Friday, 6^th February, 2026

 

The House met at 0900 hours

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

______

 

No quorum

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Is there a convention? Why are people not in the House?

 

Laughter

 

Quorum was formed.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to remind you that on Fridays, business starts at 0900 hours, sharp.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Sure, especially the Government!

 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MADAM SPEAKER

 

MEETING WITH THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has organised a meeting with hon. Members of Parliament to discuss the commission’s readiness and the roadmap for the delimitation exercise, which will involve the re-alignment of wards and creation of seventy new constituencies.

 

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, 10^th February, 2026, from 0900 hours to 1100 hours, in the Amphitheatre here at Parliament Buildings.

 

The organisers have put in place logistics to facilitate your participation in the meeting.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: So, it is not voluntary.

 

Hon. Members are requested to be punctual for this important engagement.

 

I thank you.

 

______

 

URGENT MATTERS WITHOUT NOTICE

 

MR KAPYANGA, HON. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MPIKA, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, MR SIALUBALO, ON THE USE OF THE CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND

 

Mr Kapyanga (Mpika): Madam Speaker, on an Urgent Matter without Notice.

 

Madam Speaker: An Urgent Matter without Notice is raised.

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to raise an Urgent Matter without Notice.

 

Madam Speaker, the matter is directed at the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in absentia, as I directed it at the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Ah! He is here, in the House!

 

Mr Kapyanga: Oh!

 

Mr Sialubalo: You cannot see me because I am dark?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kapyanga: Apologies, hon. Minister.

 

Madam Speaker, in 2024, the Government directed the local councils to be spending the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) whenever it came through, even the one for the next funding cycle. By this, I mean that the money that was meant for 2025 projects, for example, was be spent on projects for 2024, and the local councils proceeded accordingly. However, many councils did not receive part of the 2024 CDF allocation, and that has affected the implementation of 2025 as well as 2026 projects. Many local councils across the country are grappling with this situation, and contractors visit the offices of council secretaries almost every day.

 

Madam Speaker, I therefore, seek your indulgence on whether the hon. Minister can clarify this matter.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Mpika, whereas the issue you have raised is important, it does not qualify to be raised as an Urgent Matter without Notice.

 

The hon. Member is advised to use other means to bring up that issue with the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

 

So, the matter is not admitted.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Mpika, whereas the issue that you have raised is important, it does not qualify to be raised as an Urgent Matter without Notice. You are advised to use other means to bring this issue to the attention of the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development. So, the Urgent Matter without Notice is not admitted.

 

MR MTAYACHALO, HON. MEMBER FOR CHAMA NORTH, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECURITY AND ACTING LEADER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE, MR MWIIMBU, SC., ON PROVIDING RELIEF FOOD

 

Mr Mtayachalo (Chama North): On an Urgent Matter without Notice, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: An Urgent Matter without Notice is raised.

 

Mr Mtayachalo:  Madam Speaker, my Urgent Matter without Notice is directed at the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House.

 

Madam Speaker, Chama District, like other districts such as Shangombo where my friend Hon. Mubika comes from, was greatly affected by a devastating drought, human-animal conflict, and other natural calamities, which have undermined household food security.  

 

Madam Speaker, the Government is not providing relief food to our people but is instead implementing the Emergency Cash Transfer Programme where people are being K400 for four months. This has not settled well with certain communities, in the sense that the commodity is not readily available in some places. For example, in Mulilo, which is about 100 km from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) depot, all the maize has been shifted to Isoka and Chibale. However, K400 is being paid to the affected people to buy maize from the FRA, but the commodity is not available. So, the situation is so desperate such that briefcase buyers have now taken advantage of that and are exploiting our people, with a 50 kg bag of maize costing K500 in Chibale.

 

Madam Speaker, above all, the Government has left out many beneficiaries. For example, in Chama District, both in Chama South and Chama North, only 2,900 people have been earmarked to benefit from the Emergency Cash Transfer Programme. All the previous Governments used to provide relief food. Why is the Government selling a 50 kg bag of maize at K360? Is it a business?

 

Madam Speaker, as Members of Parliament, we receive requests for money every day. Where will we get money to help our people who are suffering?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious indulgence.

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. Member for Chama North. The issue you have raised is important if what you have said is what is happening on the ground. However, the matter does not qualify to be admitted as an Urgent Matter without Notice. I encourage you to engage the relevant authorities so that the issue can be addressed.

 

Regarding the availability of monies, on a lighter note, hon. Member for Chama North, be prepared. This is an election year, so you will part away with a lot of money as you interact with members of the public. That was on a lighter note, but I just wanted to make you aware that you need more funds in your pocket.

 

MR ZULU, HON. MEMBER FOR NYIMBA, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, MR SIALUBALO, AND THE HON. MINISTER OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING, DR MUSOKOTWANE, ON THE CONFLICTING NEEDS BETWEEN BUILDING MORE CLASSROOMS AND RESOLVING THE POWER DEFICIT IN THE COUNTRY

 

Mr Zulu (Nyimba): On an Urgent Matter without Notice, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: An Urgent Matter without Notice is raised

 

Mr Zulu: Madam Speaker, my Urgent Matter without Notice is directed at the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. 

 

Madam Speaker, there are two very brilliant Government projects. The first one is the provision of free education, and there was a Presidential directive that no child should sit on the floor or learn under a tree, meaning we have to do everything possible using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to construct classrooms and buy desks for our children. There is another new Presidential directive of installing a 2 MW solar plant, and each constituency is supposed to contribute K10 million or K5.9 million from its CDF.

 

Madam Speaker, we have a new, brilliant curriculum, and it has made China to be where it is now. Basic schools have been abolished, meaning that in a place where there were twenty primary schools, under the new curriculum, all pupils are supposed to go to a single school, and there are no school places. As Members of Parliament, both from the right and the left, we wanted to build more classrooms and a good number of us budgeted for that, to accommodate more children. However, we cannot build the classrooms because there is a very important project that needs to be implemented to address the power deficit in the country.

 

Madam Speaker, all we are asking from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and the Ministry of Education – Is it possible to suspend the solar power project, which is supposed to be implemented this year, to next year, so that we can look at another important programme of providing school facilities because it is difficult to find school places in rural constituencies? This matter is directed at the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House and the hon. Minister of Education because it is a cross cutting issue.

 

Madam Speaker: So many issues have been raised. Definitely, they do not qualify to be raised as Urgent Matters without Notice. However, as you look at the projects you are doing, I think it is better to prioritise important ones. Does the project relate to energy? Of course, education is also important. So, it is just a matter of weighing and seeing which projects to prioritise. I am sure, the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has heard. The hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning is not here, but I am sure he has heard.

 

Hon. Ministers, that is a concern from the hon. Members. So, engage with them and see how you can address it. If the hon. Member for Nyimba would want that issue to be brought up by way of a question, he can file in a question, because it does not qualify to be raised as an Urgent Matter without Notice. Therefore, it is not admitted.

 

We make progress.

 

_______

 

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

 

APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 57 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF ZAMBIA FOLLOWING THE DEMISE OF THE MPIKA DISTRICT COUNCIL CHAIRMAN

 

The Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mwiimbu, SC.): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to issue a Ministerial Statement regarding the vacancy in the office of the Council Chairperson for Mpika Town Council, following the untimely passing of the incumbent. This follows an Urgent Matter without Notice, which was raised by the Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo.

 

Madam Speaker, the mandate to conduct elections is vested in the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). However, the Commission’s duty to conduct a by-election is strictly contingent upon the lawful occurrence of a vacancy and a subsequent formal notification. The Commission received formal notification of the vacancy in Mpika on 4^th February, 2026.

 

Madam Speaker, Article 158 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016 is instructive. It requires that a by-election be held in accordance with Article 57, which stipulates that such an election must occur within ninety days of the vacancy. However, the House must take note of Article 57(2) of the Constitution, which saves as a mandatory stay on elections. It states as follows:

 

“A by-election shall not be held within the 180-day period that precedes a general election.”

 

Madam Speaker, as per Article 56(1), the 2026 General Election is set for the second Thursday of August, which is 13^th August, 2026. Consequently, the 180-day blackout period for by-elections commences on 14^th February, 2026. This means any by-election must be concluded no later than 13^th February, 2026.

 

Madam Speaker, with the vacancy having been reported on 4^th February, 2026, the commission is left with a window of only nine days before the constitutional bar takes effect. I wish to inform this august House that holding a credible by-election within such a timeframe is logistically and legally impractical. The Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016 prescribes mandatory procedures that cannot be compressed into nine days. These include:

 

1. providing sufficient public notice regarding statutory periods for the filing of nominations;

 

1. training of the retaining officer and assistants in readiness for the conduct of candidates’ nominations;

 

1. engaging aspiring candidates on the nomination requirements and procedures;

 

1. conducting of nominations during which candidates file their nomination papers and the commission verifies their eligibility;

 

1. allowing a meaningful campaign period to ensure a fair and democratic environment, where candidates can engage the electorate; and

 

1. procuring of ballot papers, which involves the printing, shipment and delivery of ballot papers, which can only commence after the final ballot paper samples are signed off.

 

Madam Speaker, rushing these processes would not only jeopardise the integrity of the vote, but would also likely violate the rights of candidates to an adequate campaign period.

 

In conclusion, Madam Speaker, as the remaining window is insufficient to satisfy the statutory requirements for a free and fair election, and as we are about to enter the constitutionally prohibited 180-day window, no by-election will be held for the Mpika Town Council Chairperson. The office shall remain vacant until the general election on 13^th August, 2026, in full compliance with the Constitution of Zambia.

 

 Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: I am sure that the statement is self-explanatory. It is very clear and, therefore, there is no need for questions. What is important to know is that there will be no by-election. I think that is what the hon. Member for Shiwang’andu wanted to know. 

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

UPDATE ON PAYMENTS TO FARMERS WHO SUPPLIED MAIZE TO THE FOOD REESERVE AGENCY DURING THE 2025 CROP MARKETING SEASON.

 

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Mtolo): Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to update the august House on the status of farmer payments under the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for maize purchases in the 2025 marketing cycle.

 

Madam Speaker, during the 2025 Crop Marketing Season, the FRA had planned to purchase 543,000 metric tonnes of maize at a total cost of K3,692,400,000. However, the Government encouraged farmers to produce more and they responded to the call. Therefore, due to the overwhelming response from farmers, the bumper harvest obtained, the need to ensure that farmers got a fair price for their maize and the need to secure the maize obtained from farmers, the Government decided to allow farmers to continue depositing their maize with the FRA. By the close of the marketing season, a total of 1,667,921.15 metric tonnes, valued at K11,314,750,520 was supplied by a total of 846,655 farmers across the country. This was an increase of 307 per cent above the planned target. As at 15^th January, 2026, the Government had disbursed a total of K11,348,478,100 to banks for farmer payments, leaving no balance outstanding.

 

Madam Speaker, as regards the management of surplus stocks and sustaining FRA obligations, the House may recall that the country had an exportable surplus of 501,621 metric tonnes in the 2024/2025 Farming Season. Therefore, as at 31^st December, 2025, total maize grain exports totalled 202,876 metric tonnes, which can be broken down as follows:

 

Private Sector Exports

 

1. 148,494 metric tonnes maize grain, which is the mealie meal equivalent of 126,918 metric tonnes; and

           

1. 15,734 metric tonnes.

 

FRA Exports

 

1. 38,648 tonnes maize grain.

 

Madam Speaker, this leaves a balance of 298,745 metric tonnes from the surplus available for export.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government remains resolute in securing export markets to offload the maize surplus currently held by the FRA to support timely financial obligations and preparedness for the upcoming marketing season. Further, the Government, through the FRA, has signed a government-to-government contract with the Republic of Malawi to export 200,000 metric tonnes of maize grain. It is from this that 38,648 metric tonnes have moved already. As at 2^nd February, 2026, 37,143.17 metric tonnes had been moved to Malawi. In addition, bilateral discussions are also on-going between the Government of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has expressed interest in purchasing over 500,000 metric tonnes of mealie meal from Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, in the 2026 Crop Marketing Season, the Government will place emphasis on digital payments to farmers’ bank or mobile money accounts to minimise over-the-counter transactions.

 

Additionally, the Government is working to operationalise the warehouse receipt system, a mechanism that will provide an opportunity for farmers, agro-dealers and individuals to transact using their receipts as collateral.

 

Let me conclude, by once again, Madam Speaker, commending our hardworking farmers, out growers, agro-dealers and many others in the agriculture sector for their hard work and patience. The Government is cognisant of the increased participation of agro-dealers in rural areas, and therefore, encourages them to start mobilising for the next marketing season. The private sector is further encouraged to take agro-marketing, especially in rural areas, seriously, as the economy there is thriving. The high productivity from our farmers in the last season, and the K11.3 billion paid out to them is evidence that our rural economies are a driving force towards a food-secure Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, the ministry will continue to strengthen market arrangements and export facilitation to support the Food Reserve Agency's (FRA) cash flow so that we can have a settlement of outstanding attendant costs and ensure preparedness for the next marketing season.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government is thanks  the hardworking farmers of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. Minister of Agriculture.

 

Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the Ministerial Statement presented by the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

 

Mr Charles Mulenga (Kwacha): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the Ministerial Statement he has just delivered on the Floor of the House.

 

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the Government's efforts to increase the purchase of maize from farmers across the country. Initially, the target was to buy 500,000 metric tonnes. However, the Government went out of its way and purchased 1,600,000 metric tonnes, which is very good. That came with its own challenges. With the challenges faced, is the ministry not considering reverting to the old system that the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBOARD) used? Farmers can then be paid at points close to their homes where they deliver their maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) sheds instead of travelling long distances to town centres where they would spend days waiting for their money. I would like to get the hon. Minister’s comment on that.

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I wish to thank the hon. Member for that question. In his preamble, he notes the Government’s movement from purchasing 543,000 metric tonnes to 1.7 million metric tonnes of maize. That activity was because our President and the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government love the people. That movement was because our President and the UPND Government care for the farmers.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mtolo: The movement, Madam Speaker, is because our President and the UPND Government knew that it would deliver the money to the farmers the way it has done. It is because of this that I am saying the President still has work to do. Therefore, he should be voted back into office in August so that he can continue to deliver. I am urging everyone to vote for the man who moved the target purchase from 543,000 metric tonnes to 1.7 million metric tonnes of maize. He was able to calm the Government down to withstand the mounting pressure.

 

Madam Speaker, it was quite a bit of pressure. My hair would be no different from yours right now.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, let me get back to the issue. The hon. Member asked why the country cannot revert to the days of the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBOARD) so that people are paid at the sheds.

 

Madam Speaker, this is a very honourable House, and facts should be taught. The NAMBOARD collapsed due to how it operated. It used to buy everything, and there was no private sector participation. According to history, the country had two budgets; the National Budget, which this House considers, and another one specifically for NAMBOARD. If the country goes back to that system, we will be sure to collapse the FRA. We need private sector participation to buy part of the maize. The hon. Members themselves should buy part of the maize and export it. During the operation of NAMBOARD, maize marketing was controlled. However, it is no longer controlled. Anyone can buy. Anyone can export it. If maize purchase is restricted to be a Government activity, the country will be planning for failure.

 

Madam Speaker, for instance, if the target is to produce 10 million metric tonnes of maize, and the country consumes 3 million metric tonnes, is the House sure that the agency, on its own, can buy 7 million metric tonnes? The answer is obviously no. Nowhere in the world does that happen. There is private sector participation everywhere.

 

Madam Speaker, for the payments, the Government is encouraging paying money directly through mobile phone accounts. Money will also be paid directly into the farmers’ bank accounts. The Government is minimising across-counter payments. I have used the term “miniminsing”. The exercise will be undertaken slowly, while the farmers are educated as the Government earns confidence that they will receive their money.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr E. Banda (Muchinga): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Government for purchasing maize from the farmers who were almost losing it to the briefcase buyers.

 

Madam Speaker, there is a serious concern from the farmers. The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has restricted its purchase to twenty-nine bags per crop receipt. That has led to farmers with a lot of maize acquiring more than twenty to 100 receipts. By so doing, they are getting people to represent them. That has led to many farmers being swindled out of their money. For example, I would ask Hon. Nyambose to help me sell the maize so he has a receipt in his name for my maize. However, the day he gets my money, he disappears. I start looking for him, and maybe, I will have about four or five people do the same. My question is: Why would the FRA not change the system to allow a crop receipt to have up to 100 bags of maize or more? Those who have less can sell even ten or twenty bags of maize, rather than restricting it to twenty-nine bags of maize per crop receipt. It has proved to be a big problem.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member is very right. For those who would not have understood him, the FRA placed a limit on each sale to twenty-nine bags of maize.  The system was set to pay only up to K10,000. It was restricted.

 

However, a supplier could be given ten or twenty different receipts in their name. he did not have to give Hon. Nyambose. There was no restriction. I agree with the hon. Member. We will adjust the system to absorb more numbers, because it is clear that the supply of maize is now more than ten bags. I think, 100 bags or more threshold would do.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, let me start by appreciating and thanking you for allowing the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House to clarify the constitutional matter regarding the by-elections this morning.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon Minister of Agriculture should have started by apologising to the farmers.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, all hon. Colleagues here, in the House, who are rural constituency-based Members of Parliament will attest to the fact that our farmers have been humiliated and they have suffered. They travel long distances and sleep on corridors at the banks during the rainy season.

 

Mr Nkandu: It is you to apologise!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Shut up, you.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Why do you want to start heckling?

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Nkandu: Question!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, hon. Minister should conduct themselves honourably.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Shiwang’andu!

 

Hon. Members, we have to select the language that we use in the House. This is a dignified House. So, when we use such words against each other, it reduces the dignity and decorum. No matter how upset we are or how much we want to hit back, please, let us use acceptable language, as we interact with each other.

 

Hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, withdraw the word you used.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, well guided. I withdraw that word.

 

Madam Speaker, I would also like to appeal to our colleagues, the hon. Ministers to conduct themselves honourably.

 

Madam Speaker: You are watering down my guidance, hon. Member.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: You may proceed.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I was saying that the hon. Minister of Agriculture should have started by apologising to the farmers because the humiliation that they have suffered during this farming season is unbearable. Most of them travel long distances and camp at the banks in the rainy season. The hon. Minister was in that same position, at his seat, when he assured this august House that the farmers would be paid by 30^th October. That made his hon. Colleagues in the Cabinet, I remember, for example, the hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts, who travelled to Muchinga Province, assure the farmers of the same date. Paying farmers in January has very serious implications on production, and the hon. Minister knows that fact. Some of the farmers have not had the chance to benefit–

 

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, can I be protected.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Let us allow the hon. Member for Shiwang’andu to ask his question.

 

Hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, please, do not debate. Ask a question on a point of clarification on the Ministerial Statement presented by the hon. Minister of Agriculture. Do not debate.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Well guided, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: You may proceed.

 

Mr Kampyongo: The issue of farmers is emotive, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has indicated that the Government will start paying farmers using mobile phone services. He may have seen how that has failed in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, which has tried to disburse the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) allowance using mobile phone services, due to a lack of connectivity in many areas. What measures has the Government put in place to smoothly transact with the farmers, who have suffered this season?

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker I would like to thank Hon. Kampyongo, Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu under the Patriotic Front (PF), for that question.

 

Madam Speaker, when we moved from 543,000 metric tonnes to 1.7 million metric tonnes production, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, apologised everywhere. Who does not know that the Head of State apologised?

 

Mr Kampyongo: It is not him who lied.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I will not be swayed by the language used by my Hon. Kampyongo who is saying that it was not the President who lied.

 

Lying is not allowed in this House, Hon. Kampyongo. You are a former Minister, you should know that.

 

Madam Speaker, I will continue, very happily so. I, as Minister of Agriculture under the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government, the able Government that loves, cares and delivers for the people, and that still has a lot to do for the people, and that will win the next election, …

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mtolo: … will ensure that the proposed receipt mechanism that we give the farmer can be used. Do not misquote me by saying that I stood on the Floor, and said this and that. I have said that the ministry is making arrangements so that the receipt that is given to the farmer can be redeemable. It is called the warehouse receipting system. Secondly, the ministry will ensure that the mobile phone numbers that the farmers provide are correct so that when the money is deposited, the farmer does not say, for example, that his or her nephew used the money. No. We want to ensure that we are indemnified against any negative effects.

 

Madam Speaker, the third issue is that the ministry wants to ensure that people submit account numbers. People are expanding and cultivating more. You do not want to make a payment of K120 million into a mobile phone service, you would want to deposit it into a bank account. So, the ministry is asking the good farmers to submit bank account details. Finally, for those who would like to get money over the counter, we will facilitate that. These are the four things that the ministry will work on. We will ensure that happens.

 

Madam Speaker, I cannot emphasise more. We apologise to the farmers. Today, I came to inform the nation about where we are, and the current status is that the entire K11.3 billion for the 1.7 million metric tonnes supplied by the 856,000 farmers has been paid out.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, the money that the Government budgets sends signals to the farmer in terms of how many bags the Government will buy, in terms of metric tonnes. Last year when the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) announced that it would only buy 543,000 metric tonnes, I am on record asking the hon. Minister what would happen to the extra maize. I will still ask the same question today. We are now in the 2026 Farming Season. Obviously, farmers are paying attention to what we are discussing. When farmers know that their maize will be procured, that influences how much they will produce. My follow up question is: How much has the ministry budgeted for maize procurement in the 2026 Budget? Again, it will send a signal as to whether farmers will produce enough based on the experience that they have gone through in the past couple of months.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, right now, I do not know the exact amount that we appropriated for the FRA, here, together with Hon. Kang’ombe. All of us in this House appropriated funds for the FRA.

 

Madam Speaker, I like the question from the hon. Member. Let us get involved in procuring grain from farmers. I gave an example of our target. If we produced 10 million metric tonnes and got 3 million for our consumption, the 7 million metric tonnes would have to be procured. If we expect this House to be apportioning money for the 7 million metric tonnes, then, we are going to fail the farmers. We should encourage private sector participation. Mr Kang’ombe, who is an able hon. Member of Parliament, should be able to set aside money and buy from the farmers. Let us form co-operatives and institutions and put money together, and buy from farmers. That is how it is done everywhere. Brazil, for example, produces 200 million metric tonnes of maize. Does one think that the Government would buy 200 million metric tonnes on its own? No, it is the private sector that gets involved. So, let us not misinform farmers and induce fear in them that the Government has only planned to buy 500,000 metric tonnes, therefore, they will suffer the same fate. That is wrong. Let us do the right thing.

 

Madam Speaker, the Standing Orders indicate that if an hon. Member asks a question, he or she should pay attention. The hon. Member is not paying attention, yet I am answering his question.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: How much have you budgeted?

 

Mr Mtolo: What have I said? It is because you are not listening.

 

Mr Kang’ombe interjected.

 

Mr Mtolo: No, no!

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

 When we ask questions, let us listen to the answer so that we avoid asking similar questions. It is not only the hon. Member who asks the question who should pay attention. We should all pay attention to avoid repeating ourselves.

 

May the hon. Minister continue.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I will extract the exact figure, which we, as Members of Parliament, appropriated in the Budget before Parliament closes and I will give it to Hon. Kang’ombe. However, I still insist that we get the private sector involved. Otherwise, this will be a failed project by the nation, not by the United Party for National Development (UPND).

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Hamwaata (Pemba): Madam Speaker, the country is expected to record another bumper harvest for the 2025/2026 Farming Season. What measures is the Government putting in place to ensure that the hard-working farmers have adequate market options for their produce?

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, if the private sector does not come in and buy the maize, I assure the nation that the Government will come in again, as it did this year, and will buy all the maize that it will receive.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ngowani (Mpongwe): Madam Speaker, we appreciate the Government’s effort to pay farmers. However, there are some farmers who took their maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), and the system deducted K400 as a contribution to the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), but they did not receive the codes to redeem the inputs. The programme has since come to an end. What will happen to the funds that were deducted from those farmers?

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, hon. Members should give us the names of the farmers in all the areas where that happened. We will ensure that the money is refunded.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Zulu (Nyimba): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has ably answered that the private sector or briefcase buyers like Hon. Kang’ombe, can go out there to purchase maize and sell. He agrees with me that whenever there is a shortage of maize in a certain area, and a bumper harvest in other areas of the country, it is very difficult for a person like me to export maize. That is the reason there is the Zambia National Service (ZNS) everywhere.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister may recall what used to happen in his constituency, Chipata Central, in early 2022 or 2023, when we did not have enough maize in the country. Even today, to get an export permit, one has to travel, let us say, from Nakonde to Lusaka. Is it possible for the ministry to decentralise the issuance of export permits to the offices of the District Agriculture Co-ordinators (DACOs) because these are the people who know the stock of maize in their respective districts? The export permit can be issued at the district level or the provincial level, unlike people travelling from faraway places to Lusaka to get export permits.

 

Mr. Mtolo: Madam Speaker, the question that Hon. Menyani Zulu has asked is a very important one because it gives insight into what we are supposed to do as a country.

 

Madam Speaker, a time will come when the Government will completely let go of the maize industry. The FRA will buy what it requires and will allow maize to be moved in and out as the market demands. That is how other countries operate. The Government does not get involved in the maize business. So, in future, we will buy enough maize, over 1 million metric tonnes as reserve, and will then allow people to do what they want to do. However, the problem is that many of us Zambians do not want to structure our exports. We just want to load a truck, go through Magwelo in Chipata, and export across the border without papers. That is why the Zambia National Service (ZNS) is there. When one gets a permit, one is free to export. Even today, I am informing the nation that we are there to help. I said that there is a balance of 280,000 metric tonnes, which anybody can export. So, we will give anyone with a market a permit.

 

Madam Speaker, in terms of the decentralisation of export permits, that has already been done. One can get a permit digitally and does not have to travel to Lusaka. The facility is there. However, I hear the hon. Member. Maybe because we are used to the physical process, we need to think of decentralising the process in terms of physical paperwork. At the moment, one can be anywhere and get a digital permit as long as one meets the requirements.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Munsanje (Mbabala): Madam Speaker, good morning.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I am rising on a point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 71.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Agriculture is on record, here, saying that all the farmers who were beneficiaries of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) were supposed to sell their maize only to the Government. He even set a threshold of ten bags of maize that farmers were supposed to sell to the FRA.

 

Mr Chisopa: He threatened them.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Yes, he threatened them that those who were not going to meet the target of selling ten bags of maize to the FRA would not benefit from FISP this farming season. We want clarity from him because he is now saying that the private sector should move in and procure maize from farmers. Who are these same farmers benefitting from FISP? Is he in order to continue giving us conflicting positions, which we cannot understand as people’s representatives, worse still, the farmers?

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: My understanding, from what the hon. Minister said, is completely different from that. I will ask the hon. Minister to clarify so that I do not put words in his mouth.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, what the hon. Member is saying is not correct. I came here to indicate to the whole nation that the issue of the ten bags of maize has been taken out, …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

 Mr Mtolo: … and that the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) requirement has also been taken out.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mtolo: Now, it is not my fault that some people have conventions every time. So, they are not in the House to hear information. It is not my problem. Let us learn to tell the truth. Let us not give wrong information about fellow hon. Members of Parliament. It is not right. I came here to present a Ministerial Statement on a specific issue.

 

Mr Syakalima: Exactly.

 

Mr Mtolo: I have talked about this issue so many times. I even went to speak on radio. Who does not know that we said that the issues of ten bags of maize and the NAPSA requirement have been withdrawn? How can an hon. Member of Parliament, a former hon. Minister, stand here and give wrong information? That is not right. It is not right. It is a way of trying to show that we are incapable, as Cabinet. That is not right.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, let us get back to business. Again, I will emphasise. Let us listen carefully to Ministerial Statements, the questions that are asked and the answers that are given on the Floor of the House. If we do not listen, we will give wrong information to the public. That point of order is not admitted because the hon. Minister of Agriculture has clarified the point. The ten bags of maize issue was done away with. The National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) issue was also done away with. So, let us get that as the correct information.

 

The next question will be from the hon. Member for Chipili.

 

Mr Chala (Chipili): Madam Speaker, I –

 

Mr Munsanje: I was asking a question when the point of order was raised.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

I am sorry, hon. Member for Chipili. The hon. Member for Mbabala was on the Floor.

 

Hon. Member for Mbabala, you may ask your question.

 

Mr Munsanje: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for that wonderful message of love and care –

 

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Sorry, hon. Member for Mbabala. It looks like your question is going to be interrupted again. The hon. Minister of – no, Her Honour –

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: The Acting Leader of Government Business in the House is raising a point of order. What is your point of order?

 

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: Madam Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order on Hon. Kafwaya.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: Madam Speaker, Hon. Kafwaya, in the months preceding the opening of Parliament, was very vocal. He spoke on behalf of Zambians. He complained that the Kwacha had weakened so much that the people of Zambia were not benefiting from the policies of the Government. Hon. Kafwaya was very consistent in complaining about the price of fuel. Hon. Kafwaya consistently complained pertaining to the prices of goods and services in the country. Now that prices have dropped, and the United States (US) Dollar and the price of fuel have dropped, Hon. Kafwaya is so quiet.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: His loudness is being heard by members of the public.

 

Mr Syakalima: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: Madam Speaker, is he in order to be quiet? My point of order is pursuant to Standing Order No. 71. Even silence speaks louder than words.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: Madam Speaker, is he in order to remain quiet? He is not talking about the good issues which have happened as a result of his complaints? Is he in order to remain quiet?

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. Minister, for that point of order. Looking at the hon. Member for Lunte, I think that he is still studying the – that is my impression. I think that he is studying the situation, but so far it looks like he is satisfied.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: That is why he is not saying anything. So, we will give him an opportunity at the right time. He even came into the House late. That means he looks happy with what is going on.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: That is my assessment. Thank you very much.

 

So, the hon. Member for Lunte is in order to keep quiet. When you have nothing to say, you keep quiet and watch, is that not so?

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: So, let us make progress.

 

The hon. Member for Mbabala may proceed.

 

 Mr Munsanje: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the wonderful message of love and care from the mighty United Party for National Development (UPND) Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema. The Government is ably delivering for the people of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has delivered a message on the four methods of payment to farmers that the Government is working on. It is looking forward to making payments seamlessly and making it easier for farmers to receive their money from the comfort of their homes through mobile banking or other methods. I am sure that will ease the situation countrywide.

 

Madam Speaker, in line with the hon. Minister’s statement, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is in charge of strategic food reserves. Right now, we have communities like Mwanachelwa and others in my constituency that need maize to be sold by the FRA under community sales. I wish to know when the ministry will make the maize from the strategic food reserves available for sale to our communities in Chief Mapanza and Chief Macha in my constituency.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I wish to thank Hon. Dr Joseph Munsanje for reminding us that the President loves and cares for his people. He is delivering, and still wants to deliver for his people. Therefore, he needs their vote.

 

Madam Speaker, I have heard what the hon. Member has said on the community maize sales. I will sit with him so that we can implement that idea. In a couple of places, we have implemented it. We have given the FRA the authority to start community sales of maize. This is happening, and that is why he might see that there are very few complaints about the price of mealie meal. It is because people are free to go and buy a bag of maize from the FRA. I will sit with Hon. Dr Munsanje so that we open the community sale of maize in the areas that he mentioned, which I did not pick quite well.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

 Madam Speaker: Thank you. The hon. Member for Chama North is not in the House. He raised a question on something like that; he would have benefited from that response.

 

The hon. Member for Chipili may proceed. 

 

Mr Chala: Madam Speaker, looking at what Her Honour – he raised his point of order.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Chala: I mean the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security. I am sorry to have referred to him as “Her Honour”.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister stood there and said that within this week, prices of goods would come down –

 

Mr Nkandu: Question!

 

Mr Chala: That is what he said.

 

Madam Speaker, I do not know what he is doing in his ministry concerning the price of a bag of maize. When is the Government going to reduce the price of a bag of maize so that our people can benefit? When is the Government going to also create storage facilities? At the moment, the storage facilities are full. When is the Government going to create storage facilities so that we can celebrate that the hon. Minister has done it?

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I wish to thank my good friend, Hon. Paul Chala, for that question.

 

Madam Speaker, in the maize industry, we reduced the price of mealie meal. The price of mealie meal that particular day was reduced by some of the millers, if I am not mistaken, by about K20. I think, I saw a miller who spoke and actually said that millers had reduced the price of mealie meal. So, we will continue working on the price of mealie meal other than maize, because maize has a price that we bought it for. It cannot go below that price.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Madam Speaker: My cousin, the hon. Member for Chipili, is still living in the Wilensky days.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mabeta (Kankoyo): Madam Speaker, –

 

Mr Kafwaya: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, the mood in the House today is quite serene. I have seen hon. Ministers who do not smile, smile.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Agriculture has made extremely alarming statements in responding to the hon. Members. When the hon. Member of Parliament for Shiwag’andu posed a question, the hon. Minister indicated that he cannot apologise to the farmers because the President has been everywhere apologising, meaning in all parts of this country.

 

Madam Speaker, I have seen the President in Choma on an unexplained holiday. I have not seen him everywhere. The hon. Minister had indicated that this Government of the United Party for National Development (UPND) has demonstrated love for the farmers.

 

Madam Speaker, is having farmers getting soaked outside banks an expression of love? Is that the definition of care and love, as far as the UPND is concerned, for the farmers? The hon. Minister is aware that to sell this maize, which the Government failed to pay for on time –

 

Madam Speaker: Is that a point of order or a debate? What is the point of order? What is the breach?

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, I am ending my point of order by saying that to sell this maize, farmers spent over three months at depots.

 

Madam Speaker, is this the new expression of love by the UPND Government to the farmers? I seek your fair ruling on the new description of love according to the UPND for the farmers.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Lunte, I am always fair in my rulings. However, just so I am, again, not perceived to be unfair, I will allow the hon. Minister to respond.

 

Mr Kafwaya: It is a point of order!

 

Madam Speaker: It is a point of order, I know, but I do not want to respond just in case I am cited as not being fair in the way I will handle the question. I have my own response, but I would like the hon. Minister to respond to that point of order.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, let me start by acknowledging what the hon. Member has said concerning the mood in the House being very serene today, including his. It is rare to see him smile. I am very happy that he is smiling.

 

Laughter

 

 Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, here is a situation. On a very serious note, the Government is planning to buy 543,000 metric tonnes of maize and the money has been appropriated or apportioned for that, and budgeted for that.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member, who asked the question is very particular about following the Budget. I remember him asking where the Government was getting the money to do this and that.

 

Madam Speaker, so, from a target of 543,000 metric tonnes, we buy 1.7 million metric tonnes. That is three times over the traget. Then, the President says: “My dear friends in Cabinet, we told the farmers to produce, we only budgeted to buy 543,000 metric tonnes. Where do you think the farmers will take that maize? They will be open to abuse and to exploitation. Can you, as the Cabinet, make sure that you buy the extra maize. Whatever the farmer brings, accept it.”

 

   Madam Speaker, I mentioned five things today, about the President and the UPND. I said it loves, and the President loves these people. Is it not love to say, “Hon. Minister of Agriculture and your friends, get all the maize. Hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning look for the money.”  Is that not love? It is love.

 

Madam Speaker, the definition of care is actually in that act; to care for the farmers so that they are not exploited, so the Government can receive the maize trough the FRA. Is that not caring? So, you start with loving, then you care. Now, after caring, you say, deliver.

 

Madam Speaker, it has taken a bit of time, and it is there that the President apologised. It is there that we, as the Cabinet and the Government and yourselves, hon. Members of Parliament, apologised to the people. All of us apologised. All of us, including you (pointing at Mr Kafwaya) apologised. Now, after having apologised, you deliver. So, you love, you care, then you deliver. Then, after that, you start asking the people if they have seen what you have done. We tell them that we can do more for them and ask them to put us back in power. When we win, and, we can win, and do the same good thing.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to make it very clear that farmers sleeping at the bank was a very sad situation. We apologised for that, but we have delivered, and the farmers have been paid. To find K11.3 billion is not easy. When I took over as Minister of Agriculture, I found more than K2.4 billion at that time, outstanding. I was appointed in September, and that is what was there.

 

Madam Speaker, the President loves his people. The President cares for his people. The President delivers for his people, and the President still wants to do these things. And the President must win.

 

Madam Speaker, he will win.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, we are running out of time. You know that we have a lot of business on the Order Paper which we need to transact. When I asked the hon. Member for Kankoyo to ask the question, I did not realise that we had gone over the the time for this segment. Therefore, hon. Members, as we ask these questions, let us go to the Research Department to get more information. We had Research Week. Let us go back and find information.

 

If you look at the purchase of maize from 2021 to 2025, you will see the numbers; how much maize was bought for each year and so on and so forth. And you will realise that in 2025, more maize was bought from the farmers over and above what was budgeted for. So, as we debate and ask questions, please, let us be factual so that our questions are not taken out of context.

 

Hon. Member for Kankoyo, since I had already called upon you, you can ask your question, but please, be precise and brief.

 

Mr Mabeta (Kankoyo): Madam Speaker, in Bemba we say, uwakwensha ubushiku, bamutasha lulya bwacha. Just a few years ago, during the droughts, our hon. Minister of Agriculture was named ba Minister bansala.

 

Madam Speaker, today, he is a great hon. Minister who has raised K11 billion and paid the farmers. We, the people of Kankoyo are very grateful for the policies that are working and we want the hon. Minister to deliver a message to the President. When you see him, please, tell him that in 2024, Kankoyo produced 177,000 bags of maize from the average of 22,000 in the last sixty years.

 

That has not been done before. That is only being done now. By 2026, we will hit the 200,000 bags milestone because of the Government’s good policies, especially His Excellency the President’s leadership.

 

Madam Speaker, my question is on exports. It is very difficult to export maize. One may have all the permits, but before one can export the commodity, he or she is asked to deposit US$200,000 as an advance. US$200,000 is equivalent to K4 million. Where can an average Zambian find such money to deposit before exporting maize? What is the procedure for exporting maize, especially to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)?

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Member for the good things he has said.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like to concentrate on the last part of the hon. Member’s question. I am not aware that one is supposed to pay US$200,000. To whom and for what? Maybe, that is an arrangement you make with your buyer as security. From the Government’s point of view, I would say that does not happen. The Government does not ask for any payment. I may need to have a chat with the hon. Member about that.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: Before we proceed, the hon. Member for Chipili would like to raise a point of order.

 

What is the point of order, hon. Member?

 

Mr Chala: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, my point of order is on the hon. Minister of Agriculture. When I asked the question about reducing the price of a bag of maize, he said that the Government cannot tamper with the price. On the other hand, the millers have reduced their prices by K20 or so.  How possible is it that while the price of maize has not reduced where the millers buy, the Government expects them to reduce mealie meal prices? Is he in order to say that the millers have reduced the prices, meanwhile his ministry cannot tamper with the price of a bag of maize?

 

Madam Speaker, I need your serious ruling.

 

Madam Speaker, my point of order is based on Standing Order No.71.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: I do not even know what to say. I will attempt to answer that. I hope I will not–

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Okay.

 

Hon. Minister, why are the millers reducing the price of mealie meal, and yet the price of a bag of maize has not reduced? Maybe, you can answer.

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, firstly, not all the maize that is milled for mealie meal in Zambia is bought from the FRA. Millers buy their own maize. Several factors contribute to the cost of production, such as labour, raw materials, electricity, fuel and the cost of borrowing funds. The United Party for National Development (UPND) Government has made the fundamentals of doing business favourable. Very favourable. Now, more hours of electricity are available. Previously, millers did not have that much access to electricity. So, they can produce for a longer time. Fuel supply is now stable and even inflation figures have decreased, in terms of banking, and so has the exchange rate. So, spare parts are now cheaper.

 

Mr Nkandu interjected.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mtolo: In other words, Madam Speaker, I am more than happy to sit with the hon. Member for Chipili, and show him how maize factors are calculated, for example, the extraction from one metric tonne of maize, the cost and what is done. We can have a chat. The fundamentals in the country have been very positive of late. That is why the hon. Minister of – Her – the Acting Leader of Government Business –

 

Hon. Government Members: Her Honour!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, that is why the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House raised the point of order. As much as it was raised in jest on Hon. Kafwaya, there was a lot of logic in what he said to the effect that things are well now. The exchange rate between the United States (US) Dollar and the Kwacha is less than K19. Inflation is at less than 10 per cent. Interest rates are decreasing. So, there are many good fundamentals that are leading to the pricing of mealie meal.

 

Madam Speaker, let us have a chat. Allow the hon. Member to sit with his friend, the Minister of Agriculture, so that we look at that.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Chipili, you are invited for a cup of coffee and a slice of bread to discuss with the hon. Minister. I hope the bread will not be made from maize meal.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Let us make progress.

_______

 

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

MINING FATALITIES AT MOPANI COPPER MINES

 

153. Mr Mwila (Mufulira) asked the Minister of Mines and Minerals Development:

 

1. what the causes of continued mining fatalities recorded at Mopani Copper Mines Plc in Kitwe and Mufulira in the recent past are;

 

1. what urgent measures the Government is taking to safeguard the lives of miners at Mopani Copper Mines Plc and other mining operations; and

 

1. what compensation is provided by the mining entities to families who lose loved ones in mining fatalities.

 

The Minister of Mines and Minerals Development (Mr Kabuswe): Madam Speaker, before I respond, I would like to take advantage of the Floor of the House to congratulate the able leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema on how he has dealt with many economic fundamentals. One of the issues he has dealt with quietly, and those who were making a lot of noise about it are not even applauding, is electricity.

 

Eng. Nzovu: Like Hon. Kafwaya!

 

Mr Kabuswe: The fact that we are basically back to normal as a nation, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, we need to congratulate President Hakainde Hichilema on the interventions. Sometimes, people ask about where the Government has sourced electricity, and yet they forget that the Government was working on an energy mix. Congratulations to President Hakainde Hichilema and his Minister, Hon. Chikote, on the hard work. The country is on the right trajectory. The economy looks good. It is conspicuously quiet on the other side of the aisle, because the country is on the right track. The United Party for National Development (UPND) is poised to score very high in the coming August Elections.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkandu: Including Kampyongo!

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, rest assured, you will see us back in this Parliament.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, …

 

Mr Mposha: The exchange rate!

 

Mr Kabuswe: Iwe, exchange rate twalilandapo mailo, walikwisa?

 

Hon. Opposition Member: Question!

 

Mr Nkandu: Including Kampyongo!

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, I am glad the question has been brought on the Floor today.

 

Madam Speaker, the recent mining fatalities at Mopani Copper Mines Plc in Kitwe and Mufulira have been attributed to a combination of operational and systemic deficiencies, including:

 

1. inadequate supervision at operational levels, resulting in failure to enforce compliance with established mining and explosive regulations, and other relevant safe operating procedures;

 

1. weak contractor management systems, particularly in the oversight of subcontracted personnel undertaking high risk activities;

 

1.  failure by the operator to provide adequate means for enforcement, including insufficient resourcing of critical safety controls and monitoring mechanisms; and

 

1.  ineffective internal systems for ensuring adherence to mining and occupational safety regulations, leading to lapses in hazard identification, risk assessment and control implementation.

 

Madam Speaker, the Minerals Regulation Commission has instituted the following urgent interventions to safeguard miners’ lives:

 

1. immediate suspension of operations that affected Mopani Copper Mines sites, awaiting further investigations so that remedial measures are put in place;

 

1. punitive measures such as revocation of appointments for erring key mining officials for both the mine owners and the contractors;

 

1. instituted comprehensive safety, health, and environment audits at all Mopani Copper Mines operations to assess compliance gaps and enforce remedial actions, with immediate effect; and

 

1. strengthened regulatory oversight, including increased inspections, enforcement actions, and monitoring of corrective measures to ensure sustained adherence to safety standards.

 

 Madam Speaker, based on the outcome of the coroner’s verdict after the inquest of the deceased, determination of the possible compensation will be made. Compensation for victims of mining fatalities is facilitated through a statutory framework administered by the Workers Compensation Fund Control Board, upon conclusion of investigations of mine accidents conducted by the Minerals Regulation Commission in accordance with the Workers Compensation Act.

 

 I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, we do not have much time. We are behind in terms of our work on the Order Paper. So, can we go through this segment quickly. When asking questions, please, do not debate; just ask the question so that we can make progress.

 

Mr Mwila:  Madam Speaker, before I ask my follow-up question, let me send my condolences to the family of Mr Christopher Katongo, a miner who died in a mine accident on 31^st January, 2026, and was buried this week on Tuesday. I also send my condolences to the family of Mr Benson Kapembwa, who unfortunately disappeared from home and was found lying dead underground in a dump truck.

 

 Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister’s answer to the first part of the question paints a very bad picture of a breakdown in controls because the reasons he has attributed to these fatalities expose a lack of seriousness in following the safety guidelines, both by the mine owners and the contractors, yet we have the Mines Safety Department. In fact, the department is tactically located on the Copperbelt, and is supposed to ensure that the safety guidelines made by the Government to safeguard the lives of the miners are followed. How effective has the Mines Safety Department been in ensuring that the mines do not compromise on the safety guidelines that are provided so that the lives of the miners are not lost, as we have witnessed in the recent past?

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for that question.

 

Madam Speaker, let me say that the Government does not tolerate any death at any mine. I am saying this to make a point, not that I am insensitive to the fact that lives have been lost. You will not find any mining operation anywhere in the world, with no accidents. Accidents are part of mining operations and what is important is to minimise them.  The Government has taken note of what happened at Mopani Copper Mines because deaths have occurred continuously for about three or four days. Coincidentally, it is with the same contractor, called Reliant Mining and Construction Limited, whose operations have been suspended.

 

Madam Speaker, when contractors are given jobs by mining companies, they are told the safety protocols that they must follow. Preliminary investigations have been conducted, and we will go into detail to find the cause of the accidents.  There are punitive measures that are put in place when somebody is found wanting, as I alluded to when I was responding to the substantive question.  So, the Government has put in place measures. The answer I gave came straight from the regulator that this Government has put in place, because in the past, the mining sector had no regulator. The regulator is now in place and enforcing the regulations under the Minerals Regulation Commission Act approved by this Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government is on top of things. Accidents happen, and we will have to investigate the cause. My condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.  The Government will get to the bottom of it, and punitive measures, according to the Act, will be put in place. As it stands, Reliant Mining and Construction Limited is not operating until the Government and the mine itself are satisfied that it will adhere to the right safety protocols. As a matter of fact, this contractor has been the best in ensuring the safety of miners wherever it has been operating. Apparently, I think, it has stepped out of the accelerator, and these things are happening today. However, the Government is taking measures to ensure that no accident happens again.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, very quickly, I am aware that Reliant Mining and Construction Limited has been a contractor at Mopani Copper Mines for almost twenty years. I have had the privilege to work at both mine sites, and I am aware that this is not a new contractor.

 

 Madam Speaker, mining has a procedure for safety and the actual mining activity. Does the hon. Minister think that there was a departure from safety procedures that are normally adopted in ensuring that the safety of the miners is guaranteed? I ask this because we clearly want the workers to go back to work and be able to earn an income and support their families. So, I really want to understand, for the benefit of the miners out there, whether there was a departure from the usual safety standards that have been adopted at Mopani Copper Mines, which has had a very good safety record.

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, indeed, I agree that there was a departure from the usual safety standards. According to the answer that has been given, one of the reasons was inadequate supervision as seen from how the first accident happened. There was negligence somewhere. So, we are following through the record at Mopani Copper Mines. As alluded to by the hon. Member, the mine has been very good at maintaining safety, as has Reliant Mining and Construction Limited, having been with the mine for twenty years. I know that its safety record is very good. So, really, we will get to the bottom of what actually transpired for the mine to have concurrent accidents involving the same contractor.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mabeta (Kankoyo): Madam Speaker, allow me to also pass my condolences –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1040 hours until 1100 hours. 

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

No quorum

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Mwembezhi, can you help us by rounding up hon. Members to come into the House.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: I know you are very good at that.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Jamba rose to leave the Assembly Chamber.

 

Madam Speaker: Okay, we have a quorum now.

 

Mr Jamba resumed his seat.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Mr Mabeta: Madam Speaker, allow me to extend my deepest condolences to the Kapembwa family. The deceased was a teacher and he taught my first-born son. He took advantage of the good policies under the New Dawn Government, through the skills training programmes, to study a course in mining. He had worked for only thirteen days when he met his fate underground. It is a sad story for the family, looking at the loss they have suffered.

 

Madam Speaker, before we had an investor in Mopani Copper Mines, every year I would go to the mine. I would visit the miners and hear their concerns. They also gave me first-hand information on the dangers that the mine was facing when we did not have an investor. This helped me to have first-hand information and give feedback to hon. Ministers and policy makers, to ensure that we saved that mine by bringing an investor; we have one now.

 

Madam Speaker, ever since we have had an investor in Mopani Copper Mines, it has been very difficult for me to visit the mine to understand and appreciate the challenges the mine might be having. I have written two letters and the response I got is that the company is waiting for shareholders to approve my visit. My recent letter was sent in January. The response came, but I was not allowed to visit. This has led lawmakers to distance ourselves a bit from the operations of the mine, and it becomes difficult to defend the Government when there is a problem. Is it the New Dawn Government’s policy for investors to not allow lawmakers to visit their areas of interest? When we are allowed to visit our areas of interest, we can easily defend the Government whenever a problem arises.

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for alerting us on that matter. I will find out why that is happening at Mopani Copper Mines. It is not the intention of this Government to let investors not allow elected leaders to visit mines, or any investment area for that matter. So, I will take that matter up and find out why that is happening.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Eng. Nzovu: Quality!

 

Mr Mwila (Mufulira): Madam Speaker, part (c) of the question was trying to find out what compensation is being provided to the bereaved families. The response is that the compensation will be based on statutory provisions. However, we all know that the compensation under statutory provisions is very low. We need to realise that these families have lost their breadwinners. Without adequate compensation, they will be condemned to destitution. I know that in the past, when there have been calamities, the Government has gone beyond the statutory provisions in order to cushion families against hardships caused by tragedies. I can give examples. When about fifteen miners were trapped and later found dead in a mine somewhere along the Mufulira/Ndola Road, the Government did not support the families just based on the law. If I remember correctly, the Government paid K15,000 to each family. That was outside the provisions of the law.

 

Madam Speaker, is there no consideration to support the affected families so that they do not end up with peanuts, based on the legal provision for compensation? Apparently, they are not as many as the people involved in the example that I gave earlier. Can the Government not prepare a package and give those families so that they find their way ahead, having lost their breadwinners?

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the question.

 

Madam Speaker, the issues of compensation are defined by law. Here, as we sit, we are the lawmakers. If we have seen that the law cannot give sufficient compensation to our people because of the way it has been promulgated, we can bring an amendment so that people can be compensated properly. We are confined by what the House does. The House can still revisit the law so that the Government or businesses are not bound by what the law currently stipulates. So, it is incumbent upon all of us, as hon. Members of the House, to revisit the law and say that the current compensation is not enough. I do agree with the hon. Member that there is no life lost that can be compensated by any amount of money but, at least, families should remain with something that should educate the children, which is something that the deceased fathers would have done for the children if they had been alive. I think, as hon. Members of Parliament, let us relook at the law, to see if we can change it to compensate people appropriately.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Speaker, I appreciate the responses from the hon. Minister. Obviously, the concern is on the frequency of accidents in mines. The fatal accident in which someone was overrun by a heavy machine underground and the previous accident happened in a space of twenty-four hours. What does that say about the mine safety record of Mopani Copper Mines, which has been well-known for its safety measures?

 

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, thank you. I would like to thank the Senior hon. Member of Parliament, Mr Kampyongo, for the very important question.

 

 Madam Speaker, as it was said in this House earlier today, by one of the speakers and I, when you look at the contractor involved, Reliant Mining, you will see that it has been mining at Mopani Copper Mines and other mines for over twenty years. Based on its records, I would grade it as one of the best performing contractors as regards safety at various mines where it operates. It operates at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), Mopani Copper Mines and other mines. Its record has been very good. So, what has happened is something that needs to be investigated, whether at some point, maybe, the company thought its safety measures were good enough and somehow, dropped the guard.

 

Madam Speaker, we really need to find out how it happened. As he is saying, it is quite unfortunate and alarming. I have been calling the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mopani Copper Mines and the team to get to the bottom of why it is happening with the same contractor.

 

Madam Speaker, as the Government, we are concerned, and we will get the true information  on why it has happened with one of our best contractors in the country right now.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

OFFICE INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION

 

154. Mr Twasa (Kasenengwa) asked the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development:

 

1. when construction of the office infrastructure for Kasenengwa Town Council will commence;

 

1. what the estimated cost of the project, is; and

 

1. what the estimated timeframe for the completion of the project is.

 

 

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (Mr Sialubalo): Madam Speaker, last year, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Committee of Kasenengwa sat to prioritise, among others, the construction of this office infrastructure for Kasenengwa Town Council. Initially, the council, where the hon. Member of Parliament is part of the CDF Committee, had set aside K5 million to commence the works.

 

Madam Speaker, upon realising the Presidential directive to construct a 2 MW solar plant per constituency, the committee sat and revised the K5 Million to K2.5 million. It realised that the Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative (PCEI) needed a colossal sum of K10 million. So, it had to reduce its budget for the construction of this office infrastructure from K5 million to K2.5 million. So, the committee has K2.5 million to embark on the first phase of the project, which was allocated by the CDF Committee. So, the first phase will be completed in four months, and it is worth K2.5 million. The estimated cost of constructing the entire office infrastructure is K5 Million.

 

Madam Speaker, upon completion, or even right now, Kasenengwa Council intends to write to the ministry to request for further funding outside the CDF for it to complete the office infrastructure. So, once we receive the letter, we shall engage the Ministry of Finance and National Planning on the release of about K12.5 million for Kasenengwa to complete the office block. The willingness from our party can be seen from what has been embarked on using the CDF. My ministry will push the Ministry of Finance and National Planning for the release of the balance.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you. It is a constituency-specific question, so we will go very quickly. Hon. Member for Kasenengwa, you may proceed.

 

Mr Twasa: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity one more time. I want to state here that this question was taken to the Journals and Table Office Department sometime last year, before the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Committee sat in December.

 

Madam Speaker, however, I want to appeal to the Kasenengwa Local Council to stop misleading the hon. Minister. The information that he has given here has come from our local authority. In the meeting that we had, under so many difficult conditions, we allocated the K3 million, not the K5 million. Then, we allocated K500,000 to the Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative and we remained with K2.5 million.

 

Madam Speaker, there are many other demands and this discussion is coming up tomorrow, where this K2.5 million again will be tempered with. This is the reason we are appealing to the Central Government to help us fund the project, because it is a completely new project.

 

Mr Nkandu: Question!

 

Mr Twasa: Thank you, hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts, I am appealing.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Twasa: Madam Speaker, I am appealing to the Central Government to come in on behalf of the people of Kasenengwa and the council, that the Central Government should come in and help us construct that greenfield project and it is beyond K5 million.

 

 Madam Speaker, I am very sad that the people the hon. Minister trusts; those offices, are misleading him. The money is beyond K5 million.

 

Madam Speaker, through you, I appeal to the hon. Minister that he gets back to the council and gets the actual cost of the project. He should, please, indicate whether the Government will come in other than just relying on the CDF.

 

Madam Speaker, I can assure you that K2.5 will be dismantled again tomorrow because of other serious issues that are coming up in the constituency. Therefore, when is he coming to Kasenengwa and assure us that the Central Government will come in and fund the project?

 

Madam Speaker, he should also tell us how much is going to be allocated to this project outside the CDF.

 

Madam Speaker, sorry, I am near the hon. Minister so I am looking right at his head.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Twasa: Madam Speaker, I am sorry that I was looking directly at him. However, I want to find out from him when he will come back to Kasenengwa and tell us that outside the CDF, this is how much the Central Government is going to allocate to this project.

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much. I was actually worried that you were going to hit him on the head.

 

Laughter

Mr Sialubalo: Madam Speaker, the information I have is exactly what I have said on the Floor of the House. So, if the local authority in Kasenengwa has decided to give me misleading information, I will not take it kindly. I believe that when we are here, we are supposed to give factual information to our dear hon. Colleagues so that even when they get back, they have information is that is verifiable. So, if they had allocated K3, but reported that it was K5 million, that in itself is very unfortunate and unfounded. Immediately, we shall be engaging the local authority with him so that we can talk to the officers and get the true picture.

 

Madam Speaker, however, the comforting thing is that K2.5 million is already there. So, if the local authority decides to tamper with the K2.5 million which was already agreed on by the CDF Committee, that is an offence. So, as a ministry, we are saying, let Kasenengwa Council write to request for funding amounting to K12.5 million to complete the works that have already been started.

 

Madam Speaker, tampering with the K2.5 million, which was already allocated and approved by the CDF Committee, is not something that we can tolerate. Otherwise, I would like to urge the hon. Member to find comfort in me and engage the council. We shall also engage the council to ensure it does the needful. The CDF Committee should write to us and then we shall respond.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker. 

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I said that the question is constituency-based. So, we need to make progress.

 

Hon. Member for Kasenengwa, you have said that it is a green field project. I suggest you also visit your fellow hon. Members’ constituencies, like Kanchibiya and Shiwang’andu. The areas also have green fields. Find out what they did for their civic centres or council offices. They say, “Umwana ushenda atasha nina ukunaya”, a child who does not visit other homes, only praises the cooking of the mother.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: So, please, check how your friends are “cooking their meals” in Kanchibiya and Shiwang’andu. I am talking about them because I have visited the constituencies, and have seen what they have done. I have seen what they have cooked, in other words.

 

Next question, hon. Member for Mbabala.

 

Hon. Member for Mbabala, going once, twice, three times. The question lapses. We make progress.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Next question, hon. Member for Isoka. Going once–

 

Laughter

 

NUMBER OF COMMUNICATION TOWERS INSTALLED IN ISOKA DISTRICT FROM 2021 TO 2024

 

156. Ms Nakaponda (Isoka) asked the Minister of Technology and Science:

 

1. how many communication towers were constructed in Isoka District from 2021 to 2024, year by year; 

 

1. when other communication towers will be constructed in the following areas in the district:

 

1. Milongo;

 

1. Luangwa

 

1. Mpungu;

 

1. Kanyala; and

 

1. Katyetye Chiefdom;

 

1. when the communication towers at the following locations will be operationalised:

 

1. Ngozi; and

 

1. Longwe; and

 

1. what the cause of the delay in operationalising the towers at (c), is.

 

The Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (Mr Mubanga) (on behalf of the Minister of Technology and Science (Mr Mutati)): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform this august House that the Government has only previously been able to install up to thirty-three mobile communication towers from the Universal Access and Service Fund. Notwithstanding, other activities, such as the sale of spectrum, have helped increase the number of communication towers installed annually in the past. That has helped to bring the number of sites working in Isoka District to fourteen, which are ZAMTEL sites and twelve private sector sites, currently on air in the district.

 

Madam Speaker, during the period 2021 to 2024, no towers were installed in the district. Nevertheless, the Government has surveyed several areas, such as Longwe Primary School in Itukuta Ward and Ngozi Primary School in Kabandama Ward, which will be operationalised under the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project, under the World Bank.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government has plans to construct communication towers in all parts of the country. The House may wish to note that sites for the construction of communication towers have been identified in Katyetye Chiefdom, Figolo Community School in Luangwa Ward and Itapa Community School in Kanyala Ward. The House may further wish to note that these sites will be considered for communication towers constructed under future projects when resources are available.

 

Madam Speaker, there are no immediate plans to construct communication towers in Milongo and Mpungu areas. However, these sites will be considered for further projects in the next phase, subject to the availability of funds.

 

Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, communication towers in Ngozi and Longwe will be operationalised under the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project. This is World Bank-funded, which is expected to take off this year, and is currently in the primary procurement stage.

 

 Madam Speaker, the delay in operationalising the communication towers in Ngozi and Longwe has been due to the non-availability of funds. However, the Government will endeavour to ensure that the two communication towers are commissioned at the earliest possible time.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Ms Nakaponda: Madam Speaker, I filed this question because in 2024, the hon. Minister’s office sent officers to identify where the ministry would install communication towers in Longwe and Ngozi. However, up to now, nothing has happened, and my people always ask me about what is happening. The hon. Minister has said that there is no money. When will the ministry have the money so that it can install the communication towers? The people in those areas have no network. They need network. They also want to benefit, just like the people in other places are benefiting.

 

Mr Nkandu: Quality!

 

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, I have said that the two areas called Ngozi and Longwe are under the World Bank-funded project. I further said that the procurement process has started. That is not a direct Government project, we are working with the World Bank to ensure that procurement is done. Then, we will install the communication towers at those sites.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like clarification on whether the World Bank programme is a grant or loan to the Republic of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, that question is unrelated, and you are asking the wrong hon. Minister. That is a question for the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. Since it is not related, I will not allow it.

 

Ms Nakaponda: Madam Speaker, what assurance can the hon. Minister give my people so that they can be aware that the communication towers will be installed any time from now? What assurance can he give my good people of Isoka?

 

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, we are a listening Government. The processes have already started. I have said that some of the sites are under the World Bank-funded project, and the Government will continue as it funds through its Budget.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

REPLACEMENT OF DILAPIDATED WATER PIPES IN KAMFINSA

 

157. Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa) asked the Minister of Water Development and Sanitation:

 

1. when the dilapidated water pipes in the following areas in Kamfinsa Parliamentary Constituency will be replaced:

 

1. Ndeke Village;

 

1. Ndeke Changa Changa; and

 

1. Natwange;

 

1. what the estimated cost of the project is;

 

1. who the contractor for the project is;

 

1. whether the Government has expanded the operational capacity of Ndeke Water Distribution Centre to enable the facility supply water to Kamfinsa and Wusakile parliamentary constituencies; and

 

1. if the company’s operational capacity has not been expanded, why.

 

The Minister of Water Development and Sanitation (Eng. Nzovu): Madam Speaker, the Government has commenced the replacement and rehabilitation of dilapidated water pipes through Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation Company (NWSSC), through a broad programme of rehabilitating aged infrastructure, reducing water losses, and delivering safe and reliable services.

 

Madam Speaker, in Ndeke Village, the Government, through NWSSC, has been replacing and upgrading old pipelines. To date, 5.1 km of the planned 11.6 km have been replaced, improving water supply to over 1,500 residents in Gordon’s Corner, H Section, and Justine Kabwe areas. In Ndeke Changa Changa, the Government has replaced about 2.1 km out of the 3.5 km pipeline, benefiting over 800 residents.

 

Madam Speaker, in Natwange, the Government has extended the pipe water supply network through a project valued at K6 million, benefiting almost 10,000 residents. Additionally, technical assessments for the replacement of dilapidated pipelines are underway, and the cost will be determined before the close of this exercise. The replacement works are expected to commence in the second or third quarter of this year. The works I have outlined are in the first phase, and the second phase will commence later, to complete the remaining works.

 

Madam Speaker, the estimated investment for the rehabilitation and expansion of water infrastructure in Kamfinsa is broken down as follows:

 

1. K1.3 million has been spent in Ndeke Village and Ndeke Changa Changa areas this far; and

 

1.  K6 million has been spent on replacing dilapidated pipelines in Natwange.

 

Madam Speaker, to augment water supply during peak periods in Ndeke H and Changa Changa, the Government has constructed two water schemes at a cost of K1.2 million. Each of these schemes consist of a high-yield commercial borehole and a solar-powered submersible pumping unit, and storage. This intervention has taken care of an additional 1,200 residents in the two areas, thereby, strengthening overall water security in Ndeke. This is the main contract that will strengthen water security for the people of Nkana.

Madam Speaker, the Government has expanded the operational capacity of the Ndeke Water Distribution Centre to enable it supply water to Kamfinsa Constituency and Wusakile Constituency, through the Nkana Water Supply Sanitation Project, which was rescoped to almost US$60 million. The existing storage system at the Ndeke Water Distribution Centre, which comprises two underground water tanks totalling 8,600 m³, is undergoing construction works. Under the ongoing works, more storage capacity will also be done, and the total storage capacity will increase to 21,600 m³. These works are at 23 per cent. I am pleased to inform the House that out of US$60 million, US$40 million has been paid by the Government, and the works are scheduled to be commissioned in April 2026.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Madam Speaker, once again, I thank your office for admitting this very important question. This is not the first time I have raised the issue concerning water challenges in my constituency, particularly in Ndeke and Ndeke Village.

 

Madam Speaker, in his response, the hon. Minister stated that in certain sections of Ndeke Village and Ndeke Changa Changa, pipes have been replaced. I think, this should have been done in 2022. Over the last two years, there has been no activity of replacing pipes for the majority of the affected houses in the constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, as my first follow-up question to the hon. Minister, I would like to know when the entire constituency will be attended to, especially the areas that I have mentioned, not just the two sections the hon. Minister has cited. In his response, the hon. Minister also mentioned Justine Kabwe and Gordon’s Corner, H Section, and these are the only two sections that were attended to, and that was in 2022. Therefore, when will new pipes be put in the remaining parts of the constituency so that when the water tank is ready, water can start running in residential areas? That is my first follow-up question.

 

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, as I clearly stated, the Government has come up with a combination of solutions. Firstly, through the several schemes constructed, and others that will be implemented in the mentioned areas, as well as the main project; the Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation Project. It is envisaged that by May 2026, the people of Nkana will see improved water supply.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Madam Speaker, I want to take advantage of this important question on pipes, and the water tank project. In his response, the hon. Minister indicated that water schemes have been constructed, one at Ndeke Changa Changa modern area, and another at Wesley Nyirenda. He is aware that using  the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), we have been able to allocate some money towards water supply. As a constituency, we are now exceeding K15 to K18 million on the different model of the water scheme, compared to the smaller water schemes that Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation Company (NWSSC) has worked on. Is there money that the ministry can provide to Kamfinsa Constituency to supplement the money provided using local resources?

 

 Hon. Member interjected.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Yes, I know it is the same Government, but CDF projects are locally determined. So, is there funding under the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation that can be made available to supplement what the local decision makers are doing using the CDF so that there is a solution that sorts out the water tank problem, and that of no access to water in certain places? I am emphasising this issue because we do not have water in our constituency.

 

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member of Parliament for that very important question. He should listen to me carefully so he can help to explain to our people.

 

Madam Speaker, indeed, Kamfinsa has done very well using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The ministry has also supplemented with small schemes. However, more importantly, I think, Kamfinsa Constituency is receiving the biggest share of funds from the ministry. Out of the total project value of US$60 million, US$40 million has been paid through the ministry. These are direct funds from the ministry.  It is not a loan. The Ministry of Finance and National Planning is supporting the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation to fund the project. As I said already, US$40 million has been paid to the contractor; China Henan International Co-operation Group (CHICO). The contractor is on course and will finish the project by May 2026. As I speak, the project is at over 93 per cent. This is the status. I am inviting the hon. Member of Parliament to my office, so that we can discuss further.

 

However, the truth of the matter is that Kamfinsa, maybe we should say Kitwe District and the whole of Copperbelt Province, will benefit greatly from what the Government is doing right now. The main beneficiary of the US$40 million, I must repeat, is Kamfinsa. Even the distribution network we are talking about is in Kamfinsa. The huge storage capacity we are talking about, I think, I mentioned the storage capacity of 21,600 cu m³, is in Kamfinsa.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

_______

 

BILLS

 

THE CLOSED-CIRCUIT TELEVISION PUBLIC PROTECTION BILL, 2025

 

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

 

The Acting Clerk of the National Assembly (Mr Sage Samuwika): The reconsideration of the Closed-Circuit Television Public Protection Bill No. 1 2025:

 

State House

Lusaka

Republic of Zambia

 

The Speaker of the National Assembly

Parliament Buildings

Lusaka

 

Pursuant to the powers vested in me under Article 66(1)(b) of the Constitution of Zambia, I hereby refer the Closed-Circuit Television Public Protection Bill, 2025, back to the National Assembly for re-consideration on the following grounds:

 

Rights to Privacy

 

The Bill does not adequately provide safeguards governing the collection, use, storage and protection of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. This omission poses a real risk of intrusion into the private lives of citizens, and may result in violations of the rights to privacy, as guaranteed under the Constitution.

 

Need for Wider Public and Stakeholder Consultation

 

Given the far-reaching implications of surveillance legislation on constitutional rights and civil liberties, the Bill requires wider consultation with key stakeholders, including the public, civil society and relevant experts, before it can be considered for enactment into law.

 

In view of the foregoing, I am of the considered view that the Bill, in its current form, requires re-consideration by the National Assembly, taking into account the concerns raised herein and the necessity for broader consultation prior to any further legislative action.

 

Signed: Hakainde Hichilema (President)  

 

Mr B. Mpundu: Tabomfwa.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, it is about collective responsibility. We are glad that there is another eye that looks at whatever we are doing.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: The Bill, together with the Message from the President, stands referred to the Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House in due course. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Hon. Member for Nkana, you are free to go and make submissions to the Committee.

 

HOUSE IN COMMITTEE

 

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

THE TEACHING PROFESSION BILL, 2025

 

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 2 – (Interpretation)

 

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Clause 2, on page 8, in lines 11 to 12 by the deletion of the definition of “Deputy Registrar”.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 2, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clause 3 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 4 – (Function of Council)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Clause 4 on page 10, in lines 15 to 16 by the deletion of paragraph (j) and the substitution therefor of the following:

 

1. promote continuing professional development of teachers;.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 4, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 5 – (Constitution of the Board)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Clause 5, on page 11, in lines 1 to 13 by the deletion of subclause (1) and the substitution therefor of the following:

 

1. There is constituted the Board of the Council which consists of the following part-time members appointed by the Minister:

 

1. a representative of the ministry responsible for education;

 

1. a representative of the Teaching Service Commission;

 

1. a representative of a teacher training institution;

 

1. two representatives of trade unions representing teachers;

 

1. a representative of a private schools’ association;

 

1. a representative of a civil society organisation in the education sector;

 

1. a registered teacher who is a member of an association or organisation dealing with persons with disabilities; and

 

1. a person from the private sector with knowledge and experience in matters relating to the Act.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 5, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clause 6 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 7 – (Registrar, Deputy Registrar and other staff)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Clause 7:

 

1. on page 12 in lines 21 to 23 by the deletion of the marginal note and the substitution therefor of the following:

 

Registrar and other staff;

 

1.  
2.  

 

1. on page 13;

 

1. in lines 9 to 10 by the deletion of the comma and the words “Deputy Registrar” immediately after the word “Registrar”; and
2. in line 12 by the deletion of the comma and the words “Deputy Registrar” immediately after the word “Registrar”; and

 

1. on page 12, in lines 32 to 38 and page 13, in lines 1 to 13 by the renumbering of subclauses (4), (5), (6) and (7) as subclauses (3), (4), (5) and (6), respectively.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 7, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clause 8 is ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 9 – (Prohibition of employment or practising without registration)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Clause 9, on page 13, in lines 26 to 29 by the deletion of subclause (2) and the substitution therefor of the following:

 

1. A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding three hundred thousand penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to both.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 9, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clauses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 17 – (Prohibition of Practising Without Valid Practising Certificate)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in clause 17, on page 16 in lines 1 to 4 by the deletion of subclause (3) and the substitution therefor of the following:

 

(3)        A person who contravenes this section commits an offence and liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding three hundred thousand penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to both.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 17, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clauses 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 41 – (Disciplinary Committee)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in clause 41, on page 22, in line 28 by the deletion of paragraph (d) and the substitution therefor of the following:

 

1. a representative of a teacher training institution; and.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 41, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clauses 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 58 – (Regulations)

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in clause 58, on page 31

 

1. in line 29 by the deletion of the full stop and the insertion of the semi-colon and the word “and”; and

 

1. after line 29 by the insertion of the following new paragraph:

 

1. the manner of registration of student teachers.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

Clause 58, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Clause 59 ordered to part of the Bill.

 

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

 

Title agreed to.

 

______

 

HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

The following Bill was reported to the House as having passed through Committee with amendments:

 

The Teaching Profession Bill, 2025.

 

Report Stage on Tuesday, 10^th February, 2026.

 

______

 

MOTION

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mwiimbu, SC): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House now adjourns.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

______

 

The House adjourned at 1200 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 10^th February, 2026.

 

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WRITTEN REPLY TO QUESTION

 

INSURANCE PAYOUTS UNDER SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FINANCING FACILITY

 

155. Mr Munsanje (Mbabala) asked the Minister of Agriculture:

 

1. what criteria was used to pay farmers whose crops were insured under the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF);

 

1. why farmers in the following wards in Mbabala Parliamentary Constituency were left out on the payment of insurance cover for the 2023/2024 Farming Season:

 

1. Mang’unza;

 

1. Simaubi;

 

1. Kabanze-Mayobo;

 

1. Nchembe;

 

1. Mapanza; and 

 

1. Ng’onga; and

 

1. what measures the Government is taking to ensure that all farmers receive compensation for their insured crops on time. 

 

 The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Mtolo): Madam Speaker, the criteria used to pay farmers whose crops were insured under the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF) for the 2023/2024 Farming Season was a hybrid insurance product with two components, as follows:

 

1. the germination index was a pay out to farmers whose areas received rainfall of below 33 millimetres, as that has been scientifically shown to be insufficient for germination; and

 

1. the area yield index was a pay out to farmers that was calculated based on the crop cuts that were done on sample farms in every camp, and compared against the average yield in those particular camps. The yields below a certain level triggered a pay-out for every farmer within the camps.

 

Madam Speaker, Mbabala Parliamentary Constituency had eighteen farmers on SAFF, and they were all compensated under the 2023/2024 Farming Season insurance cover. The insurance pay-outs were credited to the recipient's accounts. Payment schedules can be availed to the hon. Member for reference. The banks have been requested to provide statements of account for the farmers who were paid.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government is putting in place the following measures to ensure that all the farmers receive compensation for their insured crops on time:

 

1. investing in technology-driven assessments, such as remote sensing, to assess losses within reasonable time;

 

1. engaging the insurance providers through the Zambia Credit Guarantee Scheme to ensure timely and transparent disbursement of payments to affected farmers;

 

1. continuing the sensitisation of farmers on the fact that SAFF is a loan, and needs to be repaid, and encouraging those who are not under SAFF to consider having their crop insured in case of disasters;

 

1. the Government continues to engage the partner financial institutions to offer lower interest rates to the farmers by guaranteeing the facility. Hence, promoting access to affordable agriculture financing;

 

1. encouraging all implementing agencies to intensify the monitoring activities so as to reduce on non-performing loans; and

 

1. enhancing the Zambia Credit Guarantee Scheme Limited (ZCGS) as a fund manager and guarantor. The continued support will not only enable the scheme to conduct targeted training for farmers on best agricultural practices, risk mitigation strategies and the benefits of insurance, but also ensure that farmers graduate from one level to the next.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.