proceed.

Mr Kalobo: Madam Speaker, I was saying that before reducing FISP, the UPND should have undertaken a case study of the ZCCM-IH Nchanga Farms, where mechanised farming has replaced humans. Similarly, in Kenya, tea, which can be picked by machines today, is still handpicked just to save jobs and livelihoods. Agriculture is the mainstay of our people in the rural areas. So, the UPND should have increased FISP instead of reducing it.

Madam Speaker, going back to the mining sector, in which the hon. Minister has made the Mineral Royalty Tax deductible, the message of the people of Wusakile is that he should have maintained the tax and used that money to complete the water projects in Wusakile, Kitwe; pay meal allowances to students in higher learning institutions; fulfil the promise of increasing civil servants’ salaries by K1,500; and ensure that our council workers and many civil servants who get low salaries are paid reasonable salaries so that they can afford decent livelihoods.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kapyanga: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member of Parliament for Wusakile has finished his debate. Do you still want to raise a point of order?

Mr Kapyanga: Affirmative, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Pardon?

Mr Kapyanga: Yes, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order citing Standing Order No. 204(g), on parliamentary decorum and etiquette, which states that “a Member shall listen in silence to the debates in the House”.

Madam, today, I decided to keep very quiet, but the hon. Member for Solwezi East has been perpetually making noise to the extent that he is even issuing orders from here. When the hon. Member for Wusakile was on the Floor and a point of order was raised against him, the hon. Member for Solwezi East is the one who was shouted, “Withdraw!” Has he assumed the role of the Presiding Officer? Further, is he in order to perpetually make noise in the House when we are supposed to keep silent and listen to debates?

Madam Speaker, I need your serious ruling.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member is out of order for making noise.

Hon. Members, I have guided the House that as we listen to debates, we should not interject or interrupt. On several occasions, I have advised hon. Members to not make noise, and there are several hon. Members who would be out of order were this point of order to be raised on everyone. So, please, let us maintain the dignity and decorum of the House.

Mr Chinkuli (Kanyama): Madam Speaker, thank you for according me and the people of Kanyama the opportunity to comment on the Budget. Allow me to also thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, and his team for coming up with this dynamic and living Budget. I also thank His Excellency the President for his determination to ensure that the livelihoods of the people of Zambia are uplifted. Hats off to the President for that.

Madam Speaker, I have listened to a number of debaters who have called this Budget a sham, unattainable, unrealistic or a mere motivational speech. It is very unfortunate that hon. Members would call this formidable speech a sham. As the saying goes, if you want to hide something from a black person, put it in a book. All the sentiments and concerns of our colleagues are addressed in the Budget. You will agree with me that His Excellency the President has consistently told the people of Zambia that which he intended to do. Prominent among the promises he made are the four priorities or four point plan, namely:

prudent economic management;
health and housing;
agriculture and food security; and
education.

Madam Speaker, all these are embedded in this document. A number of debaters have gone to the extent of saying the Budget does not cater for industrialisation. Let us take agriculture as an example.

Madam Speaker, you will agree with me that agriculture is the basis of industrialisation, especially when you want to add value to produce. The moment you think of adding value to a product, the first thing that will come to your mind is what industry will perform that task. Once you have found that industry established it, that is industrialisation in simple terms. Further, the moment you put up such an industry, the next thing that will come to your mind is who is going to do the food processing. You will agree with me that for that to be undertaken, you need human resource. That is job creation. Then, once you have processed food, you can either sell it within the country or export it. If you decide to export it, the moment you do so, you are going to receive income in foreign exchange. All we are saying is that agriculture, alone, can help to revamp the economy of the country because the moment you employ people in that sector, those people will pay taxes through Pay As You Earn (PAYE), the company will pay taxes and the product that you are going to manufacture will be subjected to some Value Added Tax (VAT) of some kind. So, agriculture, alone, you will agree with me, will help to take the economy of the country where it is supposed to be.

Madam Speaker, some debaters have said the Budget has not taken care of the welfare of women and the differently-abled. However, following the establishment of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development, you will agree with me that the largest amount that has been allocated to that ministry will go to the empowerment of youths, women and the differently-abled through the co-operatives that we have been asking the people of Zambia to form.

Madam Speaker, someone might argue that for one to operate a co-operative, one needs to have some skill of some kind. Fortunately, the Budget has provided for that by allocating money to the ministry for skills development of the youths, women and differently-abled so that they have a feel of how to manage that which they have been tasked to manage, namely the co-operatives.

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I say that this Budget must be supported by all well-meaning hon. Members of Parliament. I also appeal to them that before we come to debate some of these issues, it is better we go back to our constituencies and present them to the people and see whether our people are with us or not. I do not believe that any person or constituency is going to say ‘No’ to the K25 million Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Everyone is expectant of that amount. So, please, let us not advance our own opinions. Instead, let us consult those who have asked us to come here and represent them so that we do it well.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Member: Hear, hear!

Mr J. Banda (Petauke Central): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate the Budget on behalf of the good people of Petauke Central Constituency. I also thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for presenting this good Budget to the House.

Madam Speaker, the good people of Petauke; from the Grade 1s to Grade 12s, are very happy with the pronouncement on free education because they have been mocked that they are not educated for many years. I am one of those who were being mocked, with people saying that I would not even articulate issues in Parliament.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Banda: Today, I am here articulating issues. I may stutter, but you will be able to understand my language.

Madam Speaker, the pupils from Petauke –

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Let us allow the hon. Member for Petauke Central to debate.

Feel free to use your notes, hon. Member for Petauke.

Mr J. Banda: Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker, the pupils in Petauke Central Constituency are happy with the Budget. However, they are asking the hon. Minister to also consider re-introducing sports in schools because inter-school sports competitions are no longer held in Zambia. When the President was in Europe, we saw him visit Fashion Sakala, a Zambian footballer playing in Europe, who is a product of the inter-school sports system. So, we ask the hon. Minister to consider bringing back the school sports activities, which were abolished.

Madam Speaker, the good people of Petauke were very happy to hear that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) amount has been increased from K1.6 million to K25.7 million. However, they ask the hon. Minister to also bear in mind the fact that Petauke is a vast constituency with more than sixty schools. When you compare Petauke Central with Lusaka Central Constituency, you will see that many schools in Lusaka Central have got furniture. Similarly, many roads in Lusaka are tarred. In short, Petauke Central is about forty years behind compared with Lusaka Central. So, we ask the hon. Minister, as he allocates this amount, to consider increasing the allocation to Petauke Central, knowing that out of sixty schools, only 20 per cent have furniture; 80 per cent of pupils sit on the floor. So, if we use part of the K25.7 million to buy school furniture, we will need an additional amount to meet the total cost. Maybe, we will have to lobby from well-wishers. However, the hon. Minister can help us to avoid that by balancing the allocations.

Madam Speaker, we are happy that bursaries, which were under the Central Government, have now been provided for under the CDF and, as a result, we will now be able to select the students who will be sponsored to universities through the Ward Development Committees (WDCs). It is good that, now, the power that was in the Capital City, under the Central Government, has been given back to the people.

Madam Speaker, on job creation, the good people of Petauke are very happy that 30,000 teachers will be employed next year countrywide. However, we also appeal to the hon. Minister to increase that number a little because when we divide 30,000 by the 156 constituencies, it gives us 192 slots for each constituency. I am on record sponsoring about 200 students immediately I was elected, meaning that Petauke Central Constituency has more than 1000 teachers who are waiting to be employed. The same applies to nurses or health workers, of which Petauke Central has more than 2,000 who are waiting to be employed by the good Government of the United Party for National Development (UPND).

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr J. Banda: So, we appeal to the Government to increase the number from 11,000 so that those health workers who are just dormant can be employed and start contributing to the development of the constituency.

Madam Speaker, with those remarks, I support the Budget.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Kolala, but he was unavailable.

Mr Ngowani (Mpongwe): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving the people of Mpongwe the opportunity to add their voices to the debate on the Budget presented by Hon. Dr Musokotwane, the Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Madam Speaker, some hon. Members said that this Budget is not balancing. That is not true. Our colleagues were in Government for ten years, but failed to balance the distribution of development projects to every constituency in this country. Now, they are saying this Budget is not balancing, which is not true.

Madam Speaker, our colleagues are also asking where the money will come from. As the New Dawn Government, we are on a mission to recover all the national resources that were acquired dubiously by some people. Some of the money will come from that exercise.

Madam Speaker, with the introduction of free education by the New Dawn Government, I think the people of Mpongwe are very happy that they will not have pressure in January, being farmers who find it difficult to pay for their school-going children. So, I think they will be relieved.

Madam Speaker, agriculture is the mainstay of the people of Mpongwe, and I think the recruitment of more extension officers in the livestock sub-sector is commendable, as it shows that the New Dawn Government wants to diversify agriculture because the sector contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP) of this country. There is also the ongoing development and operationalisation of irrigation infrastructure in the country, meaning that farmers will not depend on rain-fed agriculture. This is commendable because people will have more food, as there will be winter maize growing, and that will sustain the people in the agricultural sector.

Madam Speaker, the recruitment of 30,000 and 11,000 workers in the education and health sectors, respectively, is commendable. As the people of Mpongwe, we will make sure that the recruitment benefits the local people of Mpongwe before we can think of some people outside the district.

Madam Speaker, I think decentralisation gives power to the local people to have a say in the development of the district, and the people of Mpongwe are saying that they will contribute positively to the development of their district. The Patriotic Front (PF) Government took development to Mpongwe without consulting the local people. For example, it took built the District Administration Block, and is building a post office and other infrastructure that already exists in the district because the people were not consulted. With the coming of decentralisation, I think the people will be consulted and development will go down to the people at the local level.

Madam Speaker, some people are saying that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) amount is too big. As the people of Mpongwe, we are saying that we are equal to the task of utilising the CDF accordingly. With the K25.7 million allocation, every year, we are going to implement projects in every ward. So, the increasing of the CDF amount by the New Dawn Government is commendable. On the other hand, some are saying the CDF amount is too small, yet during the PF Government, the CDF was at K1.6 million and some constituencies did not even benefit from it because the Government was failing to distribute the funds equally. Now, the New Dawn Government has disbursed the money to every constituency in Zambia, thereby showing unity in the development of this country, and this is commendable, coming from a Government that is only three months old.

Madam Speaker, I think the people of Zambia and Mpongwe, in particular, are very happy with this Budget. The 1.8 million people will not regroup and come back to frustrate the development of this country.

Madam Speaker, with those remarks, I thank you.

Mr Chinkuli: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised by the hon. Member for Kanyama.

Mr Chinkuli: Madam Speaker, my point of order is premised on Standing Order 58(1), which states as follows:

“A member shall stand and address the Speaker when debating in the House.”

Madam Speaker, I have observed that quite a number of debaters, more especially those of us from the Diaspora, tend to remain seated while addressing the Speaker.

I seek your guidance on that, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Indeed, Members of Parliament are supposed to stand when addressing the Speaker. However, there is the challenge that some microphones are so short that hon. Members are forced to remain seated while addressing the Speaker. We have used our discretion to allow that so that they can reach the microphones. However, thank you for that observation. I can see you have gone through the Standing Orders. Well done!

Mr Kolala (Lufubu): Madam Speaker, I do not know whether I will be allowed to debate whilst seated because I am in Fwanyanga Mulikita Committee Room.

Madam Speaker: Since the microphone is short, you can be seated as you debate.

Proceed.

Mr Kolala: Madam Speaker, the people of Lufubu Constituency are grateful for this opportunity that you have given them to bring out what they think is good and, perhaps, even what is bad, if there is any, in the Budget.

Madam Speaker, looking at the theme of the Budget, ‘Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People’, I think, to us, the people of Lufubu Constituency under Ngabwe District, the giant is currently sleeping because it has not received support from any other Government. However, this time, we have hope, and are very grateful. So, we have nothing to subtract from this Budget.

Look at this Budget, Madam Speaker, I do not know how some people can describe it as a consumption Budget. To us, it is an investment Budget because the incentives in it are there to promote production. The agriculture related incentives in the Budget are there to increase production in agriculture. As all of us may be aware, when it comes to agriculture, Zambia has always been all about food security. However, what you can see in this Budget is that we are moving from food security to making agriculture a sector that can bring in foreign exchange, which I think every normal human being should be able to support, because it will help in the growth of the economy of this country.

Madam Speaker, I do not know how the Budget can be called a consumption one when an individual is given money under the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to as capital to invest and make money. I do not know, maybe, it is because we went to different schools. Even when the hon. Minister talks of increasing production in mining in order for the revenue coming in the country to increase, we call it consumption. I do not know, maybe, some schools taught those principles.

Madam Speaker, it is important that we understand our constituencies. In my constituency, we are solely dependent on agriculture. So, looking at how this Budget is going to support us under agriculture, I am now tempted to request from the Government to also consider tarring the road from Kabwe to Ngabwe because I can assure you that Lufubu is a giant that even single-handedly, can feed Zambia and some of our neighbouring countries. However, because it has not been supported, and the roads and other infrastructure are bad, there is nothing that is coming out of there now. With this Budget, in which we see many activities now being doubled or, maybe, tripled, we have hope that the giant will be awakened.

Madam, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) amount that we have been given is unprecedented. How, surely, can somebody stand up and say this Budget is not good when in my constituency, the majority of children did not have an opportunity to go to school because their parents could not afford to pay for their education? Now, they have the opportunity because education is free, and I know every child will go to school.

Madam Speaker, in my constituency, even simple medicines like Fansidar and Panadol have not been there, but this Budget tells me that there will be enough medicines, yet some say it is a bad Budget? I think we need to be objective.

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to urge my fellow new hon. Members of Parliament to not be used by people who have their own motives. Let us get to the people and be able to support what they need. This Budget is giving us K25.7 million while our friends were using that amount of money to buy just one fire tender. Do the calculation and see. Now, this money going to do more than we have been doing. How can somebody say that this money is too much because we do not have the capacity to handle it when it is equivalent to the cost of one fire tender? Surely, are they saying that there is no capacity to handle this money? That is not being truthful. Let us be truthful and objective when we are here because we are here to debate issues that are going to help the people.

Madam Speaker, on a lighter note, I am very happy that there are no huge amounts money going to buying riot gear. I am sure you saw how we handled the issue of students from the University of Zambia (UNZA). There was no teargassing. So, why should we even spend money on those things? We are saying the money should get to the people, and there should be a clinic in the constituency. So, I think this is a Budget need to support. Let us not think that the people in the constituencies do not understand these things because they do, and they know that this is right.

Madam Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member’s time expired.

Mr Mukumbi (Solwezi West): Madam Speaker, am I audible enough?

Madam Speaker: Yes, hon. Member. You can proceed.

Mr Mukumbi: Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me and the people of Solwezi West Constituency, in particular, and Kalumbila District, in general, the opportunity to add our voice to the debate on the Floor of this House.

Madam Speaker, from the outset, I must state that we support the proposed Budget in its entirety. Even when we begin discussing individual Heads, I must state here that we will support them as presented by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Madam Speaker, I have read the President’s Speech and the proposed Budget, and the documents speak to each other. The President’s Speech is instructional while the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning’s is simply implementing the instructions from the President, and that is how it is supposed to be.

Madam Speaker, I am a very proud Member of Parliament to work under men and women of honour; men and women that are truthful and sober-minded, and who mean what they say. It is like the heavens opened on 12^th August, 2021, and gave us these leaders, and we thank God for it.

Madam Speaker, permit me to delve into the Budget Speech.

Madam Speaker, in paragraph 189, page 43 of the Budget Address, the hon. Minister talked about public order and safety, and simply spoke about the construction of houses and office space. That is where his focus is, unlike what we used to see in the past when under such a Vote, our colleagues would talk of buying pistols, taser guns, water cannons and camouflage attire for the men and women in uniform, all to scare people. That is not the vision of this Government. So, the hon. Minister talked about infrastructure development. Kalumbila is a new district, and there is no infrastructure for the men and women in uniform there. Therefore, we are very expectant that once the Budget is passed, our people who work there will have decent accommodation and office space.

Madam Speaker, we remember very well that the previous Government bought water cannons. I appeal to the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security to give us one of those water cannons so that we can convert it into a fire tender because we do not have a fire tender. Water cannons are big enough to hold enough water for that purpose, and that was a failed project. I am alive to the fact that the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government will not use such equipment to kill, maim or injure anybody.

Madam Speaker, still on page 43, in paragraph 191, on other functions, the hon. Minister has allocated K971.9 million to climate change programmes for environmental protection. There is the saying that if you do not look after your environment, the environment will kill you. That is true, and it has been demonstrated. In many areas where trees have been cut down, there is not much rainfall or grass for cattle to graze and, in the end, cattle die and individuals starve because they cannot grow maize or any other crop. So, we need to protect our environment, and that is what the hon. Minister wants us to do.

Madam Speaker, on page 42, in paragraph 186, the hon. Minister talked about education. There is a shortage of over 800 teachers in Kalumbila. However, the hon. Minister says that the Government will employ 30,000 teachers. If we divide that by 116 districts, each district will get 258 teachers, and we know that there are enough teachers in some districts. Therefore, we expect 400 or 500 teachers to be deployed to Kalumbila. When that happens, we will reduce the teacher-pupil ratio in our schools. We know that we will benefit from the recruitment of teachers. So, I do not understand why our colleagues in the Patriotic Front (PF) can be upset over such a wonderful move. We need teachers.

Madam Speaker, still on page 42, the hon. Minister says that the Government intends to employ health personnel. There is no personnel in the clinics in Kalumbila. However, when the Government employs the 11,200 health personnel, we will get ninety-six of them if that number will be divided equally among the 116 districts of Zambia. Surely, that will go a long way, and we support this initiative. We want nurses, doctors, clinical officers and other relevant personnel in our districts. Kalumbila is badly hit. Therefore, we support the move. I know that our colleagues in the PF may have the money and, probably, do not have children in Government schools, but one day, their children may go to such schools because, at some point, their money will finish. So, we support this Budget in its entirety.

Madam Speaker, the raising of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from K1.6 million to K25.7 million is a wonderful gesture. We are self-contained as politicians. Surely, how can one say one does not have the capacity to handle K25.7 million? Besides, is that money handled by our Constituency Offices? The answer is ‘No’. Most of the activities are undertaken by the councils, which have qualified personnel to handle that money on our behalf. Probably, we just need to beef up a few issues here and there in the Constituency Development Fund Act so that we, as hon. Members of Parliament, and our personnel can play a more prominent role on the ground in the proper management of the resources.

Madam Speaker, the people of Kalumbila support this Budget.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

(Debate adjourned)

________

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

______

The House adjourned at 1836 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 17^th November, 2021.

____________

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