Thursday, 16^th December, 2021

 

The House met at 0900 hours

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to the hon. Minister of Health to issue a ministerial statement, but the hon. Minister was unavailable.

 

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BILL

 

FIRST READING

 

The following Bill was read the first time:

 

The Excess Expenditure Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2021

 

Second Reading now.

 

SECOND READING

 

THE EXCESS EXPENDITURE APPROPRIATION (2021) BILL, 2021

 

The Minister of Finance and National Planning (Dr Musokotwane): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

 

Madam Speaker, Article 203, Clause 7, of the Constitution provides as follows:

 

“Where expenditure is incurred in accordance with Clause (4), the Minister responsible for finance shall, in that financial year, lay an Excess Expenditure Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly for enactment”.

 

Madam Speaker, by virtue of the authority conferred on me by the Article of the Constitution quoted above, I now present the Excess Expenditure Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, the Patriotic Front (PF) Administration was unable to present the Supplementary Estimates Bill No. 1 of 2021 in the preceding Session of Parliament, which was dissolved on 12^th May, 2021. This was owing to the laborious order of business that had to be considered by the House. In this regard, the Treasury was authorised to expend K19,347,981,867 from the consolidated fund under the Excess Expenditure Warrant No. 1 of 2021 by the Former President, His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on 24^th May, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, as evidenced in the President’s inaugural speech and maiden address to this House, the inception of this New Dawn Government is not only inspirational, but also signals a new era of radical change in our economy. With your indulgence, I will bring out the notable expenditure allocations contained in the Excess Expenditure Appropriation (2021) Bill, No.40 of 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, out of the recommended K19.3 billion, K7.7 billion or 40 per cent of the expenditure was allocated to financial restructuring and dismantling of arrears. Owing to the higher-than-anticipated costs in the importation of fuel, this amount was required for settling of outstanding obligations in the energy. Various suppliers of goods and services were also targeted so as to reduce the domestic arrears burden.

 

Madam Speaker, as you may be aware, Zambia has not been spared by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It is for this reason that K3.1 billion or 16 per cent was allocated to the Ministry of Health. This allocation was primarily meant to acquire COVID-19 vaccines as well as drugs and other essential medical supplies to attend to our critical national medical needs.

 

Madam Speaker, under the Ministry of Finance, K1.7 billion or 9 per cent was allocated for the dismantling of arrears owed to suppliers of various goods and services across various ministries, provinces and spending agencies (MPSAs). There was also a bias towards allocating funds for the settlement of outstanding retirement packages under the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF).

 

Madam Speaker, as announced in my 2021 Budget Address, the Treasury will endeavour to pay all retirees in 2022. That, clearly, was not attainable in the previous Government.

 

Madam Speaker, for the preparation and conducting of the 2021 General Elections, an amount of K1 billion or 5.2 per cent was availed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). Further, under the “Constitutional and Statutory Expenditure” Vote, an allocation of K1 billion or 5.2 per cent was set aside to meet unforeseen and unavoidable expenditures related to the general elections, the COVID-19 response and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). In order to improve the effectiveness of the defence and security wings, an allocation of K900 million or 5 per cent was provided. Of this amount, K600 million was earmarked for meeting the costs of promotions, additional recruitments and increased operations prior to the general elections.

 

Madam Speaker, to accommodate the excess expenditure, approximately K10.2 billion was declared as savings from unspent provisions in the 2021 Budget. These provisions fell under Vote 99 – Constitutional and Statutory Expenditure. Further, an allocation of K6.6 billion was additional resources, of which K6.2 billion was Bank of Zambia (BoZ) dividends while the balance of K400 million was additional revenue from statutory bodies, namely the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), Zambian Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) and the Rural Electrification Authority (REA). Unspent balances or carryover funds from 2020 were brought forward into the current financial year, and these amounted to K458 million. Lastly, additional funds from donors amounting to K2.1 billion, which were mainly for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, contributed also to this appropriation of K19.3 billion.

 

Madam Speaker, the Excess Expenditure Warrants No. 1 of 2021 contained in this Bill was thoroughly debated and approved by your Planning and Budgeting Committee on 9^th December, 2021. So, I do not expect it to attract another debate.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, allow me to windup debate by, first and foremost, giving thanks to your Committee for its oversight and recommendations on this excess expenditure. I assure this House that the recommendations from the Committee will be supported and enhanced.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Question put and agreed to and the Bill read a second time.

 

Committed to a committee of the whole House.

 

Committee now.

 

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HOUSE IN COMMITTEE

 

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

THE EXCESS EXPENDITURE APPROPRIATION BILL, 2021

 

Clauses 1 and 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Schedule ordered to stand part of the Bill

 

Title agreed to.

 

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HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

The following Bill was reported to the House as having passed through Committee without amendments:

 

The Excess Expenditure Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2021

 

Third Reading today.

 

THIRD READING

 

The following Bill was read a third time and passed:

 

The Excess Expenditure Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2021

 

_______

 

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

 

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

 Chair]

 

VOTE 80 – (Ministry of Education – K14,173,396,102).

 

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for according me this opportunity to deliver to this august House the policy statement for the Ministry of Education in support of the estimates of revenue and expenditure for 2022. The policy statement is divided into three parts, namely:

 

1. a brief review of what was achieved in 2021;
2. the challenges faced in 2021; and
3. how we will address the challenges through the budget for 2022.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Ministry of Education is responsible for the overall management and administration of early childhood, primary, secondary and university education; teacher training, licensing and enforcement of standards; and providing for alternative modes of education.

 

Madam Chairperson, the 2021 budgetary allocation to my ministry was K10.5 billion, out of which K9.3 billion was for personal emoluments while K1.2 billion was for non-personal emoluments. As of 31^st November, 2021, K6.5 billion of the approved personal emoluments, representing 70 per cent of the budget, had been released. In addition, more than K821 million, which represents 69 per cent of non-personal emoluments, had been released.

 

Madam Chairperson, in 2021, my ministry scored the following achievements:

 

1. scaled up the School Feeding Programme from thirty-nine districts in 2020 to seventy districts in 2021, where 1.7 million learners are benefiting from the programme;
2. constructed eighty-two secondary schools under Phase I of the Zambia Education Enhancement Project supported by the World Bank;
3. more than 25,000 girls from vulnerable households are receiving support under the Keeping Girls in School Programme, and we are currently enrolling 86,000 girls; and
4. to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on education and learning, my ministry distributed 15,000 desks, drilled eighty-seven boreholes and distributed 11,000 Secure Digital (SD) card solar radio sets.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me now highlight some challenges that my ministry has been encountering 2021:

 

1. infrastructure continues to be inadequate and inappropriate, especially at the early childhood level;
2. inadequate teaching and learning materials to support curriculum delivery, coupled with a shortage of science and mathematics teachers;
3. high teacher-pupil ratio as well as high book-pupil ratio at all levels;
4. disruption of the school calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
5. public universities continued to face numerous challenges ranging from inadequate infrastructure to inadequate capacity of the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board (HELSB);
6. inadequate transport at the lower levels, especially at the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) offices; and
7. the country has in excess of 55,000 trained teachers who still remain unemployed. On the other hand, there is a deficit of 45,000 teachers due to an increased number of schools.

 

Madam Chairperson, education being the greatest equaliser, my ministry will implement reforms that will make underprivileged learners access quality education in accordance with the United Party for National Development (UPND) Manifesto and the guidance given by His Excellency the President during the Official Opening of the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly. In this regard, my ministry will be guided by the New Dawn Administration’s policy thrust to provide quality and relevant education for all in an equitable manner at all levels, and to increase access to youth and adult literacy education for out-of-school youths and adults through schools for continuing education and other alternative modes of education provision. To achieve this policy thrust, my ministry will implement the following measures:

 

1. revise and implement the Education Policy, the Education Act of 2011, the National Higher Education Policy of 2019, the Higher Education Act of 2013, as amended in 2021, the Education Sector Skills Plan and other legislation. The purpose of these reviews will be to streamline and align the policies and legislation following the creation of one Ministry of Education that combines both general and higher education;
2. develop and implement an education sector skills plan;
3. reform the bursary and higher education loan system so that students who cannot afford to pay school or university fees can take up their places;
4. promote access and participation of vulnerable and marginalised groups in the education sector;
5. ensure girl children have equal access to education as boy children by tracking and addressing challenges that the girl child faces, such as child marriages, menstrual hygiene and pregnancies;
6. enhance the use of electronic learning (e-Learning), and provision and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in all schools;
7. put in place policies that will address the effects of pandemics like COVID-19, which has brought education to a standstill for many young people;
8. enhance transparency and accountability in disbursing utilisation and accounting for resources; and
9. promote skills and innovation through teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

 

2022 Estimates of Expenditure

 

Madam Chairperson, let me now outline the 2022 estimated expenditure. The 2022 budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education stands at K14.2 billion, and K10 billion has been allocated to personal emoluments while K4.2 billion has been allocated to non-personal emoluments.

 

Early Childhood Education

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry recognises the importance of early childhood education, as it provides the foundation for better performance in upper education levels. My ministry will, therefore, continue to focus on creating an effective and efficient early childhood education system. To this effect, over K100 million has been set aside for the programme, signifying an increase of 174 per cent on last year’s allocation. Out of the total allocation, K850,754 has been allocated for personal emoluments.

 

Primary Education

 

Madam Chairperson, primary education is the sub-sector with the highest enrolment of learners. The New Dawn Government remains committed to providing education to children from Grades 1 to 7 in order to continue increasing access to equitable quality education. My ministry has allocated K7.6 billion to primary education, out of which K7.2 billion will facilitate payment of personal emoluments and K680.6 million for non-personal emoluments.

 

Secondary Education

 

Madam Chairperson, the ministry has allocated K3.9 billion to secondary education, of which K592 million is earmarked for implementing the Education for All Policy through paying compensation grants to Government of Republic of Zambia (GRZ) and grant-aided mission schools.

 

Youth and Adult Literacy

 

Madam Chairperson, we have allocated K2.5 million to youth and adult literacy, out of which K783,000 has been provided for personal emoluments and K1.7 million has been provided for non-personal emoluments.

 

Management and Support Services

 

Madam Chairperson, my Government intends to recruit 30,000 teachers. This recruitment will go a long way in improving the teacher-pupil ratio, which currently stands at 1:58 for primary schools and 1:38 for secondary schools. The recruitment will also enhance the quality of education, as earlier stated. In this regard, K962.7 million has been allocated to the Management and Support Services Programme, out of which K777.4 million has been allocated to personal emoluments and K185.3 million to non-personal emoluments.

 

University Education

 

Madam Chairperson, the main objective for this programme is to increase equitable access to, and participation in, the provision of quality university education. My ministry will:

 

1. operationalise the Directorate of University Education, whose mandate is to co-ordinate and manage the development and implementation of higher education policies, strategies and programmes in order to ensure quality and equitable access to higher education in both public and private universities; and
2. accredit and register learning programmes and qualifications in order to ensure that the education offered in the country is regionally and globally competitive and recognised.

 

Madam Chairperson, in view of the above, K1.2 billion has been allocated to this programme, out of which K1.1 billion has been allocated to transfers and subsidies for education for all.

 

Madam Chairperson, having outlined the 2022 budget expenditure estimates of my ministry, allow me to take you back a little so I can explain how the New Dawn Administration will implement the Education for All Policy for the benefit of some sections of the society who have continued seeking clarity on the matter:

 

1. all user fees in secondary schools will be abolished starting in the 2022 Academic Year. The Government will take the responsibility of paying tuition fees through a compensatory grant to all secondary schools equal to the amount the schools collected as user fees. The Government has also increased the traditional school grants two-folds to uphold high standards in education;
2. Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) fees have been abolished from early childhood education to the secondary level, and schools will be compensated for this loss of revenue through the increased grants allocated in 2022 and beyond;
3. examination fees for Grade 12 pupils in public and all grant-aided schools have been abolished. The Government will take up the responsibility for examination fees through a grant that will be disbursed to the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ). However, General Certificate of Education (GCE) and Grade 9 external examination candidates will continue to pay examination fees;
4. the Government will pay a subsidy for user fees pegged at K600 per pupil in all grant-aided secondary schools. In this regard, the Government will engage the DEBSs and all grant-aided schools to agree on an affordable user fee that will be charged per pupil in all grant-aided secondary schools as the schools apply for their grant-aided status; and
5. regarding boarding fees for secondary school learners, a bursary scheme has been introduced for vulnerable learners only. The selection of such learners will not be the responsibility of the Ministry of Education at the Headquarters here, in Lusaka. Neither will it be the Provincial Education Office’s nor the DEBS’s; the vulnerable beneficiaries will be determined at the community level in their respective constituencies and, possibly, at the ward level. In this regard, the provision of a budget for the bursaries will be through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Let me make it clear that learners in boarding secondary schools who are not vulnerable will continue to pay K1,000 boarding fees per term. The CDF bursary scheme will apply to all public and grant-aided school learners from vulnerable households who meet the selection criteria.

 

Madam Chairperson, I wish to conclude by stating that my ministry remains committed to the overall management and administration of early childhood, primary and secondary education; teacher training, licensing and enforcement of standards; and alternative modes of education. I now call on the hon. Members of this House to support the 2022 budget for the Ministry of Education as presented.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Mabumba (Mwense) Madam Chairperson, thank you for the opportunity given to me to contribute to the debate on the budget estimates for the Ministry of Education. I also thank the hon. Minister for his statement.

 

Madam Chairperson, I will divide this presentation into four sections, namely quality of education, education financing, accessibility of education as well as education digitalisation.

 

Madam Chairperson, if you look at the Budget that has been presented, the hon. Minister mentioned K18 billion, but the Yellow Book indicates K14 billion, and that is what the hon. Minister of Education said. So, we may have to seek clarification from the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning or the hon. Minister of Education at a later stage.

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister mentioned two challenges in the Ministry of Education, and inadequate infrastructure remains one of them. Governments come and go, but in our quest for continuity, it is important for the hon. Minister to sit with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning because the K694 million that has been provided for educational infrastructure is not adequate for the hon. Minister of Education to do anything. Moreover, and I am sure, by now, the hon. Minister has been briefed, almost K1 billion is owed to the contractors who have been building schools.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government tried its level best to increase infrastructure. In 2011, there were only 635 secondary schools. Now, if the hon. Minister checks the Education Statistical Bulletin, he will see that through various means, including construction of secondary schools and upgrading of primary schools, the PF Government added to the number. As I speak, there are over 1,000 secondary schools, and that was achieved because the PF Government was committed. It is my considered view that since the hon. Minister has recognised the inadequacy of infrastructure, he should continue speaking to the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning about it.

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minster also mentioned the construction of schools supported by the World Bank. That is a project the PF Government provided supervision on. However, I want to make the clarification, having worked in the Ministry of General Education, that under this project, the World Bank, itself, set the criteria for the eighty-two secondary schools that were built. So, the reason three provinces; the North-Western, the Western and the Copperbelt, did not benefit was not that the PF wanted to discriminate them; the projects were implemented in areas where the World Bank had operations. That is why after US$60 million was spent on this project, the PF started the process of borrowing US$120 million more, for which the Ministry of Finance and National Planning recently signed an agreement with the World Bank. The PF initiated that project because it wanted to cover the three provinces as well and increase infrastructure in the other provinces. So, the hon. Minister should be kind enough. I heard that the US$120 million will only be spent in the three provinces, which will not be fair to the people of Zambia. The US$120 million was meant for all the ten provinces while taking into account the fact that three provinces had not benefited from the first project.

 

Madam Chairperson, as the hon. Minister drives infrastructure development in the ministry, he needs to recognise that the K694 million is not adequate and that many teachers do not have accommodation.

 

Madam Chairperson, moving forward, let me talk about assuring a high quality of education, which remains a daunting task. Quality education can only be provided if we have a motivated work force. The hon. Minister talked about the teacher-pupil ratio and, yes, that remains a challenge. However, the employment of 30,000 teachers will go a long way in improving the ratio. My request to the hon. Minister as he implements this directive is that he ensures that a robust recruitment strategy is put in place so that the form-filling exercise that we have previously used is not there. 

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister recognises that there are 55,000 unemployed teachers on the street. To recruit them, we need to put a system in place. I hope, the hon. Minister, working together with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and the Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ), is going to undertake a robust recruitment and employment exercise. We do not want an exercise in which 30,000 teachers will be recruited in rural areas – and the hon. Minister comes from a rural place – then, within a short period, they are transferred to urban areas.

 

Madam Chairperson, the pronouncement on the recruitment of 30,000 teachers is welcome. However, the K1.7 billion that has been allocated for the exercise overcrowds the other strategic directions that the hon. Minister wants to take. For example, for curriculum development, and teaching and learning materials, an insufficient budget has been provided. So, again, my hope, going forward, is that the hon. Minister will continue to sit with his colleague in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to ensure that additional resources are provided, even through a Supplementary Budget. That way, the K1.7 billion that has been allocated for the recruitment of 30,000 can be managed in such a way that the other elements that have been overcrowded in the ministry, such as transportation, District Education Boards (DEBs), and procurement of teaching and learning materials, do not suffer.

 

Madam Chairperson, moving forward to the issue of the digitalisation of the ministry, of the money that has been provided, the K14 billion, 70 per cent to 80 per cent will go to personal emoluments. It is important, therefore, for the hon. Minister to speak to his counterpart, the hon. Minister of Technology and Science, to ensure that most of the paper work that the Ministry of Education, which is the largest employer, does manually is digitalised. The human resource processes in the ministry must be digitalised to ensure that the hon. Minister cuts the expenditure on manual processes. Like I said yesterday on the TSC having to move from one province to the other just to confirm, transfer or promote teachers, that can be done digitally.

 

Madam Chairperson, all in all, we are saying, yes, our colleagues are in the right direction, but it is important that they honour the commitments they have made to provide grants to the Ministry of Education through our various schools. I hope, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning is on top of things because, without that money, it will be very difficult for our colleagues at the school level to manage the schools. Even the grants for the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ), I hope that the Ministry of Finance and National Planning will be able to provide them timely. One of the successes is that we managed to stop examination leakages. That was possible simply because the ECZ had its own domestic resource mobilisation programme and was able to spend 60 per cent of its money on managing the examinations. Now, since that has been taken over by the Central Government, it is important that the grants are provided.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Kamboni (Kalomo Central): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for giving me this chance to debate this Vote.

 

Madam Chairperson, I would like to comment on the previous speaker’s contribution on grants. The grants never used to be disbursed on time and, if a school was supposed to receive two or three grants in a year, maybe, only one was received. The District Education Board Secretaries’ (DEBS’s) offices were reduced to getting money from schools; going from one primary school to the other to collect money to run on. However, the New Dawn Government has come in and, in just three weeks, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is in the accounts.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear! Correct!

 

Mr Kamboni: Within three weeks of the New Dawn’s being in power, one can go to schools now and find that the grants have been delivered. One can also go to the councils and find that the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF) has been delivered.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kamboni: I would like to thank the New Dawn Government, His Excellency the President, and the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. This Government cares about the people of Zambia.

 

Madam Chairperson, of the 1,000 schools Hon. Mabumba talked about, in Kalomo District, we saw nothing; in my constituency, there was nothing. To me, it remains a story to be verified.

 

Madam Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, we can change this economy from being dependent on minerals and other resources to a knowledge-based one; we can survive through knowledge and run this economy. Singapore and many other countries are dependent on knowledge, and the Internet we are using now came from knowledge. All the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines also came from education and knowledge. Therefore, any leader who invests in education is worth recognising.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kamboni: That is what the United Party for National Development (UPND) has done. Each constituency has been given K5 million for secondary schools bursaries, and this has never happened before. Primary schools, from Grade 1 to Grade 9, have already been given their shares, and this never used to happen. There was no money for chalk and running examinations, and there was no transport, but this Government has provided for all of that, and this is a worthy investment.

 

Madam Chairperson, if we are to do this, I am for the view that – When the President was here, he mentioned that we needed to change the syllabus. We have to look at the syllabus whether we like it or not because it is not fair for someone to spend seventeen years in school and when he comes out, he still looks for employment or is declared redundant and has nothing to do. We need a syllabus that will allow us to live within our environment. Education is also a competition. For example, some people discovered the medicine for COVID-19, but they cannot tell us the formula because they want us to buy from them. Do you think the same people can give us a syllabus that will be useful to our society? In my view, and as the President stated, we need to start seriously. Even if it takes us twenty years, it will be worth doing. We need to come up with a syllabus that will help individuals and citizens to suit this environment, earn a living and contribute constructively to national issues.

 

Madam Chairperson, other area I would like to highlight is that the hon. Minister of Education inherited many problems. For example, the University of Zambia (UNZA) has a debt of K9.6 billion.. The That is huge. The Copperbelt University (CBU) has the same debt, but I am sure that with the coming clearance of all pensioners’ arrears, those debts will reduce, and that will be a remarkable step. The President and the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning said that all retirees who are owed money will be paid, and that will reduce the debt because all the about 160 workers at UNZA who are occupying UNZA houses and are still being paid will have to leave the houses because they will be paid their pensions and, therefore, reduce the stress that UNZA is going through. That will be a remarkable step that the country needs to know about.

 

Madam Chairperson, some teachers studied and got degrees, some even Master’s Degrees, but they were never scaled. In some provinces, they were scaled, but those in provinces the Government felt were not its strongholds were never scaled. So, I am happy to announce that the current hon. Minister of Education has started the process of gathering details so that teachers can be scaled. This used to demotivate teachers because they spend money to study and get degrees, but were refused the appropriate scales because the authorities were using politics and regionalism. They said, “Oh, you are from where I come from. We will scale you”.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hera, hear!

 

Mr Kamboni: That system is finished in the New Dawn Government, and I am very happy that the ministry has taken that step, which is motivating the teachers.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kamboni: Madam Chairperson, we had the challenges that he mentioned in the education sector, including funding, but the UPND has sorted that out. We do not have any more funding problems. Even the K25 million CDF that has been allocated will be in the accounts within the first quarter. Just wait for it. Our colleagues should watch how we are going to do things. That will be a story of the past.

 

Madam Chairperson, on infrastructure, the CDF will be used to solve that challenge. The shortfall in human resource has been one of the challenges, but the Government came up with the employment of 30,000 teachers. Is that not good? All I am going to say on the employment of teachers is that that centralised system of employing teachers should end.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kamboni: There was a lot of corruption involved.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kamboni: Teachers had to pay K10,000 to be employed. So, I would love to see the recruitment taken to the districts.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Question!

 

Mr Kamboni: Taking it to the districts would help because the teachers will have accommodation because they will be employed in the areas they come from. So, the problem of accommodation shortages will be sorted out. Of course, the CDF will solve the challenge but, in the meantime, employing teachers in the districts they come from will make a lot of sense.

 

Madam Chairperson, during the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, we had a situation in the ministry in which Grade 1 to Grade 4 pupils were taught in vernacular languages. However, the Government sent who did not understand the vernacular languages of the different areas.

 

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

 

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Chairperson, I rise on a point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 65(2)(b), which states that the information we bring to this House must be factual and verifiable. I have been following my hon. Colleague, whose debate was flowing very well until the point where he made a sweeping allegation about teachers paying K10,000 in order to be recruited.

 

Government Hon. Members: Yes! Correct!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Chairperson, if he cannot lay that proof on the Table, then it just remains speculation, and we do not entertain that way of transacting business in this august House.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Kampyongo: You can murmur, but that is why you do not learn.

 

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Chairperson, is the hon. Member in order to make such allegations? Probably, there could have been a teacher who paid and allowed that kind of illegality to go on, but is the hon. Member in order to come here and make such sweeping allegations without laying the proof on the Table? He is a senior hon. Member of Parliament, and I know that he knows the rules of this august House.

 

I seek your seek you serious ruling, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Munsanje: Mukakakwa!

 

Madam Chairperson: Thank you hon. Member. I think, you have cited the Standing Order well; that whatever we bring to this House should be factual. Do we have evidence for the K10,000 that was being paid?

 

Hon. UPND Members: Yes!

 

Madam Chairperson: Can you, please, lay it on the Table.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Hon. UPND Member: Next year, we will bring it.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Kamboni: Let me –

 

Madam Chairperson: Otherwise, my guidance is that we bring factual information to the House. If you know something, but you do not have evidence on it, it is not worth debating.

 

With that guidance, you can continue with your debate.

 

Mr Kamboni: Thank you very much, Madam Chairperson. The guidance is taken.

 

Mr Kasandwe: Lay it on the table.

 

Mr Kamboni: Those who are there to defend and promote corruption, someday, they will answer to God.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Kamboni: Madam Chairperson, I was explaining one very important point.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Chairperson: Can we have some order!

 

Mr Kamboni: Our colleagues said that from Grades 1 to 4, they would teach in vernacular languages. However, what we experienced in my constituency is that teachers the who were sent there could not speak Tonga. How could they teach in vernacular? In one textbook in my language, a lion was called a Zebra. This is where I am saying, this time, things will be done properly.

 

Madam Chairperson, even in the distribution of teachers, there was segregation.

 

Mr Katakwe: Correct!

 

Mr Kamboni: In one particular year, the Southern Province only received twenty-two teachers while other provinces received 300. With the New Dawn Government, we shall do things fairly well.

 

Thank you very much, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe (Bangweulu): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for the opportunity to make some reflections on the budget for the Ministry of Education.

 

Madam Chairperson, I have always said that the outlook of an economy in any given society is a reflection of the kind of education system that has been put in place. I repeat: The outlook of any economy in any society is a reflection of the kind of education system that has been put in place. Perhaps, the kind of debate we are subjected to is also a reflection of the education system that we have in this country.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kasandwe: Our mentality, attitude and behaviour are a reflection of the kind of education we have in this country.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Chairperson, you see, our universities and colleges have kept offering the same courses since 1964 that are out of tune with the things that we need to propel the economy of this country.

 

Hon. UPND Member interjected.

 

Mr Kasandwe: Even the comments that are made are a reflection of the kind of education system that we have in this country.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Chairperson: Order, hon. Member!

 

Please, can we give him room to debate.

 

You can continue, hon. Member.

 

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Chairperson, universities and colleges have continued, for so many years, to offer the same courses, which are out of tune with the kind of economy that we want to have in this country. So, I encourage the hon. Minister to align courses in universities to the need for economic emancipation in this country. We cannot keep having, for example, Business Administration when there are no businesses to administer. So, he should align the courses in universities and colleges to the vision that we have in terms of the kind of economy we want to see as a country.

 

Madam Chairperson, I also want to make a comment on the rural-urban teacher migration, which is very rampant in this country. People are employed in rural areas but, a few months later, due to many excuses, one of which is for the teachers to reconnect with their spouses, they transfer to urban schools. I have heard the Vice-President, on the Floor of this House, say that couples will be brought together. We have to undertake a comprehensive study of that, as it will create a vacuum, especially in rural schools. My suggestion is that we can stop the migration if we attached Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PMEC) numbers to schools. For instance, if primary school B has an establishment of ten teachers, ten PMEC numbers should be given to that school so that if Hon. Kasandwe is a teacher at that school but, for one reason or another, decides to leave, then a vacancy is created and the school can replace him. With such a system, we are going to curtail this migration of teachers from rural areas to urban areas.

 

Madam Chairperson, I do not want to sound controversial, but even now, we have enough teachers; it is only the way the teachers have been migrating. I do not want to mention schools, but go to some in Lusaka and conduct a survey, and you will discover that there are more teachers than are needed. So, even before our colleagues engage 30,000 teachers next year, they should conduct a survey or audit of who is there; how many teachers are supposed to be at each school and how many are actually there.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other issue I want to talk about is the hon. Minister’s silence on free education in colleges and universities. This is the song that the United Party for National Development (UPND) sung very loudly.

 

Mr Kasandwe: I hope –

 

Hon. UPND Member: We are not silent. We are not like you.

 

Madam Chairperson: Order!

 

Continue, hon. Member.

 

Mr Kasandwe: Let me allow the noise-makers to finish first.

 

Madam Chairperson: No, continue. I am listening.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Chairperson: Hon. Members, let us avoid interjections. We are running out of time.

 

Hon. Member, continue with your debate.

 

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Chairperson, I am disappointed with the number of bursaries that have been awarded to universities this year. I thought that since the UPND had been singing loudly about free education, especially in universities, it would beat the PF in terms of the numbers per year. Let me show you what the PF did, and the information I am giving you is from Parliament. It is in connection with a question I asked the Minister of Education then some few years ago, and I have some statistics here. I want the UPND to surpass these figures. In 2015, the PF allocated 10,357 bursaries and loans at the University of Zambia (UNZA). I will lay this information on the Table. Then in 2016, 11,054 bursaries were awarded and in 2017, 10,801 bursaries were awarded, and all at one university. At the Copperbelt University (CBU), in 2015, over 6,000 bursaries were awarded; in 2017, over 7,000 and in 2018, over 8,714. Last year, the 2020-2021 Academic Year, 19,000 young people were given bursaries.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: Now, our colleagues are giving 6,000 bursaries at all the universities. The hon. Minister will remember –

 

Mr Syakalima indicated dissent.

 

Mr Kasandwe: He should not shake his head. He remembers that on 24^th September, he quoted the media –

 

Madam Chairperson: Hon. Member, please, avoid the gestures and interruptions. Just concentrate on your debate.

 

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister is my pastor and uncle. So, he will not take any offence.

 

Madam Chairperson, what I was saying is that last year alone, close to 19,000 students in all the universities were given bursaries, and we are just encouraging the hon. Minister to do more. Even when it comes to infrastructure development, we found two public universities, but left seven for them. All they need to do is maintain and improve. Secondary schools have also increased. So, I just wanted to encourage the hon. Minister to do the right thing; he should not mind this business of trying to erase even the good things that were done in the past. He will lose nothing by building on it. So, he should be encouraged to do more than his colleagues did previously.

 

Madam Chairperson, I want to give time to my colleagues.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Siachisumo (Lufwanyama): Madam Chairperson, I thank the hon. Minister of Education for the good speech he has given. This is a very good speech that is going to encourage people as they go to school.

 

Madam Chairperson, am I audible?

 

The Chairperson: Yes, you are loud and clear. Please, continue.

 

Mr Siachisumo: Madam Chairperson, as the people of Lufwanyama, we are very grateful for the allocation under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) that is going to make sure that the right people benefit. As I have mentioned before, in some cases in the past, the people who were given bursaries were not entitled to them because they were children of rich people. However, since the hon. Minister has said that the facility will trickle down to the community, the right people will be identified.

 

Madam Chairperson, the transfers done during the previous Government really affected and demoralised teachers. In my constituency, for example, one person could be transferred to Mitete and his wife to Chililabombwe. Now that things have changed, and as Her Honour the Vice-President mentioned, we are really excited in Lufwanyama. Therefore, I encourage the hon. Minister to make sure that those teachers who were transferred and their spouses taken to other places are reunited with their families so that they are able to perform. There was a lot of discouragement under the previous Government because quite a number of people were frustrated, especially the teachers, as I have mentioned.

 

Madam Chairperson, on schools, there are quite a number of pupils who do not go to school because very few schools were built in places like Lufwanyama, and pupils have to walk, maybe, 20 km or more to the nearest school. So, we are really excited about the CDF that has been given, and we will work hard to increase the number of schools. The hon. Minister also mentioned the secondary schools that are yet to be built in some areas. In Lufwanyama, we are ready because we have got land for those secondary schools that will be built by the Government. At the moment, there is a secondary school that was started by the Patriotic Front (PF) in 2013 but, as you know, Lufwanyama was an Opposition constituency, and it really suffered; nothing has been done at that school called Lumpuma Secondary School from 2015 to date. The school has remained at window level and, in that area, as you may know, we do not have any secondary school where pupils go to. The pupils have to go to St. Josephs, which is, maybe, 50 km to 60 km from the Lumpuma Chiefdom. So, I encourage the hon. Minister to look at secondary schools that were abandoned by the previous Government in areas where it the PF was not supported. That is what is going to increase the number of pupils who go to secondary schools and promote equity in education.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank the hon. Minister, and I know he is equal to the task. He is a former teacher and lecturer. So, he knows how to motivate teachers, and the teachers need motivation, especially those who are in rural areas like Lufwanyama. I know there are quite a number of areas, such as Mufumbwe, which are very rural and where teachers need to be motivated. There is the rural hardship allowance and many other allowances that can be used to motivate teachers. The teachers need to be paid those monies so that they are encouraged. At the same time, there is a need to increase the number of schools, even in other areas, so that people are able to go to school.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank the hon. Minister of Education for the policy statement that he has issued. He needs to make sure that the constituencies benefit in those areas where the number of schools will be increased. I know, it is not very easy to do that at once; I know it will be done bit by bit, but the hon. Minister of Education should liaise with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to make sure that schools are scattered to areas where they are needed.

 

Madam Chairperson, as a former teacher, I know that, as I have mentioned, teachers need to be motivated so that they can deliver. In some areas, like Lufwanyama, which I know well, I have noticed that when a person has completed studying for his first degree, he goes on to pursue a master’s degree programme, but he or she will still be getting the salary of a primary school teacher. That also demoralises teachers. So, we need to make sure that those people are looked after and upgraded so that they are also able to smile. In most cases, they use their money to upgrade their qualifications; they are not sponsored by the Government, because they love their career so much, but they are not rewarded.

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister should know that this is his time. I know he is equal to the task, and that the New Dawn Government respects education. So, this is the time to make the teachers smile because, as a former teacher, he knows the problems that teachers face.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Chairperson gave the Floor to Mr Wamunyima, but he was unavailable.

 

Mr E. Banda (Muchinga): Madam Chairperson, on behalf of the people of Muchinga, I want to add my voice to the discussion concerning what the hon. Minister of Education has just said.

 

Madam Chairperson, it is very important that we have a new Government; the New Dawn, in place. The people of Muchinga, which is a rural constituency, are very happy. One of the challenges that they look forward to seeing addressed by the New Dawn Government is the recruitment of teachers. Like the hon. Members for – I do not know; whatever constituency –said, we look forward to the process being decentralised to the constituencies, not districts. This is the challenge that we have had: Teachers get recruited but, in the end, they migrate to urban areas. However, if we recruited teachers from within their locations, they would stay there, and we would not have this challenge.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other challenge that we have is that of infrastructure. In Muchinga, we have three schools that were badly neglected by the previous Government. This time, we look forward to seeing them completed under the New Dawn Government. We do not have many secondary schools but, at the moment, at least, we can see light at the end of tunnel; our schools are going to be completed. These are some of the things that make us support the allocation to the Ministry of Education. We have no doubt that this time around, we will get a fair share of the national cake. The New Dawn Government has come to give us hope. I was very happy when I heard the hon. Minister make pronouncements to the effect that the people of Muchinga and Zambia at large had lagged behind in past years.

 

Madam Chairperson, I also want to bring to the attention of the hon. Minister and the Government the fact that in rural areas, we do not have schools for the disabled. In my constituency, there are many disabled people who cannot access education. Some cannot move while others cannot hear. So, I think, it is important that this time around, the New Dawn Government considers putting up special education facilities in rural constituencies. Unlike us, our friends in urban areas have areas where they can send disabled people to have education. Now, we look forward to the New Dawn Government working on this disparity.

 

Madam Chairperson, our population is rapidly growing in rural areas, and we have many community schools that have not been gazetted as Government schools. So, having teachers who can perform in such schools is a challenge because such teachers are not on the Government payroll. The New Dawn Government should look into that; the community schools should be gazetted by the Government after, maybe, two or three years, depending on the population. This also is a big challenge.

 

Madam Chairperson, as I end my debate, I want to emphasise that we, the people of Muchinga, will support the New Dawn Government 100 per cent because everything it has been saying, from day one, is something that we have not heard in the past. We also hope that this time around, we are also going to have a fair share of the national cake, and it is for this reason that when we cry, we cry with the hope that we will get what we want. Further, the Government should consider having the recruitment of teachers done at the constituency level so that we know whom we recruit. If it is done at national or district levels, we will still have the same problems because we will not know who has been recruited where and from where. If it is done from the constituencies, we are going to make sure that our people take part and once we recruit them, they will have nowhere to run. So, they will stay in their homeland and help others to grow into responsible citizens.

 

Madam Chairperson, on that note, I end my debate.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Ms Phiri (Milanzi): Thank you, Madam Chairperson, –

 

Ms Kasune: On a point of order, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

 

Ms Kasune: Madam Chairperson, I stand on the very serious point of order on Hon. Munir Zulu, who is a good friend of mine, actually. However, he has come in a not orderly manner according to Standing Order No. 65, in terms of the dress code.

 

Madam Chairperson, I need your serious ruling because that is not a toga, suit or the ones prescribed in the Standing Orders. Is the hon. Member in order to come in a dress to this House?

 

The Chairperson: Hon. Member, thank you for that point of order. However, you have cited the wrong Standing Order. The correct Standing Order is No. 206. So, since the Standing Order is not correct, your point of order is not admissible.

 

Interjections

 

The Chairperson: You will raise it. Just cite the correct Standing Order.

 

However, hon. Members, we have a dress code in this House that we all have to observe. If you do not adhere to the required dress code of this House, then, you are not supposed to be in this House. So, let us observe the dress code of this House. Please, could the hon. Member who is not dressed appropriately, in accordance with the prescribed dress code of this House, leave the House and go and dress appropriately.

 

Hon. Phiri, you can continue with your debate.

 

Ms Phiri: Madam Chairperson, thank you for giving the people of Milanzi an opportunity to debate the 2022 budget for the Ministry of Education.

 

Hon. Munir Zulu left the Assembly Chamber.

 

Interruptions

 

The Chairperson: Order!

 

Let us give room to the lady to debate.

 

Hon. Member, you can continue.

 

Ms Phiri: Madam Chairperson, the Ministry of Education budget has been increased from K10,480,492,995 in the 2021 Budget to K14,173,396,102 in the 2022 Budget. However, I note the difference in the figures from the Budget that was presented by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and what is reflected in the Yellow Book. My debate will be based on the figure that is reflected in the Yellow Book, which is K14,173,396,102.

 

Madam Chairperson, I consider the increase to be very minimal, bearing in mind the fact that two big ministries were merged. The increase is neither here nor there because the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, which have been combined, are big ministries that have huge responsibilities. So, it would have been good to have a significant increase in the budget because education is a very important sector, and that is why the Patriotic Front (PF) Administration gave priority to education by building primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities. That development of infrastructure is what has given impetus to the United Party for National Development (UPND) Administration to even consider recruiting teachers. I note, with gratification, that the hon. Minister of Education has recognised the remarkable increase in school infrastructure across the country, which does not correspond with the number of teachers in schools.

 

Madam Chairperson, I urge the hon. Minister of Education, as the Government considers recruiting 30,000 teachers, to make sure that each school gets a fair share.

 

Madam Chairperson, I take the House to page 659 of the Yellow Book under Programme 5506 – University Education, Activity 227 – Students Loan and Scholarship, which has been allocated K640,550,000. This is a drop in the ocean. Considering the large number of students enrolled in public universities who come from poor households that cannot afford university education, I expected the figure to be doubled to give more students access to university education, especially given that the UPND campaigned on the platform of free education.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Phiri: Madam Chairperson, K30 million has been allocated to the provision of sanitary towels to girls in schools. I urge the hon. Minister of Education to ensure that this programme benefits the intended beneficiaries, especially girls in rural areas, where such things are very difficult to access. Again, the amount should have been increased to ensure that every girl child in the rural areas benefits from this programme. Girls in rural areas are the most affected, as they cannot afford sanitary towels, hence, staying away from schools. This is why this programme is very important and should be paid the attention it deserves. 

 

Madam Chairperson, ‘Keeping Girls In Schools’ is another important programme that was introduced by the PF Administration,  ...

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Phiri: ... and I hope that the UPND Administration will allocate more resources to it than the K237 million that has been allocated. The increase is welcome, but it would have been good to see more girls go back and stay in school, especially in rural areas, where girls are subjected to walking long distances to access educational facilities.

 

Madam Chairperson, the impact of education on girls cannot be overestimated, and keeping girls in school prevents teenage pregnancies and early marriages and, as the saying goes, “When you educate a girl child, you educate the entire nation.”

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Sefulo (Mwandi): Madam Chairperson, thank you so much for giving the people of Mwandi the chance to contribute to the debate on the Vote for the Ministry of Education.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me begin by saying that growing up, my dream was to become a teacher but, as I grew up, I became very quiet. As it is evident in this House, I am the quietest Member. So, the dream –

 

Laughter

 

Ms Sefulo: Madam Chairperson, talking about education, the hon. Minister said, “A quality and relevant education for all”, and the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government has done a lot to improve the education sector. Let me mention that in Mwandi, where I come from, the education sector, in the last ten years, left much to be desired. As I speak, it is the 120 schools that have been brought by the UPND Government that we hope to benefit from, as we only have one secondary school in Mwandi District. Therefore, the children who are in Magumwe or in the far-fetched areas have to move from their areas and rent small houses in order for them to access secondary school. What does that do to the girl child? It sends them into early marriages because those children have to take care of themselves in rented small houses from the time they are sixteen. So, we are very grateful to this thoughtful Government that has brought the construction of 120 schools, from which Mwandi is going to benefit.

 

Madam Chairperson, education, as it is said, is an equaliser. However, the moment we handle this ministry with political hands, education is no longer an equaliser. For example, it is difficult for a child who is growing up in Mwandi to compete with one who is growing up in Lusaka because the amenities that are provided for children growing up in rural areas are different from those provided for children growing up here. We are, therefore, very grateful that this thoughtful Government is trying to bring equity into this sector. Otherwise, education, in the last ten years, gave nothing to be desired to the children who were growing up in rural areas. The children were failed even before they started; it was like taking the children to a race, but you only release the children of Mwandi after the others have run for about 10 m or 20 m, yet you expect them to finish at the same line. That is not possible. So, what was happening in the last ten years was straightforward “Animal Farm”.

 

Madam Chairperson, today, as I speak, in Mwandi, there are many schools that are not established. Further, those ghost workers we talk about, they exist in Mwandi because many schools have not been established and, as a result, there is only one teacher in most schools. Do we expect the children in those schools to pass? They cannot. So, I am very surprised to hear that the former regime invested a lot in education. The truth is that it did not; it did nothing for the people of Mwandi.

 

Madam Chairperson, I encourage the hon. Minister of Education, before the employment of 30,000 teachers, to make sure that a clean-up is done and the establishments are made. Further on the establishments, even the hon. Members who say that the PF invested in education are facing the same challenges in their constituencies those we face. If we go to their constituencies, we will find only one teacher per school, just as it is in my constituency. So, where was the investment there? We need to make sure that schools are established so that as we employ, the deployment is done fairly. The former Government could not even know where schools lacked teachers because it did not establish the schools. As a result, you can find a teacher working in Mwandi, but drawing a salary from Mwense, and this is very unfortunate.

 

Madam chairperson, when a person goes to Mwandi as a ghost worker, do we expect that teacher to be happy and provide the best education for the children? No! So, we encourage the Government to do the clean-up so that the employment of 30,000 teachers can benefit us all, including the people of Milanzi. I am sure, they will also benefit from this education that favours all.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Sefulo: Madam Chairperson, I have spoken about the issue of ghost workers. That exists, and it has been in the Auditor-General’s Report over and over again. What did the PF do to clean that? Every year, we heard the issue of ghost workers. So, as we are saying, the Ministry of Education is one that we need to approach with clean hands because if we do not clean this sector up, we will still have challenges.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other issue that I want to talk about is that of our syllabus. I remember that, growing up, one of the things that I was taught, and when I say it today, everyone would laugh, was that David Livingstone was the first man to see the Victoria Falls. That was in our curriculum, but we want a curriculum that will encourage our children to be entrepreneurs. We also want science and technology in Mwandi because these two cannot be separated. We do not want a curriculum that will teach children to label grasshoppers. We do not want that. We want our education system to encourage our children to be entrepreneurs and thinkers from the time that they are young. Therefore, we encourage our Government to invest in the curriculum that we have. We also want to learn our history, not European history. So, we encourage the ministry to invests in our curriculum.

 

Madam Chairperson, with that being said, we, the people of Mwandi, support the budget for the Ministry of Education wholeheartedly.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Chairperson, there are a few things that I want to respond to in what has been said.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank all those who have contributed to the debate on this rather important ministry.

 

Madam Chairperson, in the first place, I want to state that the hon. Member of Parliament for Milanzi should really appreciate that the K30 million that has been allocated to the purchase of sanitary towels is the first of its kind since Zambia was born. So, we had to begin from somewhere. We are very passionate about the girl child, and this is where we are starting from. The reasons we are even talking about desks is that we know how a girl child cannot be squeezed among four pupils on a two-seater desk. So, I thought that the hon. Member, as a mother, would appreciate that our girl children have, at least, been recognised in this budget. I can assure the hon. Member that we will do more.

 

 Madam Chairperson, the 2021 Budget had K21.7 million allocated for infrastructure. The Ministry of Finance and National Planning has in the 2022 Budget, allocated K609 million. Works on most of the infrastructure, such as secondary schools, that were being built have stalled. The hon. Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu is aware that there is a secondary school in his constituency whose construction has stalled for over eight years. The school, when finished, will be a humongous and state-of-the-art one. It is at that school where children have to rent outside in the villages and fall prey to pregnancies. So, for our hon. Colleagues to say they built infrastructure – No, because most of it has been stalled for over seven to eight years. That is what we want to deal with, going forward.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other person argued that the budget is only K14.2 billion, but you will remember that Hon. Mabumba said it was K18 billion. The K14.2 billion is the ceiling in the Ministry of Education, but there is also K3.1 billion for the recruitment of teaches and K752 million for secondary schools in constituency development. When you add that, it brings you to K18. Billion. So, there is no magic about it. We know how to look at figures.

 

Madam Chairperson, my hon. Colleague talked about how many students the PF was sponsoring. The 2,000 students were budgeted for in 2021 by the Patriotic Front (PF), not the United Party for National Development (UPND). We sponsored 2,481 students, and the other 481 students were over and above what was budgeted for. I got information yesterday from the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board (HELSB) that it is currently supporting 8,539 students at the University of Zambia (UNZA). So, I do not know where the hon. Member got his figures from. The budget for 2,000 students is in the 2021 Budget, not in the 2022 one. Hon. Members must watch the space.

 

Hon. Government members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Syakalima: It is unacceptable that there was a budget for 2,000 students only when 10,000 students had applied; there is backlog from 2016 to 2020, which is five years. The backlog was under the PF regime. Had the PF not misbehaved over the five to ten years, they would have put many students on bursary. Now, we are meant to cater of the backlog that it left.

 

Hon. Government members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kasune: Shame!

 

Mr Syakalima: So, one thing that we all have to come to terms with is that we should not politicise education because that is wrong. Never again should a Government politicise education; you kill a country by doing that. The PF almost lacerated the country in the past ten years.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Question!

 

Mr Syakalima: Worst and lost decade under its leadership.

 

Thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Sefulo: Ema Minister aba

 

Hon. Government Member: That is a bashing.

 

VOTE 80 – (Ministry of Education – K 14,173,396,102)

 

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Chairperson, I appeal to the hon. Minister to be calm. There is no need to be hyper. He is running a very interesting ministry.

 

Mr Syakalima injected.

 

Mr Kampyongo: So, he needs to tone down. We are hon. Colleagues in here; let us deal with one another in that way. 

 

Madam Chairperson, I am happy the hon. Minister talked about the school in Shiwang’andu. Indeed, we did our part, and we look forward to his doing his part by completing the infrastructure. There is no finishing line in development.

 

Madam Chairperson, may I draw the hon. Minister’s attention to Programme 5503 – Secondary Education – K 3,959,641,117, and commend him and the ministry for the new sub-programmes that have been introduced; the programme that my dear hon. Colleague referred to, which is Sub-Programme 24 – Provision of Sanitary Towels to Schools. This is very critical. The increment in Sub-Programme 20 – Keeping Girls in School (KGS) is also recommendable, although more could have been done. That said, I want to know if there is something that can be done to Sub-Programme 03 – Bursaries for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, where there is a bit of an increment, but more needs to be done to give the Sub-Programme more prominence? I also draw your attention to Programme 5599 – Management and Support Services – Sub-programme – 06 – Grants to Mission Schools. The hon. Minister knows that Mission schools have supplemented Government schools for a long time. However, the increment in that sub-programme is not significant. Is there anything that can be done to that programme?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Chairperson, I am not quite sure when the hon. Member asks if there is anything we can do, especially on the first point.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Chairperson, I was talking about Sub-Programme 03 – Bursaries for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, where in the last Budget, we had K37,431,329 but, in this budget, the Government has allocated K51,738,362. My question is: Is there anything that can be done to increase this allocation because of the importance of the sub-programme?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Chairperson, I am glad that the hon. Member has said that there has been an increase. So, step by step – I think, by next year, more increments will be seen. As of now, I think, it is a leap, and the hon. Member can appreciate that.

 

Madam Chairperson, as regards grant-aided schools, if the hon. Member listened to me, he heard me say that we are yet to sit down with them over what they charge. This is the current budget, but there is something the schools asked for, and that is why, in my speech, I said we will have to sit down with them following the issuance of a Statutory Instrument (SI) in May. So, we will sit down with them and see what they will charge so that we cover the balance.

 

Madam Chairperson, just to assure the hon. Member, I am a very calm person.

 

Madam Chairperson: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1040 hours until 1100 hours.

 

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

 Chair]

 

The Chairperson: The hon. Minister was responding to a point of clarification raised by Hon. Kampyongo. The hon. Minister can continue.

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Chairperson, I actually finished.

 

I thank you. Madam Chairperson.

 

The Chairperson: Sorry about that.

 

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment to Vote 80 – Ministry of Education, on page 653, under Table 6: Programme Outputs, Output Indicator: 01 Pupil/Teacher Ratio (Grade 1 – 7), by the deletion of the target “2” and the substitution therefor of the target “38:1”.

 

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

 

Vote 80/5502, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 88 (Muchinga Province – K63,441,958), VOTE 90 (Lusaka Province – K89,903,476), VOTE 91 (Copperbelt Province – K91,858,089), VOTE 92 (Central Province – K90,195,590), VOTE 93 (Northern Province – K84,634,534), VOTE 94 (Western Province – K100,487,452), VOTE 95 (Eastern Province – K83,648,320), VOTE 96 (Luapula Province – K85,090,677), VOTE 97 (North-Western Province – K80,569,148) and VOTE 98 (Southern Province – K94,549,380)

 

The Vice-President: Madam Chairperson, I am honoured to present to this august House the unified policy statement in support of the proposed estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Office of the President, Provincial Administration, for 2022.

 

Madam Chairperson, the mandate for Provincial Administration is as stipulated in Article 150 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No.2 of 2016, and Government Gazette Notice No. 1123 of 2021.

 

Performance in 2021

 

Madam Chairperson, the combined 2021 estimates of revenue and expenditure for Office of the President, Provincial Administration, was K736 million, of which over 95 per cent has been released, with a significant amount having been disbursed under the New Dawn Administration. It is worth mentioning that the contribution of Provincial Administration to the National Treasury, in terms of non-tax revenue, during the 2021 fiscal year, stands at K136.3 million, against the projected annual target of K161.2 million. The main contributors to non-tax revenue continue to be forestry, lands and survey services.

 

2022 Budget

 

Madam Chairperson, the proposed 2022 budget for Provincial Administration has been prepared in line with the President’s Speech and Vision 2030. The combined budget estimate is K864.4 million, compared with the 2021 budget of K736 million. This represents an increase of 17 per cent. The increment demonstrates the New Dawn Administration’s commitment to taking resources closer to the people in line with the Decentralisation Policy.

 

Madam Chairperson, the focus areas for the 2022 budget are the following:

 

1. community development and social services;
2. natural resource management;
3. economic development;
4. local government services; and
5. management and support services.

 

Madam Chairperson, under the Community Development and Social Services Programme, K175.2 million has been allocated to facilitate youth skills training; empowerment of women, children, the differently abled; and the promotion of the National Values and Principles, among other objectives.

 

Madam Chairperson, under Natural Resource Management, K126 million has been provided for forest protection and management; rehabilitation and maintenance of boreholes and dams; as well as weather forecasting and early warning.

 

Madam Chairperson, K125.5 million has been allocated for the Economic Development Programme to cater for land administration, resettlement scheme development, enforcement of labour laws and maintenance of public buildings, among other objectives.

 

Madam Chairperson, under Local Government Services, K25.3 million has been provided to cater for supervision of local authorities, spatial planning and development control.

 

Madam Chairperson, lastly, under Management and Support Services, K412.3 million has been allocated to development co-ordination, human resource management, financial management and publicity on Government programmes.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, Provincial Administration will endeavour to contribute to the improvement of the living standards of the people of Zambia, as highlighted in the United Party for National Development (UPND) Manifesto and Vision 2030. I, therefore, urge hon. Members of this august House to support the 2022 budget for Office of the President, Provincial Administration, as presented.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Chairperson: Hon. Members, as indicated on the Order Paper, today, we shall deal with four provinces, that is, Lusaka, Copperbelt, Central and Northern provinces.  In this regard, three hon. Members will debate on each province in addition to the Provincial hon. Minister, and that will take us to four hon. Members per province. So, we will proceed in that manner, and we will start with Vote 90 – Lusaka Province.

 

Mrs Chonya (Kafue): Madam Chairperson, thank you for this opportunity to say a few words on Vote 90 – Lusaka Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, first of all, I appreciate the hon. Minister’s visit to Kafue yesterday with her team in response to a disaster management issue. Coincidentally, the House was also looking at the same issue. Therefore, the recommendations that we needed to be prepared for such responses were on point.

 

Madam Chairperson, I perused the Yellow Book and I looked at the main pillars around which the Provincial Administration offices would operate, and I was reminded of what has been debated recurrently in the House, namely the need for us to conclude the development planning process and come up with a concrete Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP), which I personally look forward to because the involvement of hon. Members of Parliament in that process has been very minimal.

 

Madam Chairperson, we want to see how our respective areas have been catered for in terms of prioritising some of our developmental needs. In Lusaka Province, for instance, one of the expected programme outputs is increased self-employment. This will respond to the common challenge of a lack of employment opportunities for our people, especially the youths. So, it will be interesting to see how the Government intends to attain that in the national development plan. The people of Kafue want to see what the Government intends to do with the industries in their area because we see the industries as an immediate answer or a low hanging fruit that can help us resolve the issue of unemployment. I have in mind the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) that we always talk about, which is only operating at one-third of its employment capacity. So, if the Government put all its thoughts and reasonable resources into it, it would be the answer to the question of job creation.

 

Madam Chairperson, I like what I see in the budget in terms of promoting opportunities for training and improving the skills of our youths in entrepreneurship because entrepreneurship is now the buzzword. With the matching resources that have been provided through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), I think we are on the right trajectory.

 

Madam Chairperson, I want to bring up the issue of human settlement in forests. I will not to talk about the famous Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 because in Kafue, there is Mpande Forest, which has equally been encroached on, and it is not very clear at this point what will be done about that. We should not end up in a situation like that in the Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 saga, where we could have nipped the problem in the bud. So, we need direction in that regard so that we do not have a problem because of some people continuing settling there.

 

Madam Chairperson, the decentralisation agenda is a tick for the New Dawn Government because in my constituency, we are almost finishing, if we have not already, constituting the Ward Development Committees (WDCs), which will be the lowest unit at which we will plan our development. This has really excited our people and generated a lot of interest; people want to participate and be elected. The aspiration to enhance the participation of local communities has been demonstrated through that process that we have just gone through.

 

Madam Chairperson, with those few remarks, I fully support the budget for Lusaka Province, where I come from.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Sampa (Matero): Madam Chairperson, I thank Her Honour the Vice-President. Her statement was well delivered, more so on Lusaka Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me point to where Lusaka was in the Patriotic Front (PF) Government and where we are now.

 

Madam Chairperson, most roads, such as the main highway, were worked on, including the bridges, but there are still many complaints of congestion in some areas. Some traffic lights had been switched off, but they are now on, and there are many complaints, especially in Makeni. So, it is a tick that the PF worked on the roads, regardless of the debate on loans. However, there are still many problems in this city.

 

Madam Chairperson, first of all, Lusaka is the Capital City. The living room gives the first impression of any home because that is where guests are received. If it looks dirty, then, that is the impression that the guests will have about the kitchen and other rooms. The same is the case with Lusaka and other provinces; Lusaka gives the impression of what we are as a country.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me give a bit of background. At Independence, the population in Lusaka was close to a million, but we are now almost 5 million. So, the infrastructure that was built for a few people is now not able to sustain the increased population.

 

Madam Chairperson, solid waste is another big problem. In the Lusaka Central Business District (CBD), on Cairo Road and Freedom Way, there is solid waste, as everyone just throws solid waste there. We used to work overnight to remove the solid waste, but I see it building up. Also, the Chunga Dumpsite is affecting the residents of Chunga because over the last twenty years, it has become huge like a mountain. So, there is a need to find a solution for that dumpsite, going forward. The solid waste needs to be turned into energy or fuel. That was one of the projects that were being implemented at the city council.

 

Madam Chairperson, water is a big problem in the City of Lusaka, coupled with water bills from the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC). That is another area that needs to be looked into. Many residents of Lusaka complain of not having water, and that brings in other problems. We are lucky that the rainy season has not yet come because this is the period Lusaka tends to have outbreaks of waterborne diseases like dysentery and cholera. Thank God, in the last three or four years, there was no outbreak of cholera. If the rainfall comes and, God willing, it will come, the people of Kanyama, Chunga and Mandevu will be susceptible to cholera because most of them drink water from shallow wells. That is an area of great concern in Lusaka Province and, in particular, in the City of Lusaka.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other area of keen interest is the European Investment Bank (EIB) loan LWSC is using to lay sewer lines and sewer dams in Chunga in Matero Constituency. That project is ongoing. The Vice-President should take keen interest in that because it is a €90 million project.

 

Madam Chairperson, Lusaka also happens to be the hub of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. When I was Mayor, we struggled to contain the pandemic. With the advent of the new variant, Lusaka remains the biggest risk because it has the airport, and everyone from abroad who has the virus lands in the city. So, the virus starts from here and goes outwards.

 

Madam Chairperson, I am happy to see that the hon. Minister of Health, Mrs Masebo; the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Gary Nkombo; and the hon. Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mr Tayali, have gone to the Intercity Bus Terminus and the Kulima Tower Bus Station to sensitise people on vaccination. I met them outside. 

 

Madam Chairperson, the city has many youths and a high level of unemployment. As we know, people trek from other provinces to Lusaka, and the New Dawn Government policy of zero tolerance for cadres has made most of the youths who were in the markets and bus stations jobless. There are pros and cons to that policy. Obviously, it means that the council is now getting money from the bus stations and markets. However, those jobless youths are many and they have families. So, it means that they have no income to feed their families. As a nation and as a Government, we need to make sure that this does not lead to an increase in crime in the city. There has to be a solution for those youths.

 

Madam Chairperson, when coming to Parliament and you stop at traffic lights, the youths come to your window, asking for money and complaining. as a Christian nation, we need to find a solution for the youths in the City of Lusaka, who are close to 2 million and have families that need to eat. Are we taking them to Zambia National Service (ZNS)? What plan do we have? Should we tell them, ‘Sort yourselves out and find your solutions’? They are finding solutions in our comfort, in our homes; they are harassing us. There is a problem, and we can sit and say that it is happening because of the previous Government or the one before it, but that will not help. The problem is here and now, and there is a need to find the solution.

 

Madam Chairperson, I am happy that the youths are not in the markets and bus stations because the council will have money to clean the city. However, the question is: Do they just continue roaming about? That is the biggest problem we have in this Capital City. We are known for being a peaceful nation, and gone were the days we used to have high levels of crime in the city, but we are at a risk of that situation coming back. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the New Dawn Government to see to it that solutions are found. It is good that there is the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), and we will, in our areas, see how we can help youths with projects. However, the CDF is only a start; there is a need for a concerted effort from the Central Government to resolve the issue of youth unemployment in the City of Lusaka and Lusaka Province in general.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Minister for Lusaka Province (Mrs Mulyata): Madam Chairperson, it is my honour and privilege to present to this august House the policy statement in support of the 2022 estimates of revenue and expenditure for Office of the President, Lusaka Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, the core mandate of Provincial Administration is primarily to co-ordinate and monitor the implementation of Government policies and programmes by various Government departments, institutions and agencies in the province to ensure quality service delivery.

 

Madam Chairperson, His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, in his speech during the Ceremonial Opening of the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly set the tone and direction of the development agenda of our country, which was reinforced by the 2022 National Budget, as presented to this august House by the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane. It is in this regard that we have come to this august House, as Lusaka Province, to give a road map on how we intend to contribute to the development of this great nation, Zambia.

 

Madam Chairperson, in discussing the estimates of revenue and expenditure for the 2022 Fiscal Year, let me begin by joining other hon. Members of this august House in congratulating the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, on presenting to this august House a well-thought-out 2022 National Budget, which has attempted, within the fiscal limitations, to provide resources to the areas in need in our economy. I particularly applaud the hon. Minister for making the bold decision to implement fiscal decentralisation to the constituencies to the extent never seen before in the history of this country.

 

Madam Chairperson, the need for fiscal decentralisation to the lower levels of the Government has been discussed for years now, and it was time to act to remedy a lacuna that has contributed to underdevelopment and high poverty levels in the country, especially in rural areas. Giving power and authority to the local people to decide on their development priorities is a game changer in our quest to grow an economy that is inclusive.

 

Madam Chairperson, before I proceed to discuss the 2022 estimates of revenue and expenditure for Office of the President, Lusaka Province, allow me to state that Lusaka is one of the provinces in the country that have received their fair share of development in the areas of health, education, agriculture, roads, telecommunication, energy, and water and sanitation, among others.

 

Madam Chairperson, I now address myself to the developmental programmes implemented by the provincial administration in the 2021 Fiscal Year. I inform this august House that a number of successes were scored in areas like forestry protection and management, cadastre survey services, water resources development, infrastructure development, arts and culture development, tourism promotion, youth skills development, women and youth empowerment, child protection, social protection, resettlement scheme development and sports development.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me now present an overview of the 2022 budget for Lusaka Province. It is worth mentioning that the 2022 provincial budget was prepared in line with the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), which ran from 2017 to 2021, and Vision 2030.

 

Madam Chairperson, in 2022, the province has been allocated K89.80 million, of which K71.73 million will be for personal emoluments while K18.7 million will be for non-personal emoluments. This represents a 14.23 per cent increase in the budget for 2022 compared with the budget for the 2021 Fiscal Year.

 

Madam Chairperson, the focus during the 2022 Financial Year will be on programmes that will contribute to:

 

1. enhanced non-tax revenue collection;
2. forest conservation;
3. improved access to quality water and sanitation;
4. enhanced survival skills among the youth;
5. improved literacy levels;
6. improved conditions in resettlement schemes;
7. improved outlook of public infrastructure;
8. promotion of entrepreneurship;
9. dismantling of areas;
10. enhanced staff productivity through skills development;
11. enhanced social protection;
12. promotion of planned settlement and co-ordinated development, and
13. reduced child delinquency.

 

Madam Chairperson, in order to achieve the above-stated milestones, under the Community Development and Social Services programme, the province has allocated K19,981,017 to;

 

1. adult literacy;
2. training of literacy instructors and capacity building of women groups;
3. implementation of the Public Welfare Assistance scheme and monitoring of the implementations of Social Cash Transfer;
4. support to child headed-households, empowerment of juveniles in correctional facilities, and child protection and advocacy;
5. youth empowerment and skill training;
6. promotion of National Values and Principles;
7. promotions of cultural heritage; and
8. support to the chiefs and chiefdoms profiling.

 

Madam Chairperson, under Natural Resource Management, K14,054,028 has been provided for:

 

1. forest protection and management, and the promotion of forest-based industries;
2. development and management of water resources; and
3. the supervision of the provision of water and sanitation services.

 

The Chairperson: Order!

 

The hon. Minister’s time expired.

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Chairperson, thank you very much.

 

Madam Chairperson, first of all, I indicate that the Copperbelt is predominantly a mining area, with a big chunk of land is mainly agricultural in Mpongwe, Masaiti and Lufwanyama. With the geography of the province, and noting that there is budget that has been proposed for 2022, allow me to make an appeal. I know that the hon. Provincial Minister is present and taking note of some of the observations that we are making, and my first observation relates to the safety of our small-scale miners on the Copperbelt. You are aware that there are many young people who, for many years, have been participating in mining. The term that has been loosely used is ‘illegal mining’ but, I think, the young people want to participate in mining because they know that mining is a very key sector in our province. So, I appeal to the hon. Provincial Minister, even as we allocate resources to his office, to ensure that we see more inspectors going to sensitise our youths on the need to formalise their businesses. I know that there is an office in Kitwe that is responsible for occupational health and regulating mining activities. So, the hon. Minister should take very keen interest in ensuring that our young people, not only in established mines, but also in Masaiti, where I know there are people who want to engage in mining, but do not have papers – It might be necessary that the inspectorate department steps up its work to ensure that our young people, not only on the line of rail, but also on the outskirts of the province, are assisted to formalise their businesses and participation in mining.

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Provincial Minister is aware that much of the land, and I am happy he is familiar with the Copperbelt – Masaiti, Lufwanyama and Mpongwe produce quite a lot of farm products. So, it might be necessary for us to get more resources, especially insofar as farming is concerned. We always talk about farming, but we have not taken much interest in understanding the challenges our farmers face, be they on the farming blocks in Lufwanyama or in Chifubu. So, we need to find a way to support the growth of farming in the province so that in the coming years, we are able to report an increased contribution by the Copperbelt Province in terms of farm produce.

 

Madam Chairperson, my suggestion relating to the province is that the Provincial Administration takes interest in up-scaling agricultural activities –

 

Mr Sing’ombe: On a point of order, Madam Chairperson.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Madam Chairperson, thank you very much.

 

Madam Chairperson, I rise on a very serious point of order, which is also very compelling. My point of order arises from page 29 of the Standing Orders, where the time limits for debates are prescribed.

 

Madam Chairperson, I have been wondering whether this House is in order to limit hon. Ministers and Her Honour the Vice-President, who come to this House to make policy statements. At what point is this House going to listen to a policy statement that is incomplete? Are we going to continue to debate in this manner, whereby a Cabinet Minister is giving a policy statement and he or she is curtailed? I seriously want this House to reflect on whether we are in order to proceed in this manner because the Cabinet Ministers are not going to complete their policy statements, which are very important to this nation and for purposes of hon. Members debating from a well-informed position.

 

Madam Chairperson, I seek your serious ruling.

 

The Chairperson: I have also observed that most hon. Ministers do not complete their ministerial or policy statements. However, again, it goes back to the Standing Orders that you put in place. You gave limited time for your hon. Ministers and yourselves as well. We should also take into consideration why the time limits were reduced; it is because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it is up to the House to revise the Standing Orders. If you can remember, in the past, hon. Members used to debate for twenty minutes, if I am not mistaken. However, as days went on, the minutes were reduced, and we had make amendments to the Standing Orders. So, if you have seen something that is not working well in your Standing Orders, since these are your Standing Orders, you can suggest amendments.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Madam Chairperson, I was emphasising the point that the Copperbelt Province has potential to contribute significantly to our food basket as a country. So, I hope that the provincial hon. Minister and his team at the Provincial Administration, the Permanent Secretary and other experts, are working around the clock to ensure that we harness the potential that the province has.

 

Madam Chairperson, I am happy that the hon. Minister for Community Development and Social Services is present today. I know she has officers at the Provincial Administration and the district administrations, but one of the challenges that we are going to face across all the provinces in Zambia is the issue of identifying who is vulnerable to access, for instance, the bursary that will be accessed under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). We do not want to have a situation in which people will start accusing hon. Members of Parliament of leaving certain people out by not including them on the bursary scheme. So, it is necessary for the hon. Minister’s officers in the province to do as much as they can to help the offices of hon. Members of Parliament. Otherwise, how else are the vulnerable going to be identified if not through the Department Social Welfare. So, I appeal to the hon. Minister for the Province to get his officers under Provincial Administration, District Administration and Department of Social Welfare to support the work of hon. Members of Parliament insofar as identifying the vulnerable is concerned.

 

Madam Chairperson, I repeat that we do not want the blame the hon. Members of Parliament to be blamed for some people being left out of the bursary scheme because it is not the job of a Member of Parliament to identify the vulnerable. So, I appeal to the Department of Social Welfare to identify the vulnerable for various programmes the Government intends to roll out. The department should also help to identify beneficiaries for the Social Cash Transfer scheme. I know that we have those structures that have been established to do the identification, but it is important that as we allocate money, it goes to those sensitive programmes that need to be attended to. Our job is just to allocate money, because our job today is just to allocate money to the Provincial Administration – How do we identify the beneficiaries for Social Cash Transfer? I know that previously, the criterion was age, but I think that there must be another criterion that should be well-defined because there are people who are not yet sixty-five years old, but they need to benefit. I hope the hon. Provincial Minister will take in some of these very important and sensitive issues that require his attention.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me also comment on the state of infrastructure on the Copperbelt. The hon. Provincial Minister is aware that the dual carriageway between Ndola and Kitwe was rehabilitated. He is also aware that there is a Tollgate between Luanshya and Ndola, and that the road between Kitwe and Chingola has been expanded. However, there are inner roads, the roads in the townships, that were partly done, not complete. In Kitwe, for instance, we did about 53 km of roads, and did the same number of kilometres in Chingola and Mufulira, respectively. However, there are districts in the province that did not get as much uplift as possible.

 

Madam Chairperson, I hope, as I wind up my debate, that Ndola, as the Provincial Capital of the province, will get a major facelift in terms of the road infrastructure because we cannot be passing through Ndola with the current state of infrastructure.

 

Madam Chairperson, due to limited time, I let me just say that I support the allocation to the Provincial Administration and that I hope that the officers assigned to support the Provincial Administration will rise to the occasion in performing their duties.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Minister for Copperbelt Province (Mr Matambo): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for this opportunity.

 

Madam Chairperson, to start with, I congratulate, on behalf of the people of the Copperbelt, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema and the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning on the budget that was presented, which has elated the people of the Copperbelt Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, I am honoured to present to this august House the policy statement in support of the 2022 estimates of revenue and expenditure for Office of the President, Provincial Administration, Copperbelt Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, Provincial Administration embodies the presence of the Central Government at the regional level. In line with its mandate, it is responsible for the co-ordination of the implementation of national policies and programmes on behalf of all sector ministries in the province.

 

Madam Chairperson, the President’s Address during the Official Opening of the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly and the aspirations of the draft Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) provided the policy direction in the preparation of the 2022 provincial budget.

 

Madam Chairperson, the 2022 estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Copperbelt Provincial Administration is K91.8 million, with personal emoluments accounting for K73.2 million and K18.5 million being for non-personal emoluments. Of the K18.5 million, K4.3 million is allocated to appropriation-in-aid programmes.

 

Priorities for the 2022 Budget

 

Madam Chairperson, in preparing the 2022 budget, the Provincial Administration focused on improving its management and co-ordination capacity, and the main outputs in 2022 will revolve around the five output-based budget programmes set out below.

 

Community Development and Social Services

 

Madam Chairperson, the Community Development and Social Services Programme will facilitate support for vulnerable groups, such as those on Social Cash Transfer (SCT), Social Welfare Assistance, Food Security Pack (FSP), and women and youth empowerment. The programme has been allocated K1.9 million, and two of the key targets under this pillar are training of 300 youths in entrepreneurial skills and facilitating the payment of grants to over 70,000 vulnerable households.

 

Natural Resource Management

 

Madam Chairperson, the Natural Resource Management Programme has been allocated K1.7 million to undertake its activities. With this allocation, the programme targets to achieve among other objectives, the following:

 

1. raise over K2.8 million in revenue from forestry-based products;
2. raise over 120,000 seedlings for reforestation and afforestation activities;
3. conduct twelve geophysical surveys; and
4. make 720 weather forecasts.

 

Economic Development

 

Madam Chairperson, under the Economic Development Programme, K3.8 million has been allocated to cater for land administration, survey services, agricultural resettlement, civil aviation services, labour and industrial services, and public infrastructure maintenance. Some of the key planned outputs for this programme are:

 

1. raise over K10 million in non-tax revenue;
2. issue, at least, 6,500 title deeds;
3. conduct not less than 1,728 labour inspections; and
4. demarcate and allocate 400 lots in the resettlement schemes.

 

Local Government Services

 

Madam Chairperson, the Local Government Services Programme comprises Local Government Administration, and Town and Country Planning. In order to ensure planned development through the provision of planning standards and guidelines, and facilitate devolution of power to local authorities, the programme has been allocated K488,000.

 

Management and Support Services

 

Madam Chairperson, the Management and Support Service Programme has been allocated K10.5 million. This allocation is going to facilitate the co-ordination and implementation of programmes and policies targeted at achieving some key outputs, such as:

 

1. hold four Integrity Committee meetings;
2. process human resources cases for 956 personnel;
3. hold staff management meetings every month;
4. hold Audit Committee meetings every quarter;
5. produce 1,800 news packages; and
6. preparation the 8NDP Implementation Plan.

 

Madam Chairperson, I acknowledge the efforts that the New Dawn Government is making towards the enhancement of the quality of life for the people of the Copperbelt Province. This has been demonstrated by the number of earth-moving pronouncements that have been made so far, such as the increment of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), the employment of 30,000 teachers and 11,000 health workers, and the provision of free education. I, therefore, look forward to working tirelessly with great expectations and commitment in our New Dawn Government as it strives to take socio-economic development to the people of the Copperbelt Province and Zambia as a whole.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, I state that the Copperbelt is a place that is peaceful, unlike the way it was before, when some people called it ‘Beirut’ because of a lot of violence. The New Dawn Administration has brought order, and anyone can walk into the Copperbelt Province and come out freely without any harassment.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Matambo: This is what it means to have a visionary leader like His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, and I say to everyone that they are welcome to the Copperbelt. They can go and invest, and do whatever they want without any shame or harassment.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mushanga (Bwacha): Madam Chairperson, allow me, in the first place, to thank Her Honour the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia for her presentation of the combined policy statement for Office of the President, Provincial Administration.

 

Madam Chairperson, I want to reflect a bit on some of the programmes and activities that were undertaken in 2021, the year that we will be bidding farewell to in a few days to come.

 

Madam Chairperson, many programmes and projects were undertaken by the previous Administration in the Central Province. Under the road sector, we saw feeder roads being constructed, with specific attention to Chibombo and Mkushi districts. I urge the hon. Provincial Minister for Central Province, whom I have seen to be practical and proactive, to ensure that this project, which was started by the Patriotic Front (PF) Administration, is extended to other districts, as opposed to focusing on Chibombo and Mkushi only.

 

Madam Chairperson, on education, the Central Province was privileged to get twelve of the eighty-two schools that were built with support from the World Bank, which were spoken about this morning. Some of the schools were completed while some are still under construction. We, therefore, want to see the current Administration, the New Dawn, complete the secondary schools that are under construction. We also want to see the districts and constituencies in Central Province that did not benefit from this project benefit as well.

 

Madam Chairperson, on free and quality education, through Her Honour the Vice-President and the Provincial Minister who –

 

Mr Mushanga lost connectivity.

 

Madam Chairperson: Have we lost the hon. Member?

 

It seems we have. We can move to the next one.

 

Ms Kasune: Madam Chairperson, I congratulate the Leader of Government Business in this House, who is Her Honour the Vice-President, on her well-presented statement on the provinces. To all our hon. Ministers who have already debated their provinces, we really appreciate and see that the New Dawn is, indeed, not wasting time, but working hard in Lusaka Province, the Copperbelt Province and, of course, the Central Province, which I stand to speak for. It is unfortunate that my other colleague, Hon. Mushanga, had a challenge with the network, but I hope will come back online.

 

Madam Chairperson, we have our able Minister, Hon. Credo Nanjuwa, whose hard work even Hon. Mushanga alluded to. The New Dawn Government, headed by our Seventh President, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, is geared to work hard. As Central Province, we are centred for a reason, and we want to take advantage of the central location of our region to do a lot of business. However, this comes with a lot of responsibility. In particular, we know that the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway also passes in the Central Province. Unfortunately, many accidents that have happened on that road have been between Lusaka and Landless Corner or at John Chinena area before Kabwe. It is for this reason that we urge the Government to embark on a project to create a dual carriageway which, we hear, has been approved under a public-private partnership (PPP), because the challenge does not just affect the people of the Central Province, but also other Zambians. Many fatal accidents occur on the road and there is a lot of congestion, and that is very discouraging for people like me who often go to my constituency, Keembe, to come back with so much traffic.

 

Madam Chairperson, for the people of Keembe Constituency, it would be remiss of me if I did not talk about the famous Landless Corner/Mumbwa Road which, in our view, is an economic road that would also decongest traffic coming from the Copperbelt and create a passage for those going to Kasempa. As we know, Kasempa is coming up in terms of mining. Only 36 km of the road needs to be worked on. So, we ask the Government to really consider looking into the Landless/Mumbwa Road through the Ministry of infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, which we have had conversations with. We hope that in 2022, if nothing else is done, at least, the Landless Corner /Mumbwa Road will be worked on.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me now come to the issue of marketeers from Kapiri Mposhi, Mkushi and Serenje. As people of Central Province, we ask to be considered for construction of beautiful permanent structures at places like John Chinena. I think, there is no one in Zambia who does not know the John Chinena area where we grow watermelons and butternuts. Like I said, everyone knows the John Chinena area.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kasune: Every person in this room came through or via John Chinena in some ways.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kasune: So, it is important that –

 

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

 

Madam Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Chairperson, we are keenly following the debate of the hon. Member. However, is she in order to emphasise ‘John Chinena’ without explaining what this name is all about.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kampyongo: We are lost and seek your serious guidance, Madam Chairperson.

 

Laughter

 

The Chairperson: I am sure that is on a lighter note, since John Chinena happens to be a place. We cannot translate or do anything else. It is the name of a place.

 

May the hon. Member continue.

 

Ms Kasune: Madam Chairperson, thank you for your contribution. Without dragging you into the conversation, I say that every person came through John Chinena, somehow.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kasune: Madam Chairperson, continuing with the debate, the Blue Lagoon Road, which goes through Chilanga, Mwembezhi, Mumbwa and Nangoma constituencies is very important to us, as Central Province because once worked on, it will create many networks. From 2022 going forward, you cannot talk of development without talking about roads and the interconnectedness of the Internet.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other issue that I want to talk about is the Kabwe/Ngabwe Road. As Central Province, we really emphasise the road because we know that it not only link Ngabwe to Kabwe, but also links Central Province to the Copperbelt Province. As we have heard, the hon. Minister for Copperbelt Province is welcoming all of us to go and mine in his province.

 

Madam Chairperson, one of the things that the people of Zambia need to know is that Central Province is not rich just in agriculture, but also in some minerals. As I speak, there is a lot of illegal mining happening in my constituency, where gold that has been discovered. There is also a lot of mining in Katuba, with which we share a boundary, and in Chisamba. So, we ask that the Government moves in quickly and controls the illegal mining going on in which some of our people are even dying because they are desperate to work in the mines.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Mwomboshi Dam in Chisamba is another project that we, as Central Province, say needs to be brought to completion. Further, some private investors can be brought in so that we create jobs for our youths. In the same vein I am talking about the Mwomboshi Dam, I make a plea regarding those mines because once the artisans are put in place, the people of Zambia will benefit. However, the can only happen once this activity becomes legal and controlled. We also want to see royalties from the minerals left in our chiefdoms in Central Province, which we love dearly with all our hearts and passions.

 

Madam Chairperson, the famous Mulungushi Textiles has taken forever and has been used as a political campaign issue for too long, yet the people of Kabwe and, really, all Zambians who are interested in textiles are interested in seeing the textiles begin to operate. I grew up in Kabwe. So, I know the importance of that textile. We, the people of Zambia, know that we are proud to wear vitenge and showcase who we are. So, I tell the Minister for Central Province, Hon. Credo Nanjuwa, that we are appreciative of the conversations that this Government, through His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, is having to ensure that the textile company comes back into operation, as it will not only give life to Kabwe, but also create 2,000 jobs for Zambians. I think, this is commendable and goes to show that, indeed, the New Dawn Government is serious in providing jobs for our youths and taking development to all quarters of Zambia.

 

Madam Chairperson, I commend the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, for increasing the allocation for Central Province by 37.9 per cent, bringing our total budget to K195 million. This is really commendable. More can be done, but we are appreciative that we have started on the right note. Central Province will never be the same under the able leadership of our President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema; our Vice-President, Mrs Mutale Nalumango; and, indeed, the able hon. Minister for Central Province, Mr Credo Nanjuwa, and his team.

 

Madam Chairperson, support the Vote on the Floor.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Chairperson: Is Hon. Mushanga still there?

 

Mr Mushanga: Yes, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Chairperson: Kindly continue with your debate, which was disturbed by poor network.

 

Mr Mushanga: Thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Madam chairperson, I was talking about the free education being proposed by the current Administration and saying that we did not want to see only free education, but also quality education provided to our young people.

 

Mr Mushanga lost connectivity.

 

The Chairperson: Hon. Member, you network is very poor.

 

We can move on to the next hon. Member, Mr Nkulukusa.

 

Mr Nkulukusa (Katuba): Madam Chairperson, as I support the budget for Central Province, I want to just highlight a few things.

 

Madam Chairperson, I feel, going forward, being centrally located, Central Province must be a model province for development; everything that we are going to do must spring from Central Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, if you look at the Kabwe/Lusaka Road in Central Province, I think, it has been a great source of concern. Many accidents have taken place on the road, and we are of the view that the road is of high commercial value both in terms of some mining activities and transport from the Copperbelt, Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and any other provinces going up north. So, we feel that it can be made better. Maybe, it should be a dual carriageway from Lusaka to Kabwe so that Central Province becomes a safe passage for the many motorists who pass through it.

 

Madam Chairperson, the other thing that I want to talk about is our comparative advantage in terms of agriculture. I think, Central Province has some of the most arable land, and that gives us a very big comparative advantage. So, we would like to see a lot of investment. I know that my sister from Keembe has already spoken about the Mwomboshi Dam. We want to see a lot of winter maize grown or winter farming. We also want to see a lot of investment in agriculture in Central Province so that we take advantage of our comparative advantage as a country. We especially want Central Province to be a net exporter of maize or mealie-meal to the surrounding countries. From Serenje to Mumbwa, the province has many farmers and, if we take advantage of that, Zambia can benefit a lot in terms of foreign exchange from exporting agricultural products.

 

Madam Chairperson, the third issue is on improving educational facilities in the province. I think, we are very near the Capital City and the Executive. However, despite my constituency, Katuba, being near, some of the schools there really leave much to be desired. We believe that being as near to the Capital City and the Executive as we are, if we improved education, we would see many people go into entrepreneurship. Having agriculture as one of the comparative and competitive advantages, we would see many people venture into that.

 

Lastly, I want to talk about the cosmopolitan nature of Central Province, Madam Chairperson. The Province is very diverse when it comes to ethnicity, regions and everything else. Again, if you look at it from Serenje to Mumbwa, you are going to find many people of different ethnic backgrounds. So, it is a uniting force and, because of that, we would like to see it become the anchor of peace when it comes to anything that is to do with moving forward. As we move forward, we want to see Central Province unite us, and we have a lot of confidence in our Provincial Minister, Hon. Nanjuwa’s ability to help us move forward with what my sister has said, that is, the discovery of minerals. We want to make sure that the discovery benefits people from the province. Before others benefit, we want to make sure that the discoveries are a source of encouragement and hope for the many hopeless people in Katuba and many other parts of Central Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, I support the budget.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

 

The Minister for Central Province (Mr Nanjuwa) Madam Chairperson, I thank all my colleagues from Central Province who have debated our Vote. I also thank you for this opportunity to say a few words on the 2002 budget for Central Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, the budget is well aligned with the policy direction for the next five years outlined by the President of Zambia, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, during the Official Opening of the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

 

Madam Chairperson, the 2022 budget for Central Province is K90,195,589, representing an increase of about 37.9 per cent on the 2021 budget, which was K65,426,297. Personal emoluments amount to K72,153,684 while non-personal emoluments is K18,041,905, representing a 53 per cent increase in non-personal emoluments, from K11,786,046 in 2021.

 

In terms of priorities, Madam Chairperson,  Central Province will focus on the following: 

 

1. enhancing non-tax revenue collection activities under the natural resources through undertaking of blitz patrols and strengthened financial management, accountability, and effective revenue monitoring and audit control;
2. dismantling of outstanding personnel arrears and the arrears owed to suppliers of goods and services in order to increase disposable income among struggling families and businesses;
3. enhancing labour inspections and monitoring of investment flow, especially with the increased level of private sector investment that the province has seen in recent years;
4. improving the operational capacity of departments involved in the co-ordination of youth, child and sports development, which are critical to alleviating the suffering of vulnerable groups in society;  and
5. enhancing meteorological services in order to improve weather forecasting, early warning system and the availability of useful climate-related information to farmers.

 

Madam Chairperson, the United Party for National Development (UPND) was voted into power on the platform of change anchored on economic transformation and job creation. Reforming the agricultural sector to make it productive is, therefore, an important first step taken by the New Dawn Government in the 2022 Budget. As Central Province, we think that the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), in its current form, is counterproductive to the growth of small-scale farmers due to its lack of a well-thought-out weaning off mechanism and inability to provide incentives to support production. Further, farmers cannot access farming equipment and low-interest credit facilities under FISP. With the proposed reforms to improve targeting, the province is set on a positive trajectory to achieving higher output and productivity.

 

Madam Chairperson, the proposed funding of Nansanga Farming Block to the tune of K110 million is evidence enough of the Government’s commitment to scaling up crop production in the province. We shall use this opportunity to organise the rural small-scale farmers to form outgrower schemes and encourage investors to embrace this initiative. We have already begun actualising outgrower schemes on some crops, such as cassava, with some investors, such as Surya Biofuels Zambia Limited; Marigold with Chenguang Biotech Zambia Limited; rice with Agriculture Productivity and Marketing Enhancement Project (APMEP); and cotton with China-Mulungushi Textiles. We shall roll out this initiative in 2022 in order to increase income among our rural communities.

 

Madam Chairperson, in tourism, we are focusing on the Kafue National Park, which has not benefited enough from its proximity to the Victoria Falls despite being endowed with various animal species. The proposal by the Government to provide a supportive environment for developing other tourist areas will make it attractive for the private sector to establish hotels, lodges and tourism facilities in the park.

 

Madam Chairperson, the proposal by the Government to ensure that water projects are completed in good time will benefit the province to a large extent. You may wish to note that the province is currently implementing four important water and sanitation projects that have stalled due to non-availability of funds in Serenje, Kapiri Mposhi, Mumbwa and Kabwe’s Makululu Compound.

 

Madam Chairperson, the province has in the past experienced dry spells, flash floods and extreme temperatures. In addition, there have been increased activities of deforestation and encroachment on forestry reserves and game management areas (GMAs), thereby increasing the threats of climate change effects. With the 2022 budget, the province will promote mitigation measures, such as afforestation and reforestation, and strengthen the capacity of communities to adapt to, and cope with, the effects of climate variability.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, the country has been set on a positive trajectory, as the Budget speaks to the core expectations of the majority of our people in the province. The Budget brings hope for a better life to our unemployed youths and women, and assures the vulnerable communities of sustainable and improved social protection. Further, it has provided a foundation for an improved business environment for our local business communities and investors. It is also the basis for equitable access to farmer input support and education services.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.  

 

Amb. Kalimi (Malole): Madam Chairperson, thank you very much for giving the people of Malole an opportunity to contribute to the debate on this important Vote.

 

Madam Chairperson, I am very worried, being someone born in the Northern Province and seeing the developmental projects that have been implemented, because the province is very backward. However, I state categorically that the previous Government worked.

 

Madam Chairperson, in the previous Governments, there were many hon. Ministers and Vice-Presidents from the Northern Province. Today, we have our lady, Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs Mutale Nalumango, who is also from the Northern Province, and I just say to my sister that prosperity will judge us harshly if we do not develop our province, although I am very confident that she has a heart for the province and that the province will develop.

 

Madam Chairperson, I will go sector by sector.

 

Madam Chairperson, in terms of roads, the Northern Province is lucky. I will give an example, but I do not want to talk specifically about my constituency. The Nseluka/Kayambi/Chozi Road needs to be worked on, and I expect the budget for the Northern Province to include funding to the road because it is an economic one. Mind you, our constituency and the Northern Province are pro-agriculture. Without agriculture or transportation of agricultural inputs, we will not go anywhere. So, to me, roads play a very important role. Although some said they cannot eat roads, roads are needed everywhere.

 

Madam Chairperson, in Chilubi, the Luwingu/Chilubi Road needs to be worked on because people there many things and farmers are doing very fine, but the roads are in a very deplorable state. I will give another example: The road from Muchinga, Mpika, to be specific, up to Kasama, is impassable, and I cannot even call what is on it potholes; those are just baffles. The road is just something else and one cannot even use it. So, we urge –

 

Mr Mutelo: On a point of order, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mutelo: Madam Chairperson, I am very sorry for disturbing the hon. Member debating the budget for the Northern Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, Standing Order No. 131(3) states that, “In raising a Point of Order, a member shall cite the Standing Order, …”, like I am doing, “… law on privileges of members, rule of procedure or practice –”

 

Madam Chairperson, Section 19(d) and (e) of Cap. 12 of the National Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act states as follows:

 

“19. A person shall be guilt of an offence who –

 

“(d)         shows disrespect in speech or manner towards the Speaker; or

 

“(e)         commits any other act of intentional disrespect to or with reference to the proceedings of the Assembly or of a committee –”

 

Madam Chairperson, in this case, I am referring to a person who intentionally interferes with the running of this Assembly. Is my colleague and good friend, Hon. Lusambo, whose seat was nullified, in order to go to some media house, in this case, Camnet Television, and intentionally show disrespect to this House and, in particular, to the Speaker? This House is able to retrieve that clip from the media house I have mentioned.

 

Madam Chairperson, if we continue tolerating such things, the House will not have its decorum.

 

Madam Chairperson, you may wish to note that I stand here as a person who has been to court due to petitions, but at no time did I show disrespect to the House. Is this person I mentioned here in order to have gone to Camnet Television to disrespect the Speaker?

 

I seek your ruling, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Chairperson: Thank you, hon. Member, for that point of order. At this point, I cannot make a ruling, and this means that I reserve my ruling in order for me to study the matter. I will come back to the House on a later day to make the ruling.

 

May the hon. Member continue.

 

Amb. Kalimi: Madam Chairperson, I thank my dear friend for that disruption.

 

Madam Chairperson, before I was disrupted by that point of order, I was talking about the Great North Road and how the stretch from Mpika to Kasama is in a very bad state. I think, the hon. Minister for Northern Province has witnessed what I am talking about whenever he has gone to the province by road. As a Northerner, I urge the New Dawn Government to work on that road because we are sitting on a time bomb.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Mporokoso/Kaputa Road, which is in the area where my sister, Her Honour the Vice-President, comes from, needs to be tarred. I know that it has been funded, but works have stalled. The people of Kaputa want that development. Further, when that road is worked on, Her Honour the Vice-President will be the first to cite it as the landmark she would have left in Kaputa.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Kayambi/Chozi Road is also in a bad state, and the contractor has even run away. I think, the New Dawn Government needs to work very fast. If the contractor is not willing to work, it should cancel the contract because the people of Malole and the Northern Province are tired of such contractors.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Luwingu/Chaba Road in Chilubi is something else. The people of the Northern Province are crying for these roads. I tell you, the situation is something else. I pointed out that without road infrastructure, even agriculture will die out completely because it is through the roads that farmers transport their inputs. Without roads, the transportation of inputs becomes low. So, without roads, we cannot go anywhere.

 

Madam Chairperson, works on the Chambeshi/Safwa Road, which connects the Northern Province to Muchinga Province, have stalled since 2017. I urge the New Dawn Government to work on that road. Chambeshi produces a lot of rice. If that road is not worked on, we cannot do anything, but I know that the Government will work on it because it is a listening Government and it will not segregate us on account of the people of Malole having voted for me instead of the Ruling Party. The Government will not segregate some regions in developing the country, and it has demonstrated that. So, I expect the road to be worked on.

 

Madam Chairperson, honestly, in this era, a pregnant woman should not be climbing a tree to look for network to talk to me, as her Member of Parliament. That is unacceptable. So, the Government needs to do something in terms of erecting communication towers. The people of the Northern Province and, in particular, those in Kabisha, Chilubi and Nakonde, are crying for communication towers, and I expect the New Dawn Government to address that.

 

Madam Chairperson, as regards secondary schools, I was shocked to hear that the Northern Province received a big share. That might be the case, but not in my constituency. I commend the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for building three secondary schools in the province but, honestly, they are not enough. For example, there is only one girls school called Kanyanta Memorial School, which has to cater for a large population. So, I expect the New Dawn Government to support the girl child, take development to the Northern Province and to ensure that the province does well economically.

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister needs to make a follow up on what happened with the Northern Province Tourism and Investment Exposition. For Luapula Province, we saw the results but, for the Northern Province, we have not seen the results. What happened to the investments in terms of the Northern Province Tourism and Investment Exposition? Where are those people who pledged to take development to the Northern Province? Where are the hotels and the tourism that was promised? We expect those things in the Northern Province also. I commend my brothers in Luapula because we saw what happened there. However, we do not know what happened after the Northern Province I know that my brother, the hon. Minister for Northern Province, will make a follow-up.

 

Madam Chairperson, we want to see the proceeds from the Northern Province Tourism and Investment Exposure; we want development. We are not crying for too much; all we want is development in the Northern Province because it is lacking there. For example, Chilubi is the poorest district in Zambia, maybe, followed by Malole. So, we are very poor. There is no development in the Northern Province, but we are seated here. Sometimes, I cry and wish I came from the Southern Province, if that is the case, because I do not see development in my province.

 

Madam Chairperson, as a leader who represents the people of Zambia, and in particular the people of the Northern Province, sometimes, I shed tears; I become emotional because we have not seen any equitable development in the Northern Province in spite of producing Vice-Presidents, such as Mr Lupando Mwape and Her Honour the Vice-President, and Ministers responsible for finance. Does it mean that we are selfish? I do not know. So, I urge the New Dawn Government to take development to where we are. We are lacking –

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Katakwe: Hammer, honourable!

 

Amb. Kalimi: Madam Chairperson, in terms of the teacher-pupil ratio, we lack teachers in the Northern Province, and there is only the headteacher and one preschool teacher in some schools. I do not even know what I can say. How are we going to address that?

 

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Member! Your time is up.

 

Amb. Kalimi: Aah, yachepa!

 

Laughter

 

The Chairperson: Meaning?

 

Amb. Kalimi’s time expired.

 

Mr Fube (Chilubi): Madam Chairperson, the time really needs to be increased.

 

Madam Chairperson, I will start with the clusters that have been put to guide provincial allocations.

 

Madam Chairperson, the people of Chilubi are still at pains to understand the document from which the Government got the clusters, such as economic transformation and job creation as Cluster 01, human and social development as Cluster 02, environmental sustainability as Cluster 03 and good governance environment Cluster 04. I consider it a misnomer that as we continue debating the Budget, people are referring to the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP), which we have not seen, and I can assure you that we will adjourn without seeing that document.  It would have been had the document been availed to us so that we scrutinise the clusters that have been included in the Budget. Now, we are shooting in the dark because we have not seen them. That is the first complaint of the people of Chilubi.

 

Madam Chairperson, going through the budget, I note that 80 per cent of the funding to the provincial structures, including the Northern Province, has been allocated to personal emoluments while 20 per cent has been allocated to goods and services. To me, this is an imbalance, especially given that if we are to serve our people properly, we need to look at the issues that matter. We know that our workers have to be paid but, even then, we have to make sure that there is a balance.

 

Madam Chairperson, the provincial offices are created by Article 150 of the Constitution, and their creation speaks to the issue of development. During the Budget Address, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning spoke about an industrialised economy, increased use of the readily available domestic raw materials and improved economic environmental management. I want to bring it to your attention that the Northern Province, like other provinces, is endowed with many natural resources, among them, water masses, land and minerals. However, there is low mineral exploration in the province and, in other areas, mining is being done at a higher level than in the province.

 

Madam Chairperson, I have heard many statements here bordering on regionalism, with many hon. Members, especially those on your right, rising to talk about what has not been done in their constituencies or provinces and, usually, their focus is on three provinces, thereby reducing this House to a regional arrangement. I will not fall into that temptation. Instead, I want to talk about the facts of life.

 

Madam Chairperson, if you look at the current rainfall pattern, and people can go and check at the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD), you will note that Luapula Province, the Northern Province and the surrounding areas receive an average of 1,000 ml of rainfall per year. That is a blessing to the whole nation, not just to that area. However, when we were talking about the distribution of fertiliser, many people were emotional and wondered why the Government took fertiliser to the other side. We have evidence in this House and elsewhere to the effect that from the drought of 1993, the maize belt, which used to be the Southern Province, has never been the same.

 

Madam Chairperson, last year, the Government supplied maize and animal feed to the Southern Province because of the disturbed rainfall pattern. Further, the food produced anywhere feeds the entire nation, and that was the case even when the Southern Province was at its peak of being the maize belt; it fed the whole nation. So, we must change our mindset. If a province has an advantage of water, land and many other factors, let us venture into that. I heard one hon. Member say that the ministry gave cattle to people who did not have the capacity to keep cattle. I think, at one point, there was a debate on whether cattle could be kept in Kaputa, and I was the District Commissioner (DC) then. The then hon. Minister of Fisheries and Livestock took cattle there but, because of proximity to Nsumbu National Park, people suspected that there could be tsetse flies in the area. However, the cattle in Kaputa is doing very well. The ministry had actually taken thin cattle there, but the people of Kaputa have cared for them. So, I think, if more cattle is taken to that area, it would not be a miss.

 

Madam Chairperson, the potential of an area is supposed to be connected with a good road and telecommunication network, and the Patriotic Front (PF) Government tried its best to attend to some roads. So, I know that it will be a katyetye mwenda mwalimwa situation because some mini hospitals and hospitals that the PF constructed are now ready for commissioning, and people will just commission them. If I have to break it down, katyetye mwenda mwalimwa, means one who finds certain things already done and just walks through without really making an effort. That is the situation we are in.

 

Madam Chairperson, when we talk about network, we mean optic fibre, telecommunication and roads. These things are intertwined together to develop a particular area. I know that people have asked, “Mukalalya imisebo?” and similar questions, but the Northern Province is still in need of roads. I know that I cannot underscore the issues that my brother, Hon. Amb. Kalimi, mentioned; he talked about the Chilubi/Chama Road, the Kaputa/Mporokoso Road, the Kayambi Road and many other roads that are supposed to be considered to feed into trunk roads that are yet to be worked on.

 

Madam Chairperson, I hope that the concentration of the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government, the ‘New Dawn’, as its members call themselves, will not shift from the province, thinking that it is already developed, because the people there are Zambians and part of this country. Even the revenue and food that comes from there is meant to feed the whole country. It is my appeal, and that of the people of Chilubi, that the Government does not neglect some places and concentrate on places it feels were neglected in the past. That will be disastrous in terms of development. We need to pull up our socks, as a country, because any of us here can find themselves in any part of the country, and whatever we eat on our tables is not written ‘Southern Province’ or ‘Western Province’. It is just Zambian. So, let us change that mindset and develop the nation uniformly.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

The Minister for the Northern Province (Mr Mbao): Madam Chairperson, thank you for this rare opportunity you have given the people of the Northern Province to say a word on the 2022 Budget Estimates.

 

Madam Chairperson, I am honoured to present to this august House the unified policy statement in support of the proposed estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Northern Province Provincial Administration for 2022. The mandate of the provincial administration is stipulated in Article 150 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No.2 of 2016 and Government Gazette Notice No. 1123 of 2021.

 

Performance in 2021

 

Madam Chairperson, the 2021 estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Northern Province were over K70.4 million, of which over 99.6 per cent has been released, with a significant amount being disbursed under the New Dawn Administration. It is worth mentioning that the contribution of the Northern Province to the National Treasury during the 2021 fiscal year, in terms of non-tax revenue, stands at K3.1 million, against the projected annual target of K4.68 million. The main contributors to the non-tax revenue to continue being forestry, lands and survey services.

 

2022 Northern Province Budget

 

Madam Chairperson, the proposed 2022 Northern Province budget has been prepared in line with the President’s Speech, the Draft Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) and Vision 2030. The proposed budget is K84.6 million, compared with the 2021 budget of K70.4 million.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mbao: This represents an increase of 20.2 per cent. The increment demonstrates the New Dawn Administration’s commitment to taking resources closer to the people in line with the Decentralisation Policy.

 

Madam Chairperson, the focus areas for the 2022 provincial budget are as follows

 

1. community development and social services;
2. natural resource management;
3. economic development;
4. local government services; and
5. management and support services.

 

Madam Chairperson, under the Community Development and Social Services Programme, K16.3 million has been allocated to facilitate youth skills training, empowerment of women, children and the differently-abled, and the promotion of National Values and Principles, among other activities.

 

Madam Chairperson, under Natural Resource Management, K9.89 million has been provided for forest protection and management, rehabilitation and maintenance of boreholes and dams as well as weather forecasting and early warning.

 

Madam Chairperson, K12.1 million has been allocated under the Economic Development Programme to cater for land administration, resettlement schemes development, enforcement of labour laws and maintenance of public buildings, among other activities.

 

Madam Chairperson, under Local Government Services, K2.3 million has been provided to cater for the supervision of local authorities, planning and development control.

 

Lastly, Madam Chairperson, under Management and Support Services, K44 million has been allocated to development co-ordination, human resource management, financial management and publicity for Government programmes.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Northern Province endeavours to contribute to the improvement of the living standards of the people of Zambia, not only at the provincial level, but also at the national level, as highlighted in the United Party for National Development (UPND) Manifesto, the Draft 8NDP and Vision 2030. I, therefore, urge the hon. Members of this august House to support the 2022 budget for the Northern Province as presented. I also take this time to thank the hon. Members of Parliament from the Northern Province, especially Hon. Amb. Kalimi and his counterpart, Hon. Fube, for the ideas that they have given us and the well-thought-out debates that they have rendered in this House.

 

Madam, I emphasise that under the former regime, many people talked about development going to the Northern Province here in this House but, when you go on the ground, it is a sorry story. Our friends were very good at starting projects, and there are thousands of projects that have been started in the province. Alas, 90 per cent of them are at 2 per cent or 8 per cent.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms D. Mwamba: Or 1 per cent!

 

Mr Mbao: This is why the people of the Northern Province, on August 12^th, very strongly decided that they no longer wanted the Patriotic Front (PF) in the province; the party was a failure.

 

Hon. PF Members: Policy statement!

 

Mr Mbao: Madam Chairperson, we have talked about roads, and the construction of all the roads that we have talked about had started and the contractors are there. However, what has been given? Nothing!

 

Hon. PF Members: Policy statement!

 

Ms D. Mwamba: He has already given.

 

Mr Mbao: Madam Chairperson, we wish –

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mbao: Am I protected, Madam Chairperson?

 

Hon. PF Members: Policy!

 

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Members!

 

Can we allow the hon. Minister to finish.

 

Hon. PF Members: That is not the policy!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Mr Mbao: Madam Chairperson, the UPND Government is a good finisher.

 

Ms D. Mwamba: Yes, we will finish!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Mr Mbao: There is value in finishing. You cannot start projects all over the province and fail to finish them. We do not want that.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Chief Whip and Acting Leader of Government (Mr Mulusa): Madam Chairperson, let me start by appreciating all the hon. Members who have debated on the four Votes, namely Lusaka Province, the Copperbelt Province, Central Province and the Northern Province. I also commend the hon. Ministers who have presented their statements very well.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Vote 90 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 91 – (Office of the President – Copperbelt Province K91,858,089)

 

GENERAL AMENDMENT

 

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment on page 772, under 1.0: Mandate, Paragraph 1, by the deletion of the phrase “Government Gazette Notice No. 836 of 2016” and the substitution therefor of the phrase “Government Gazette Notice No. 1123 of 2021”.

 

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

 

Vote 91, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

Vote 92 and 93 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

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HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

(Progress reported)

 

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MOTION

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Chief Whip and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mulusa): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

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The House adjourned at 1259 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 17^th December, 2021.

 

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