Wednesday, 18th November, 2015

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

VISITING HON. MINISTERS

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House of the presence of three hon. Ministers in Mr Speaker’s Gallery. The hon. Ministers are in charge of labour in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region, and are in the country to attend the Sub-Regional Conference on the Ratification and Implementation of the New International Labour Organisation (ILO) Protocol on Forced Labour.

The following are the hon. Ministers present:

(a)    Hon. Winnie Nxumalo, Minister of Labour from Swaziland;

(b)    Hon. Soodesh Satkam Callichumrn, Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Training from Mauritius; and

(c)    Hon. Tapiwana Matangaidze, Deputy Minister Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare from Zimbabwe.

On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, we welcome you to Zambia and Parliament in particular.

I thank you.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

STATUTORY INSTRUMENT NO. 29 OF 2015

173. Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central) asked the Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs:

(a)    what the progress was on the revocation of Statutory Instrument No. 29 of 2015, in which Mr Joisah L. M. Nyumbu was recognised Chief Chiyengele of the Mbunda people in Mongu District despite the matter being before the High Court; and
(b)    what measures the Government had taken to promote harmony between the the Litunga and the Mbunda.

The Deputy Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs (Mr Kufuna): Mr Speaker, Mr Josiah Litiya Mubukwanu Nyumbu was not recognised as Chief Chiyengele of the Mbunda people of Mongu District through Statutory Instrument No. 29 of 2015. Instead, he was recognised through Statutory Instrument No. 113 of 2008. Statutory Instrument No. 29 of 2015 withdrew the recognition of Mr Josiah Litiya Mubukwanu Nyumbu as Chief Chiyengele. The matter regarding the withdrawal of the recognition of Josiah Litiya Mubukwanu Nyumbu as Chief Chiyengele of Mongu District, through Statutory Instrument No. 29 of 2015, is currently before the High Court in Lusaka. Therefore, it is sub judice.

Sir, according to our records, there is no disharmony between the Litunga and the Mbunda people.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, it is true that the case is in the High Court of Zambia. However, while the High Court passed judgment in favour of the injunction that Chief Chiyengele has been obtained, the President of the Republic of Zambia has decided not to recognise the chief. Is that not tantamount to contempt of court?

Mr Kufuna: Mr Speaker, in my earlier response, I said that all these matters are in the courts of law. So, we cannot talk about them here.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Let me make a clarification. It is not contempt, but sub judice.

Laughter

Hon. Government Member: Former lawyer!

KAPIRI MPOSHI FOREST RESERVE SQUATTERS

174. Mr Musonda (Kapiri Mposhi) asked the Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection:

(a)    when the squatters in the following forest reserves in Kapiri Mposhi Parliamentary Constituency would be relocated:

(i)    Chibwe National;
(ii)    Luembe National;
(iii)    Kapiri Mposhi; and
(iv)    Ipumba Local;

(b)    whether alternative land for the squatters had already been found; and

(c)    if so, where it was.
The Deputy Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (Mrs Kawandami): Mr Speaker, the squatters in Chibwe National Forest Reserve, Luembe National Forest Reserve, Kapiri Mposhi Forest Reserve and Ipumba Local Forest Reserve in Kapiri Mposhi Parliamentary Constituency were served with notices to vacate the forest reserves by 30th September, 2015.

Sir, the squatters have not yet been evicted from the forest reserves, as they have been granted a stay of execution by the courts of law.

Mr Speaker, alternative land for resettling the squatters has not yet been found. The provincial administration for the Central Province has been engaged in negotiations with Senior Chief Chipepo and Chief Mukonchi to find alternative land in their chiefdoms to resettle the squatters. However, the process has slowed down since the matter is before the courts. The progress in finding alternative land for the squatters will depend on the outcome of the stay of execution by the courts of law.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, …

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, thank you for according me the opportunity to raise a point of order pursuant to Articles 20 to 22 of the Constitution of Zambia. Her Honour the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia made a statement to the effect that opposition party members were not authorised, by decree, to visit the Copperbelt Province. As a result of that statement, the Patriotic Front (PF) cadres have taken it upon themselves to carry out that decree. This morning, truckloads of PF cadres went to the offices for the United Party for National Development (UPND) in Kitwe and destroyed property and hacked anyone who was found in the vicinity.

Mr Speaker, as hon. Members of Parliament, we have taken an oath to protect the Constitution of Zambia. As law-abiding citizens, we cannot sit idly and watch people’s human rights being violated with impunity without the law taking its course on the perpetrators of violence.

Mr Speaker, we have been complaining on the Floor of this House pertaining to the violation of rights of people. Members of the Opposition have been shot at, but nothing has been done about it. Members of the UPND and Rainbow Party (RP) have been told not to go to the Copperbelt Province as if there is a state of emergency in place. We are aware that …

Mr Speaker: What is your point of order?

Mr Mwiimbu: I will soon come to the point of order, Mr Speaker.

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: Halt!

Do not annoy me.

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: Yes, I am raising a very serious issue and people are trying to …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member, can you sit down.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Let us have some order!

Hon. Member, if you can, summarise your point of order.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, is the Government in order to violate our rights with impunity and humiliate us as if we are not Zambians, instead of protecting our rights? As leaders from the UPND, we are not going to participate in all the deliberations of this House until our rights, as Zambians, are protected.

I need your serious ruling, and I am walking out.

Mr Mwiimbu left the Assembly Chamber.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: In light of the position that the hon. Member has taken, I will not rule on this matter.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, sanity is required in the House. If land for resettling the squatters has not been found, why has the ministry issued an eviction notice and where are they expected to go?

Mrs Kawandami: Mr Speaker, the forest reserves have been illegally occupied. It is unfortunate that illegal settlements have taken a toll on the ecologically sensitive areas in this country. The forest reserves in question play an important role in the river systems of the Mulungushi, Mulalanshi, Luswishi, Milinga, Chibumbulu, Luwembe, Mutenda, Kasenga and Luangwa rivers which feed into the Lunsemfwa and Kafue rivers. It is important to note that the Kafue and Lunsemfwa rivers are sources of water and hydroelectric power to the nation.

Mr Speaker, the squatters went into the forest reserves to carry out deforestation activities and other ills. If it were not for the stay of execution issued by the courts, the Government would have already taken action. The Government has been very patient with the illegal settlers. As a listening Government, we shall find them alternative land, depending on the court’s judgment.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, I am looking at the hon. Minister. So, she should also look at me.

Laughter

Mr Mbewe: Sir, between 1960 and 1970, the Zambian population was around 4 million. The population has now increased to 14 million. The forest reserves in question were gazzetted at the time when the country’s population was small. Now that the population has grown, people need more land to grow food. In view of this, does the ministry have any plans to legalise the stay of the squatters in the named settlements in Kapiri Mposhi?

Mr Mwamba: Uli mulwele, iwe.

The Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (Ms Ngimbu): Mr Speaker, whether there is population growth or not, my ministry has been given the mandate to protect …

Mr Siamunene: Mm!

Ms Ngimbu: … all the forests in Zambia.

Mr Siamunene: Yes!

Ms Ngimbu: Therefore, I will be the most reluctant to advocate for de-gazatting.

Mr Mbewe: Ah!

Mr Siamunene: Yes!

Mr Mwila: Alekweba, kaili.

Ms Ngimbu: Unless there are very strong reasons for it.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, earlier, when responding to the question by Hon. Muntanga, the hon. Deputy Minister said that the people should have come from somewhere before settling in the forest reserves. She also said that they violated the law and that the Government was in order to issue them with an eviction notice even without giving them alternative land. However, in another breath, she said that the Government is negotiating with certain royal highnesses in order to find the settlers alternative land. I find that to be inconsistency of the highest order.
Hon. Minister, since you call your Government a listening Government, are you telling us that initially, the Government was not listening until it was pressurised to do so?

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, in the first place, the people were wrong to ‘squat’ in the forest reserves.

Dr Kaingu: Yes!

Ms Ngimbu: They have no right whatsoever to ‘squat’ in a forest reserve.

Mr Mwila: Eh!

Ms Ngimbu: The Patriotic Front (PF) is a listening Government.

Mr Mwila: Yes!

Ms Ngimbu: That is why we started the process of finding alternative land for them. However, in the process of doing this, they decided to take the matter to court. That is how the process has stalled.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, the law that protects forest reserves and game management areas is meant to benefit the people. Now that the demand for land grown due to population growth, why can the hon. Minister not de-gazette some of the forest reserves as a matter of urgency because not all the forest reserves are required for the purposes that she outlined earlier? Why can you not take the population increase into consideration and de-gazatte an area for the resettlement of people who will contribute to the national food basket?

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, we have explained that Chief Chipepo was ready to give us alternative land for the resettlement of the people. We have a lot of land in this country. So, we were ready to relocate the people. Unfortunately, they rushed to the courts of law. When issues are in court, there is nothing we can do. No one is above the law. Therefore, we are not supposed to debate this matter further in this House because it is in court.

I thank you Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chipungu (Rufunsa): Mr Speaker, I keep saying that every Zambian has a village and a chief. The national registration card clearly indicates where every Zambian comes from. Is it not possible to ask the people who have illegally settled in the forest reserves …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chipungu: … to go back where they came from.
Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Thank you for your brief question.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, yes, they should go back where they came from.

Mr Speaker, allow me to inform this august House that this debate has made it clear that we should start creating awareness among the citizens so that they appreciate the importance of protecting forests. People are advocating for the de-gazatting of forest reserves, which is very unfortunate for the country.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, in responding to the question raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Chadiza, …

Mr Mbewe: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: … the hon. Minister indicated that her ministry is responsible for protecting forest reserves. However, the forests are depleted due to charcoal burning. Since there are no forests to protect because of charcoal burning, would it not be prudent to emulate Hon. Lubinda’s idea of …

Mr Lubinda: Eh!

Mr Namulambe: … allowing the people to settle there and to utilise the land for agricultural purposes since there are no trees to protect.

Mr Speaker: I do not know how Hon. Lubinda has come into the picture.

Laughter

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, I want to put it on record that we have a total of 480 forest reserves in this country out of which 305 are local forests and 175 are national forests. So, it is not right for someone to say that we have no forests in Zambia. The correct position is that we have forests in Zambia which we have to guard jealously.

I thank you, Sir.

FISP FERILISER THEFT

175.    Mr Mbewe asked the Minister of Agriculture:

(a)    how many cases of theft of fertiliser under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) were reported during the 2014/15 planting season countrywide;
(b)    how many districts were affected by the thefts;

(c)    how much money in total was involved;

(d)    how many suspects were involved and what disciplinary action had been taken against staff who were involved in the thefts.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Mr Ng’onga): Mr Speaker, the question is on theft of fertiliser. However, the answer comprises theft of both fertiliser and seed.

Mr Speaker, thirteen cases of theft involving seed and fertiliser under FISP were reported during the 2014/2015 agricultural season.

Mr Speaker, thirteen districts in six provinces were affected by the thefts, namely:

Province                    District

Central Province                 Kabwe
Ngabwe

Copperbelt                    Lufwanyama

Luapula                    Kawambwa
    Mansa

Lusaka                     Rufunsa

Muchinga                    Mpika
Nakonde

Southern                     Livingstone

Western                    Kaoma
Luampa
Nkeyema
Mwandi

Mr Speaker, the total value of inputs stolen is K1,797,370.00.

Sir, all the reported cases …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

Mr Ng’onga: … involved the thirteen warehouse managers in the affected districts. No ministry staff were involved in the theft.

Mr Speaker, in all the reported cases, the input was lost whilst in the custody of the contracted warehouse managers. However, the cases have either been reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) or the Zambia Police Force for investigation.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for that response. He is representing the people of Mahopo very well.

Mr Lubinda laughed.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister said that no Government money was lost, hence no officer was disciplined. The ministry has decided to change from dealing directly with the farmers to using the e-Voucher System, which has just been launched. Has the hon. Minister taken time to educate hon. Members of Parliament – of course excluding me – and the general public on why they are changing to the e-Voucher System?

Mr Ng’onga: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Agriculture has taken time to educate not only the hon. Members of Parliament, but also the public at large, through the various statements that he has given in the House. He also mentioned that the e-Voucher System, which the Government has introduced, has many advantages. For example, it gives farmers the power to decide what inputs to get. It also empowers the private sector to bring services closer to the people. Instead of the Government or warehouse managers handling the inputs, it is done by the private sector agro dealers who help to curb the theft.

Sir, there are more advantages. If the hon. Member wants to know more about this, he is welcome to engage us.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Speaker, I want to zero in on my district, Rufunsa. We received the farming inputs at the weekend. The people were very happy and so was I, as Member of Parliament.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chipungu: Mr Speaker, I only hope that the inputs will not be stolen this time around. In Rufunsa, people are known …

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to rise on this very important point of order.
Mr Speaker, in this House, we are all required to conduct ourselves honourably. There is a system that we use to register our presence in the House. In just a few minutes, we have seen more than three hon. Members walk into the Chamber, register their presence and walk out. We are here to represent the people of Zambia at the taxpayers’ expense. Are the hon. Members of Parliament from the United Party for National Development (UPND) in order to conduct themselves in this manner this afternoon, except for one hon. Member whom I do not want to drag into this point of order?

Mr Hamusonde laughed.

Mr Kampyongo: Are they in order ...

Mr Mulenga: Indiscipline!

Mr Kampyongo: ... to conduct themselves in this dishonourable manner by registering their presence on the machines and pretending they are here with us when they have their own agenda outside?

 I seek your serious ruling, Sir.

Mr Speaker: I agree with you that every hon. Member, both on my left and right, is expected to be in the House throughout the proceedings unless by leave of the Speaker. Normally, I am informed about those attending business outside the country or elsewhere. This is how it is supposed to be.

Anyway, this occurrence is not peculiar to today. We must observe this practice strictly. On many occasions, we have struggled to attain a quorum, especially after break. You are a whip. You know how much we struggle to make a quorum. Sometimes, even when I come back in the Chair, there is no quorum. It is very embarrassing.

Coming to this afternoon, I have no clue as to why this grouping is not here. All that I know is that the hon. Member for Monze Central raised a point of order and I was in the process of rendering a ruling. However, before I could do that, he walked away. So, he made my function nugatory.

As regards your point of order, I do not know why the hon. UPND Members of Parliament are not in the House, needless to say that I expect every hon. Member to be present whenever the House is sitting. That is as far as I can go. I would not want to speculate on why they are not here.

The hon. Member for Rufunsa may continue.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Speaker, before the point of order, I was saying that there was disaster in Rufunsa District last year. Many bags of seed and fertiliser were stolen by some known people. Has the hon. Minister or District Agriculture Coordinating Officer (DACO) called any of their officers to inquire about the theft that occurred?

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Lubinda): Mr Speaker, early this year, the Government made an assurance that farming inputs would be distributed across the country before the onset of the rains. I am happy that the hon. Member for Rufunsa has acknowledged that inputs have arrived in Rufunsa.

Sir, I would like to take advantage of this question to inform the House and the nation at large that the distribution of inputs across the country is above 75 per cent. The remaining 25 per cent is not due to the lack of stocks by the suppliers, but because the warehouses are filled up. Therefore, the 25 per cent balance will be delivered as farmers collect the inputs.

Sir, I sympathise with the farmers who did not receive their inputs because of the thefts. However, in Rufunsa last year, only one case of theft was reported in Rufunsa District where fertiliser and seed valued at K189,960 was stolen from the warehouses. Fortunately, all the fertiliser and seed was replaced by the suppliers, and all the beneficiary farmers in Rufunsa received the inputs. I did not summon the DACO to ask him why this happened because, as mentioned earlier by the hon. Deputy Minister, the inputs were stolen before they were handed over to the farmers. So, no Government officers were involved in this, especially in the case of Rufunsa. However, let me seize this opportunity to also inform the House that one of the reasons we are encouraging the shift from the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to the e-Voucher System is that FISP engages extension officers to collect the inputs from the warehouses and deliver them to the farmers. Extension officers, co-operative managers and co-operative officers are all involved in the conventional FISP. They collect inputs on behalf of farmers and not all the inputs reach the intended beneficiaries because in some cases, the co-operative managers and extension officers end up abusing the inputs. We want to do away with the involvement of extension officers in the supply of inputs so that the farmers can collect the inputs directly from the agro-dealers using electronic voucher cards. That way, we expect the system to be more foolproof. There will be less opportunity for people to take advantage of farmers. We have received reports from the thirteen districts where the e-Voucher System is being piloted that agro-dealers are delivering inputs to farmers at their doorsteps. They are not waiting for the farmers to go and collect inputs from their shops, as the case is in Rufunsa. Therefore, the e-Voucher System is going to minimise the risk of farmers being cheated of the important inputs.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, I need clarification from the hon. Minister. I think that the thefts referred to in the question relate to a person breaking into a warehouse and going away with fertiliser. The hon. Deputy Minister mentioned that cases of theft have been reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). May I know the kinds of theft that were reported to the ACC. Is it those that relate to someone breaking into a warehouse and getting the fertiliser, as mentioned by the hon. Member from Sikongo, or are there any other forms of theft?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, the question was on theft, but was not specific on the nature of the theft. The type of theft my colleague has described is a break-in. The hon. Member for Chadiza did not ask how much fertiliser was stolen through break-ins. He asked how much fertiliser was lost throught theft. There are many forms of theft. Some are as a result of fraud where, for instance, someone uses documents purporting that he has authority to collect inputs on behalf of someone else. The ACC is best placed to investigate such thefts. There is also theft were people go to the warehouse and threatens the manager to release the fertiliser. In that case, the police would be involved. There could be other cases where the warehouse manager colludes with others to collect the fertiliser. In that case, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), ACC and the police would investigate the matter. I have mentioned different forms of theft through which fertiliser is lost.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma): Mr Speaker, may I find out from the hon. Minister what will happen to farmers in Nangoma Parliamentary Constituency, Nakabu Ward in particular, who paid money for fertiliser last year, but did not collect it. What is going to happen to these farmers now that the e-Voucher System is being introduced?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Member for that question, which is actually a follow up to a question he raised earlier in the year. I would like to commend him for being consistent in so far as speaking on behalf of his people is concerned. He rarely leaves the House without a good reason.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: He always raises pertinent questions.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, I have never heard Hon. Hamusonde ask a question intended to demean or harass anyone. He always asks questions because he genuinely wants answers. As a result, when he asks me a question, I always reflect upon it so that I can give him a clear response.

Sir, I would like to inform the hon. Member of Parliament for Nangoma Parliamentary Constituency that the farmers who were affected in Nangoma and other places such as Samfya and Kalomo will receive the inputs this farming season. I wish the hon. Member for Kalomo Central was here to listen on their behalf. Instructions have been issued to all District Agricultural Co-ordinators (DACOs) to ensure that all the farmers who did not receive their inputs last year, for whatever reasons, are the first to receive their inputs this farming season. All the farmers in Nangoma were asked to pay the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) contribution this year because we are piloting the e-Voucher System in Mumbwa. For the e-voucher card to be activated, the farmer ought to deposit some money into his/her bank account. As such, the 103 affected farmers will receive both inputs for his year and the inputs that they did not receive last year through the e-Voucher System. So, the hon. Member for Nangoma should inform farmers in his constituency to prepare more land than they did last year because they will receive a double allocation of inputs. They will receive “double tobela” like the hon. Member for Chadiza Parliamentary Constituency would say.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Meaning what, hon. Minister?

Mr Lubinda: Meaning that they will receive double portions.

I thank you, Sir.
Laughter

Mr Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamusonde left the Assembly Chamber.

Hon. Members: Ah!

Mr Mbewe: After praising you?

Laughter

_____

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the
Chair]

VOTE 62 – (Ministry of Energy and Water Development – K243,770,511).

(Consideration resumed)

The Minister of Energy and Water Development (Ms Siliya): Mr Chairperson, at the close of business yesterday, I had just begun to inform the House and the nation at large about the medium to long-term measures that had been taken to address the energy crisis. These include:

(a)    increasing electricity tariffs to reflect cost as a way of promoting investment in the sector and sharing the cost of production with consumers;

(b)    diversifying the energy mix to include renewable energy;

(c)    expanding capacity of the Ndola Heavy Fuel Oil Plant from 50 MW to 100 MW;

(d)    constructing a 300 MW EMCO coal fired power plant in Sinazongwe; and

(e)    cancelling some of the non-performing concessions in the hydropower sector to allow for new investors.

Furthermore, Mr Chairperson, the ministry is facilitating the construction of a coal power plant in Maamba, with an installed capacity of 300 MW. The first unit of the power plant of about 150 MW is expected to be completed by June, 2016. My ministry has also embarked on the connection of the North-Western Province to the national electricity grid to replace the diesel generators that are currently servicing the province. The project is 49 per cent complete.  

Mr Chairperson, in the renewable energy subsector, …
Interruptions

The Chairperson: Order, on my right!

Continue, hon. Minister.

Ms Siliya: … the ministry will continue to promote the development of renewable energy in 2016. The Government is determined to diversify from the traditional hydro-dependent source of energy to other sources such as wind and solar. We have recognised that the power deficit has become multi-dimensional in that it is not only a generational problem, but also an energy mix problem. The development of the renewable energy subsector will help alleviate the climate change effects related to energy.

Mr Chairperson, it must be noted that the other energy sources cannot be exploited fully under the current low-tariff regime, as investors cannot be attracted to invest in the sector. To this end, my ministry is pursuing the following measures in its quest to diversify the energy mix:

(a)    Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff  (REFIT) Policy

The Government, with support from the Southern African Trade Hub (SATH) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is in the process of developing a Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) Policy. The policy is aimed at providing a predictable environment for promoting investment in renewable energy technologies.

(b)    Renewable Resource Mapping

In addition to the REFIT Policy, the ministry, with support from the World Bank, is developing a national renewable energy resource map focusing on solar and wind. The map will provide the Government and private investors with information on the country’s resource potential to guide investments in suitable locations and quantities of the renewable resources available in Zambia. This activity will be completed in 2016.

(c)    Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff  (GET FiT) Programme

The Zambian Government, with support from the German Development Bank (KfW), engaged in developing a Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff (GET FiT) Programme for Zambia. The GET FiT Programme is aimed at overcoming investment barriers for private investors involved in small-scale renewable energy projects up to 20 MW. Under this scheme, my ministry is holding discussions with KfW on the implementation of projects with a capacity of up to 20 MW.

Water Sector

Mr Chairperson, in 2015, my ministry implemented activities mainly focusing on water resources infrastructure development in order to increase access to water resources for irrigation, animal watering, fisheries, water supply and conservation. These programmes targeted the vulnerable, especially those in rural areas.

Mr Chairperson, allow me to highlight some of the ministry’s aspirations for the water sector. You are aware that water resources are key in sustaining life and all social and economic development. It has become apparent that in meeting the current and future water demands for various key sectors such as domestic water supply and sanitation, health, agriculture, energy, tourism, environment, industry and commerce, the country can no longer rely on the natural water flows due to increased demand coupled with climate change and the high variability in the occurrence of natural water flows. The solution, therefore, is to increase the development of sustainable bulk raw water resource infrastructure.    

Mr Chairperson, our country is experiencing challenges in the management of water resources for various uses in the economy. Despite having the necessary legislative and institutional framework to push the water agenda forward in place, low investment levels in the sector has led to demand for water resources, outstripping supply in certain instances. It is clear that the Government needs to set aside more resources to invest in water infrastructure for multi-purpose use around the country in order to avert the water crisis.   

Mr Chairperson, I wish to inform the House that the performance of the water sector in the year under review has not been encouraging. Under the activity for water resources infrastructure development for productive use, that is dam construction and rehabilitation, most programmes have taken more than a year to complete. This can be attributed to erratic funding patterns, lengthy procurement procedures and inadequate construction equipment. This infrastructure is important as it is meant to increase access to water resources for irrigation, animal watering, conservation and fishing.

Nevertheless, my ministry completed the construction of five carryover dam projects in 2015, namely:

Name            District/Province

Ganikoongo         Gwembe
Konkola         Mazabuka
Kankunko         Lufwanyama
Mujimanzovu         North-Western
Muyembe         Kawambwa

Mr Chairperson, with these interventions, it is expected that economic activities will be enhanced in order to reduce poverty levels, incidences of water-related diseases and improve the nutritional status of the rural population. Further, the construction of Mukonchi Dam in Chipata District and Kanyilamba Dam in Zambezi District is ongoing.

Sir, I wish to remind the House that in 2014, my ministry procured six drilling rigs at K2,978,415.83 for the Western, North-Western, Luapula, Northern, Eastern and Muchinga provinces. The ministry, therefore, drilled eighty-one boreholes countrywide for strategic institutions like rural health centres, chiefs’ palaces and schools while sixty boreholes were drilled in cholera and drought-prone areas.

Mr Chairperson, access to water supply stands at 83.8 per cent while sanitation coverage stands at 60.7 per cent for the urban population. On the other hand, access to water supply and sanitation facilities in rural areas stands at 47 per cent and 38 per cent, respectively. It is clear that access levels have to be increased by drilling more boreholes countrywide. I wish to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to ensure that water resources are developed and made available for various uses through the construction and rehabilitation of both surface and groundwater infrastructure.

Sir, the Ministry of Energy and Water Development is finalising the Water Resources Infrastructure Investment Master Plan which will result in unprecedented construction and rehabilitation of small dams and construction and rehabilitation of canals in the Western, Central, Luapula and Northern provinces. We are cognisant of the fact that water should be among the priority sectors of our economy and we shall continue to apply the necessary resources for this process to continue.

Mr Chairperson, in 2016, we intend to construct one new Dam in Muchinga Province, Munganga Dam in Mpika District and Mutwewamuntu Dam in Kalomo District in order to increase access to water for irrigation, livestock and fisheries, to mitigate against the effects of floods and droughts and for water conservation. Furthermore, three dams have been earmarked for rehabilitation while twenty dams have been identified for maintenance countrywide.

Sir, under water resource infrastructure development for productive use, seven new dams will be constructed, namely:

Name            District            Province

Chikoba         Mambwe         Eastern
Namboa         Kaoma         Western
Ngolongozya         Zimba District     Southern
Katembula         Lufwanyama         Copperbelt
Kasamva         Manyinga        North-Western            
Kanyika                     Muchinga
Chibalashi         Mansa             Luapula

Mr Chairperson, five existing dams will be, namely:

Name            District        Province

Ndondi         Pemba            Southern
Nachibanga         Pemba            Southern
Makaba         Namwala         Southern
Kawiko         Mwinilunga         North-Western
Kashima East         Mufumbwe         North-Western

Sir, the Ministry of Energy and Water Development accessed a grant amounting to 950,000 Euros from Africa Water Facility through the African Development Bank for the development of operational guidelines for investment in multi-purpose small dams. The guidelines will be tested on four dams. One new dam will be built in the Eastern Province, another dam will be rehabilitated in the same province and two dams will be rehabilitated in the Southern Province.

Mr Chairperson, to make the energy and water sectors all-embracing, we shall continue to work closely with private investors so as to meet the objectives of both the Government and investors. All in all, the outlook for the sector is positive.

In conclusion, Sir, my ministry’s budget is reflective of our priorities in all the sectors. I call upon the House to support the estimates for 2016 for the Ministry of Energy and Water Development amounting to K243,770,511. Your support will help the ministry achieve its vision and ultimately benefit our people.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the policy statement. This ministry goes beyond politics, as it is an activity-based ministry which requires all our support. We, the Zambian people, have learnt that energy is critical and our economic activities depend on it.

Sir, the hon. Minister’s vast experience in the Government should steer her away from cheap partisan politics and focus on developing the nation. The starting should be to not appoint cadres to boards, as they will not add any value to it. In this country, we trivialise issues by appointing relatives and cadres to positions without any consideration of their contribution or value addition to this nation. This is what is killing this country. The hon. Minister is a learned person with vast experience. Therefore, she should appoint qualified people who will add value to the boards.

Mr Chairperson, in the West, they look at someone’s background before appointing him/her to a board. They do not look at the nature of a person, but consider what value he/she can add to the board. The hon. Minister should review the appointments of all the board members. The appointment of board members is a reflection of how the Government thinks. If you pick shikulus from the village to sit on boards, then, they will make the boards fail. I am speaking from experience. If this country had planned well, we would not have ended up where we are at the moment.

Sir, I have listened carefully to the statements that the hon. Minister has issued on the Floor of this House since she took up her position and they are quite encouraging. Her statements give hope to the people of Zambia.

Mr Chairperson, Zambia is lucky to have a lot of resources, but we have no capacity to exploit them. It takes more than eight years to sign a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in this country. That alone is keeping investors away from this sector. Can you shorten the process because most of the water in this country goes to waste. Had we created reserves and dug canals and dams, we would not have been crying about water today. We used to have a lot of water and we thought it would be there all the time. God is telling us to manage our water resources carefully.

Sir, let me now talk about my ‘masters’ in Ikeleng’i.

Mr Chairperson, Ikeleng’i is situated in the North-Western Province, after Chingola, Solwezi and Mwinilunga, on the way to Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Actually, this is where the source of the Zambezi River is. The source of the Zambezi River is just next to my sister, Hon. Jean Kapata’s village. I want to urge the hon. Minister to take keen interest in visiting that place. In that area, someone cannot move 10 km without finding a river. I came back from there yesterday morning. There are heavy rains in the province.

Mr Chairperson fifty-one years after Independence, the North-Western Province still depends on diesel-generated electricity, yet that is where three quarters of the waters in Zambia are. Luapula, the North-Western and Western are the poorest provinces in Zambia, yet they have abundant water resources.

Sir, being theoretical will not take us anywhere. Let us be practical. I am, therefore, inviting the hon. Minister to extend the national electricity grid to Kalumbila Mine, Mwinilunga and Jimbe so that we can start exporting power to our colleagues on the Angolan side. This ministry should revise the electricity tariffs generally, bearing in mind that the Government has the responsibility to look after Zambians by subsidising the electricity. This Government should not be ashamed of taking that action. Even in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA), electricity is subsidised. In the UK, people who are unemployed get an allowance from the Government. In Zambia, we cannot afford to do that, but can simply subsidise electricity.

Sir, in Tanzania, there is electricity in villages. The North-Western Province cannot ‘donate’ water to generate electricity for the rest of the country when there is no electricity in our province. I would like the hon. Minister to attend to this issue urgently. The Government will make a lot of savings by doing away with generators that are propelled by diesel. The hon. Minister should let the technocrats support her and she should also support them. The hon. Minister is a young lady who still has a lot of days here on earth. The lesson we have learnt this year should never be repeated. If there will be any funds saved from this Budget, the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development should convince the hon. Minister of Finance to come up with policies that will liberate us from load shedding. The hon. Minister should avoid political interference, but focus on what will add value to the country.

Mr Chairperson, with the water resources that we have in this country, the hon. Minister will not fail because she is very aggressive and can use her initiative. Therefore, she should take advantage of the abundant water resources that we have in this country to improve on the electricity situation in the country. She should not listen to this and that story because I am sure she has heard enough year in and year out. She should be a role model. Those of us who worked with her in the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) would like her to succeed in her endeavours. We know the way the hon. Minister approaches issues. She should show that she is capable of turning the situation around.

Mr Chipungu: Hear, hear!
Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, at the time we were leaving office in 2011, there was US$33 million that the Ministry of Finance had procured from the World in 2010. This money was actually meant to develop Zengamina Hydropower Station in Ikeleng’i. The missionaries have put up a small hydropower station in my constituency but, unfortunately, the production capacity is becoming limited. I, therefore, urge the hon. Minister to find out from the Ministry of Finance and find out where the US$33 million was taken. That money was supposed to develop Zengamina Hydropower Plant and other projects in the Western Province and part of the Southern Province. That money has never been released. I have talked about it year in and year out, but nothing has happened.

Sir, I think it is high time I reported this matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) so that they can investigate it. We need that money to help us connect Jimbe and Mwinilunga to the national electricity grid. We should develop mini hydropower stations in various parts of the country such as Mbala. I worked in Mbala for many years and I am pleased to say that there are a lot of points where mini hydropower stations can be developed. There are a lot of points where we can develop mini hydro-power stations in the Western, North-Western, Luapula and Northern provinces, but the problem is that this Government has not exploited the potential.   

Mr Chairperson, I urge the hon. Minister to tell the Managing Director for the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) or whoever is in on the board to desist from cheap politicking. Other countries in the region are laughing at us for producing engineers at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and other universities who have no capacity to invent our own models of generating electricity. They say we are used to working for others. It is high time we became proactive. Let us be in the forefront of being innovative and not remain employees forever. Let us create employment for our people. The Ministry of Energy and Water Development can create employment if mini hydropower stations were developed in the North-Western Province. We can even export power to other areas. The province can produce enough electricity to cater for the whole country. The hon. Minister should work hard in the few months that the Patriotic Front (PF) has in power.

Sir, for me to acknowledge that the hon. Minister is working, I expect to see her in Ikeleng’i so that we can start exporting power to Angola. Of course, we can export power at a higher tariff and charge the poor people of Zambia less for the electricity. People need power, but they have no capacity to pay for it. This Government should not charge uniform tariffs. Foreigners should pay a different tariff from that paid by the local people because they come to this country with a lot of money. The Government should feel pity for a villager who wants to have access to electricity but has no resources.

Sir, in the UK, foreigners do not pay the same amount of school fees as the locals. In Zambia, foreigners and locals are charged equally. Even bus fares are the same. This should change in order to benefit the people.

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister also talked about Kawiko Dam in Mwinilunga. This dam should have been constructed in 2009 but, to date, nothing has happened. One contractor took machinery there but it disappeared. In the North-Western Province, particularly, in Mwinilunga, Ikeleng’i and Kabompo, we do not need dams. We just need them as reservoirs because we have a lot of water. What we need is clean piped water. The people you have contracted to sink boreholes sink boreholes that dry up after a month. I talked about this when we were debating the Vote for the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. I do not know what has happened to your ministry as well. Boreholes which were sunk in the United National Independence Party (UNIP) days still have water, but those that are sunk nowadays dry up after two weeks.

Mr Chairperson, I would like to support this Vote because we need it as a country.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Chairperson, from the outset, I would like to support the Vote for the Ministry of Energy and Water Development.

Sir, I support the split of ministries because the hon. Minister who was responsible for the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development had too much work to do. Following the split of the ministry, I can see that the Ministry of Energy and Water Development is getting enough attention. I want to congratulate my friend, Hon. Siliya, on her appointment as Minister of Energy and Water Development. I am sure she has settled well considering the ministerial statements she has presented which were progressive and educative.

Mr Chairperson, I would like to echo the sentiments of the hon. Member of Parliament for Ikeleng’i that the issue of energy should not be politicised because it affects all of us. Hence, no one should be blamed for the crisis we are in. There is no political party which lobbies for rain from God. So, no one should question God when there is no rain because he decides when to give us more or less rain. We just fell in this trap. When we are befallen with such a situation, we need to put our heads together and find a solution in order for us to live comfortably until God decides to take us.

Mr Chairperson, we know that the issue of load shedding is being addressed. I remember appealing to the then hon. Minister responsible for energy to come up with some measures to conserve energy by, for instance, reducing duty on solar equipment, generators, energy saving bulbs and anything to do with lighting. I want to appeal to the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development to consider taking a trip to Botswana because they also have electricity problems. At certain times, people in Botswana are not allowed to use their cookers and geysers. If they go against that directive, an alarm goes off and power is automatically cut off. Then, they have to pay a fee for disobeying that directive of trying to conserve energy.

Mr Chairperson, as you know, there are no storage sheds for energy because it is generated and used immediately. If we had some storage sheds, we could store up some and use it later like the power bank gadgets which people use to charge cell phones. In view of this problem, we ought to conserve the little energy that we have. Therefore, I appeal to the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development to liaise with the hon. Minister of Finance to reduce the price of generators so that people can use them when there is no electricity supply from Kariba Dam.

Sir, some time back, it was reported in the press that the Spokesperson for the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) had said that it may take about three years for the water levels in Lake Kariba to normalise. If we experience less rain, it means that the water levels will still be low. So, we should find alternative sources of energy. I have realised that charcoal burning is on the increase due to load shedding. That is why there is a need for the hon. Ministers responsible for land and agriculture to address the problems that the electricity shortage has created. Sometimes, people cut trees in water catchment areas. As a result, the rivers will dry up. So, let us find ways and means of curbing charcoal burning. The Government should regulate the consumption of charcoal in this country. In Mpongwe District, people never used to burn charcoal but, nowadays they are doing it. So, the Government ought to take some measures in order to conserve trees. If all the trees are cut, it will affect the rain pattern and there will be no water in the Kariba Dam.

Mr Chairperson, in the past, the Government never invested in power generation. Maybe, they forgot to plan in that area but, fortunately, we now have the Ministry of Development Planning. With the increase in electricity tariffs, let us plan properly for the future generation so that they do not suffer as much as we are suffering today because of power shortages. The Cabinet Committees should sit regularly and people should be informed about the measures the Government is taking to address the problem. For instance, the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development presented an informative ministerial statement to this House last week, but only a few people were able to access that information. This information should be disseminated through community radio stations so that people know the Government’s position on issues such as this one.

Sir, currently boreholes are sunk all over. At some point, we might experience a problem because the water tables will go down if we continue to have less rainfall. So, we ought to plan ahead. We were told that the ministry bought drilling rigs which were distributed to some provinces. It is important for the hon. Ministers responsible for energy and local government to look at the cost of drilling boreholes. It would be much cheaper if the Government drilled boreholes and not the contractors. Why can we not buy the drilling rigs and distribute them to the local authorities as opposed to using contractors who reap where they did not sow and they are the first people to condemn us when we fail. Therefore, it is important that the money that is given to the contractors is used to buy rigs because it will be cheaper for us to sink more boreholes.

Mr Chairperson, I know that this ministry is responsible for managing fuel stocks and supply. Therefore, as the Government increases the electricity tariffs, the ministry should spare the people of Zambia by not increasing the retail price of fuel. If anything, the Government should subsidise the price of fuel. The price of fuel should not go up until 2019. The people of Mpongwe who are waiting for the roads to be paved in 2019 would not like to see the price of fuel go up now.

Sir, I am speaking with authority because my people told me that they do not want the price of fuel to be increased. The people of Mwinilunga and Zambezi who depend on diesel will not spare the Government if the price of fuel goes up. It is important to prioritise certain issues such as fuel. We are suffering from load shedding because of the low water levels in the Kariba Dam. So, do not add to the suffering of the people by increasing the price of fuel.

 Sir, the hon. Minister stated that the Government buys fuel. If the Government buys fuel, why should the price go up? We understand that there are some economics involved in the buying of fuel, but we do not understand those economics. All that we want is for the fuel to be readily available. We want the bus fares to remain the same. If the price of fuel goes up, it will affect all the Zambians because the little that they are getting will go towards the purchase of fuel.

Mr Chairperson, it is a pity that the high prices of commodities are being attributed to the United States Dollar. Even prices for indigenous foods like imfungo, masuku or ifinkubala are being related to the dollar. Traders are saying that prices of essential commodities have gone up because of the dollar-kwacha exchange rate. Do people need Dollars to gather ifinkubala from the bush? So, If the price of fuel goes up, traders will claim that the prices adjusted prices of ifinkubala upward because the bus fares to Mpika or Mkushi where they get ifinkubala from have been increased. We should be careful with the way we handle prices of essential commodities such as fuel. If the Government decides to increase the price of fuel now and reduce it a month before the elections, people will feel cheated. If it means increasing the price of fuel, it is better to do it tomorrow. However, I am saying that the price of fuel should not go up because a lot of things are going to be affected.

 Laughter

Mr Namulambe: Sir, we are telling the millers not to increase the price of mealie meal. However, this is possible because they use generators to mill their maize. The price of mealie meal is going up because the millers are not able to sustain their milling plants with the load shedding. The millers cannot rely on the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) because there will be less supply of mealie meal on the market. For them to maintain the supply of mealie meal in the country, they are supplementing its milling by using diesel-driven generators.

Mr Chairperson, I support this Vote although the allocation is not enough. I, therefore, urge the hon. Minister of Finance to increase the allocation.

Sir, I thank you.

Ms Kalima (Kasenengwa): Mr Speaker, I am humbled by this opportunity to debate the Vote before the House.

Firstly, Sir, allow me to congratulate my sister, the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development, on her appointment. I have the confidence that she will represent the women very well. She has done it before. So, for her, it is just a continuation.

 Sir, I intend to be brief today because I just want to talk about three or four issues. The issue of boreholes that the hon. Minister mentioned in her policy statement is something that I have been lamenting for some time.

Mr Chairperson, when the Ministry of Energy and Water Development is engaged to drill a borehole, the price which is quoted is just as high as that quoted by the council. The price quoted by the the private sector, that is supposed to be expensive, is lower. The Ministry of Energy and Water Development does not charge less than K22,000 to drill a borehole. I do not understand why this is so because the ministry has its own machinery. Basically, the Government is there to support and help the people, especially those in rural areas. The ministry has a drilling rig. So, all that they have to buy are casings. I do not really understand where the money that they have been getting from the drilling of boreholes goes and why it should cost more for the ministry to sink a borehole.

Sir, I have been seeking advice from a number of engineers at the Ministry of Energy and Water Development because that is where my late husband used to work as a water engineer. I have many friends at the ministry. The explanation they give for a borehole that is sunk by the ministry to cost more does not make sense to me. I would like to appeal to the hon. Minister to investigate how the price is arrived at. Could it be that the people in charge of drilling boreholes work in collaboration with the council and would, therefore, like to be at the same level?

Sir, my heart bleeds to see that most rural people cannot afford to drill a borehole. As much as I appreciate that it is important to support the private sector, most of them who are in this business are not Zambian. I would, therefore, like to like to appeal to the hon. Minister to ensure that this issue is investigated and come up with an affordable price of drilling a borehole so that people can pay something closer to what the private sector is charging.

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister also spoke about the rehabilitation of dams. Time and again, engineers have come to my constituency to get bill of quantities (BOQs) on the dams that have been earmarked for rehabilitation. However, nothing has been done to date. The hon. Minister should investigate what is happening and why it has been like this every year despite the dams being budgeted for.

Sir, if the hon. Minister went to Kasenengwa today, she would not find any dam with water because all the dams are dry. Like I said earlier, a number of BOQs have been done but, to date, nothing has been done in the area of dam construction. For example, Chinyembe Dam was earmarked for rehabilitation two years ago, but nothing has happened. A number of dams that were earmarked for construction have not been worked on.

Mr Chairperson, cattle is dying because there is no water to drink. The person who is blamed for the lack of developmental projects in the constituency is the area Member of Parliament.

Sir, the issue of water supply is raised at every meeting that I attend. The people are not asking for tap or borehole water, but a dam for their animals to drink from. So, when I hear the hon. Minister talk about the Government allocating money for the construction and rehabilitation of dams, I wonder what she is talking about. I say so because of what I have been through in the last five years that I have been in this House. No dam has been constructed in my constituency in the five years that I have in this House. Therefore, I would like to appeal to the hon. Minister to look into this matter. I hope that this will be done in this Budget. I know that I will be here next year in October. So, I will talk about this again. I do not want to ask why nothing has been done even when there is an allocation for the construction and rehabilitation of dams. Instead of concentrating on the failed projects, let us find the cause of the problem and the solution. With the poor rain pattern, farmers can venture into irrigation framing and grow vegetables. However, all that is not possible because there is no water.

Sir, it is sad that the Rural Electrification Programme has not reached Kasenengwa Parliamentary Constituency. We cannot all be Cabinet Ministers. We were elected to this House in order to represent the people. However, you find that some hon. Government Members talk about rural electrification all the time. Unfortunately, no matter how many times the hon. Government Members explain this programme to the people, they will not understand. I hope such selfishness can come to an end. I am appealing to the hon. Minister to ensure that we all get an equal share of the national resources. We also want to have electricity in our constituencies. I was voted into office by the people of Kasenengwa Parliamentary Constituency. So, I want to ensure that they also have electricity. I am not a Minister, but the people of my constituency love me as their Member of Parliament. I am appealing to the Government to consider all the areas for electrification because we all belong to this country. Rural electrification should not only be for constituencies that are represented by hon. Ministers.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. MMD Members: Continue.

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Chairperson, I appreciate the opportunity to make some comments on the hon. Minister’s policy statement.

From the outset, I would like to say that I support the Vote. However, I think that there are serious reflections to be made. Firstly, Africa, in general, is the darkest continent on earth because 675 million Africans have no access to power. Only 25 per cent of the whole continent has access to power while the majority of the people live in darkness. This is the challenge of the African Continent and Zambia is no exception. I say so because according to available information, only 25 per cent of people in this country have access to power. In the rural areas, only 5 per cent have access to power. In my constituency, the only light that you see at night is the one from the moon and the stars.

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

Prof. Lungwangwa: Sir, we have no access to the national electricity grid. These are the realities under which we live, yet Africa is endowed with various sources of energy such as wind, hydro, bio-fuels and solar. When you compare Africa with other continents, you will see that we have most of the energy power of the world.

The Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the
Chair]

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Chairperson, before business was suspended, I was saying that Africa is the energy powerhouse of the world. However, the dilemma is that the majority of the people have no access to energy. I think this is where the challenge of climate change conferences comes in. As we look to the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 in Paris next month, it is imperative that African countries speak with one voice and get something out of the conference. At the moment, steps are being taken to come up with an Energy Project for Africa. Steps are also being taken to ensure that the developed world contributes resources towards the development of Africa’s energy. Estimates are that every year, for the next five years, there should be something like US$5 billion going towards the Energy Project for Africa.

Sir, that kind of money will go towards establishing, ...

Mr Mbulakulima chatted with hon. Government Backbenchers.

The Chairperson: Order!

Mr Mbulakulima resumed his seat.

I can see who the problem was.

Laughter

Prof. Lungwangwa: ... shared regional projects for power on the African Continent such as the Grand Inga Project. So, as we go to the COP 21, African countries should all speak with one voice and impress upon the world that the position of Africa is that the world must fund the energy project for the African Continent. We must sustain that position for a long time. That way, we shall benefit from the COP 21 Climate Change Conference. We have not benefitted significantly from the other climate change conferences, but this is an opportunity for Africa to take a stance that should be listened to seriously by the world.

Mr Chairperson, climate change is real. Those of us who grew up in villages have seen lakes from which we used to catch fish dry up. That is the real effect of climate change. For example, the lagoons along the Zambezi River in the Western Province have dried up and fish is becoming scarce. So, like the hon. Minister said last week, it is very important that we think outside the box and see how best we can address the challenge of climate change. We must find ways and means of harvesting all the water that comes on the surface in this country.

Mr Chairperson, a good example is the Barotse Flood Plain. I think it is now time we thought about harvesting the water that floods the plain through the creation of dams. We can use those dams for irrigation and other purposes during the long dry spells like the one we are experiencing at the moment.

Mr Chairperson, we should also lookat how best we can extend electricity to the rural areas. I remember the hon. Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development, who is sitting behind me, making an assurance on the Floor of this House that the electricity sub-station in Luampa would be completed soon. He further said that when it is completed, power would be extended to Nalikwanda. How I wish that could be expedited so that the people of Nalikwanda can also have light during the night instead of the moon light or light from the stars that we have got accustomed to. So, I hope that the project will soon come to a conclusion.

Mr Chairperson, we also need to see how best we can comprehensively extend solar power to schools in rural areas. You should see how exciting it is to the teachers and pupils, and how motivating it is to the community when a school has been solar-powered. We hope that the hon. Minister can come up with a comprehensive programme on the extension of solar power to all schools in rural areas.

Mr Chairperson, electrification is the axis upon which our development depends. Our human resources will be effectively and efficiently developed when we are able to extend power to educational institutions countrywide. Since the African Continent is endowed with natural resources to generate power, let us find a way of harnessing that power and extending it to the greater majority of our people so that our development efforts and initiatives can be accelerated. It is also very important that we tap into solar energy.

Mr Chairperson, given the predicament we are in, we need to challenge our engineers to be imaginative and innovative. For instance, at the moment, there are electric bulbs that can automatically light up whenever load-shedding has been effected. That is the top innovation of the world in response to load-shedding at the moment. That shows that even under the predicament we are in of load-shedding due to climate change, we can actually be innovative. Let us impress upon our engineers to think imaginatively so that they can come up with ways and means of contributing to finding solutions to the problem of climate change and the challenge of energy for our people. I think time has come to do that.

Mr Chairperson, as the hon. Minister has mentioned, I hope there will be seriousness in addressing the problems we have in the area of energy. I am aware of some excellent officers in the Ministry of Energy and Water Development who can assist the nation in this regard. The hon. Minister needs to work with these excellent minds to see how best the nation can be served given the predicament we in, in the area of energy.

Mr Chairperson, I support the Vote and thank you.

Mr Mtolo (Chipata Central): Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank you most sincerely for allowing me to debate in support of the Vote for the Ministry of Energy and Water Development. I am in a very happy mood today. So, I will start my discourse with an adage from the Eastern Province. When we are very happy in the Eastern Province, we say, “Kwena nangu naima lelo mukwayi ati ndande, awe bu kakashi fye. ”

Laughter

The Chairperson: Mr Mtolo, is that language from the Eastern Province?

Mr Mtolo: Sir, we are one Zambia one nation.

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: Kwena nangu naima lelo ati ndande, mukwayi bu kakashi fye.

Hon. Members: What does that mean?

Mr Mtolo: Sir, it means that after the whipping that we got yesterday for debating the Ministry of Higher Education, it is actually amazing that we can have the energy to stand up today to debate.

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: Bu kakashi fye mukwayi.

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: Mr Chairperson, when you stand up to debate in this very democratic House, which I have begun to love so much, you are told that you are suffering from a superiority complex, ...

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: ... you are just waffling and ...

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: “Iwe, Mtolo, go and research.”

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: The problem with me, who is an educationist, is that I get guidance from anybody.

Mr Pande: Eh!

Mr Mtolo: Sir, we felt very unprotected yesterday. Bukakashi fye kwena.

Laughter

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: You are right!

The Chairperson: Order!
 
I think you have made your point. Go to the subject now.

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: Sir that is the only debate I had this afternoon ...

Interruptions

Mr Mtolo: … before I sit down, considering that this debate is in support of a very able hon. Minister in whom we are proud.

Mr Mbewe: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtolo: My sister, Hon. Siliya, it is not a coincidence that you are in that position. You have the capacity to perform. Therefore, …

Mr Mwila: And it is not ubukakashi!

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: … on this happy note, I would like to say, madam, I will refer you to another man whom I have great admiration for in this House, and who unfortunately he is not here. This is the hon. Minister of Finance …

Mr Chikwanda: I am here!

Mr Mtolo: Ah, there he is! Thank you.

In my first debate in this House, I talked about how I loved Hon. Chikwanda, his discourse and his way of putting things across.

Mr Mbewe: Sure!

Mr Mtolo: I will never forget the day when he called me outside the Chamber and told me,  “No, no, Mtolo, this thing under consideration, yes it has got a few structural deficiencies, but I have a moral imperative to bla, bla, bla ...” I learnt one thing from this. So, the following Budget, I said to him, “Sir, you should have measureable things planned for in the Budget.” I will remind him about one thing in particular that I said to him. I said, “How can you have one rickety railway line across Zambia, from the Southern to the Northern Province and you are proud to be Minister of Finance. Have projects which we will measure you by when you are no longer Minister of Finance.”

I think he has done well because now, Mr Chairperson, we will have roads which we shall measure Hon. Chikwanda by. We shall have the new districts by which we can measure him. So, he has actually shown that to be measurable, you need to have specific projects. That is the guidance I am giving you too, my sister. Do not leave this ministry without anything which you can point at as your achievement.

Mr Chairperson, how can Chipata, a town which is almost becoming a city, have no piped water fifty-one years after Independence? People drink contaminated water. What is the ministry doing about this? So, I am urging you, hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development, to have a few specific projects and to work on them so that we can say, “When Hon. Siliya was Minister of Energy and Water Development, she gave us piped water.”

You heard the hon. Member for Kasenengwa lament the water situation in her area. The situation is true for all of us. We have serious water problems. Give the people of Zambia the water they need. Cut the money from those shows and unnecessary and unproductive activities, and sink boreholes. Why can the Government not buy a borehole drilling machine for every constituency in Zambia? Surely, how can Zambia have water problems fifty-one years after Independence? How can people in Chipata share drinking water with animals? I do not think debating a lot will be helpful to Hon. Siliya. Give us tangible things. Give us water.

Mr Mbulakulima: Bukakashi nomba ubo!

Mr Mtolo: Hon. Dr Guy Scott has been asking why Zambia is importing electric geysers. Why can we not manufacture geysers in Zambia? That is the responsibility of your ministry, Hon. Siliya. You can collaborate with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and reduce tax on materials for manufacturing solar geysers so that you can give incentives for people to make solar geysers. That way, we shall be talking about productive things. I have looked at the Yellow Book and the allocations that we are going to pass are not useful to the country at all. The money you are allocating to unproductive ventures can be diverted to real ventures. Let us do the right thing. Why should we have water problems with an able person like you, hon. Minister, in office? By the time you complete your term as Minister of Energy and Water Development, I want Chipata to have more water kiosks in Muchini, Magazine, Navutika and Referendum compounds. Why should we not have tapped water?

Mr Mwali: Ebukakashi ubo nomba!

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: Why should we not have tapped water in Chipata which you want to turn into a city?

Mr Mbulakulima: Referendum!

Mr Mtolo: Why do you want us to debate huge figures?

Mr Chairperson, I said I am in a very happy mood. So, I might get out of hand but, honestly speaking, we are not doing the right thing. We should not be allocating money to unproductive ventures. Why should you buy suits for people to attend a show when people in Chipata have no water? What is wrong with us? What is wrong with you, my sister?

Laughter

Mr Chipungu: Kalipa!

The Chairperson: You are really getting out of hand now.

Laughter

Mr Chipungu: Kalipa!

Mr Mtolo: Sir, as I conclude, I sincerely…

Mr Muchima: Mukakashi!

Mr Mtolo: … pray that we shall be protected and not called names after adding value to the debate.

Laughter

Mr Mtolo: Sir, I want you to know that I am a very happy Member in this House today.

I thank you, Sir.

The Chairperson: You are always protected it is just that some of you are impossible when it comes terms to obeying the Chair’s guidance.

Laughter

Mr Chairperson: We now move onto individual items under that Vote.

Ah! I am sorry.

You see, that is what happens when you only mention Chipata and not Lundazi in your debate.

Laughter

Ms Siliya: Mr Chairperson, from the outset, let me say that I am very grateful for some of the kind words from the hon. Members of Parliament who have debated. These are Hon. Muchima, Hon Namulambe, Hon. Kalima, Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa and Hon. Mtolo.

Mr Chairperson, I will not say much except to make a few comments in general on what has been said. We have all clearly underscored the point that access to water and energy is critical for economic and social development. I think that our current challenge is to increase access to water, energy, electricity and fuel in all parts of the country. We are talking about a country with an area of 750,000 km². Each area of Zambia is a potential stand-alone economic point that can create jobs and wealth for the citizens. However, to spur the economic activities, we need to provide energy and access to water.

Sir, when we talk about the economy, we should always remember that it is not just about numbers, but about people who are an important factor of production. People need to have access to energy and water. Clearly, the challenge is how we are going to finance this access to energy and water? We, as a country, have to make decisions on how are we going to continue to finance our access to water and energy in the next fifty years.

Mr Chairperson, we know that in rural areas, access to electricity is very low at just 5 per cent. The Rural Electrification Authority (REA) is working hard, but let us do things differently. Are we going to continue talking about connecting one town or one school every yea? I am sure we shall continue to hear about the lamentations from Hon. Kalima about having no electricity in Kasenengwa. That is because when one school is connected to electricity, she cannot feel the impact of rural electrification. Obviously, her house may have electricity, but as a Member of Parliament, she would like to have power for her people.

So, Sir, we have to find a way of accelerating this process whether it is through co-operating partners or financing from the Government. All of us have to bring ideas to the table. How do we finance this access? We have to think about cost sharing. Indeed, electricity is an expensive product to generate. It is not possible for the hon. Minister of Finance to allocate the amount of resources he would like in order to connect the urban areas to the last mile in the rural area. Once again, we all have to think outside the box. The same applies to the issue of fuel. The Government took a very bold decision to standardise the price of fuel throughout the country. This was all in an effort to try to make fuel accessible to all the citizens, including those in Mwinilunga.

Mr Muchima indicated assent.

Ms Siliya: I can see Hon. Muchima from Ikeleng’i nodding. He was in my office this morning.

Hon. Government Member: Oh!

Ms Siliya: I am happy that the private sector has made an effort to provide hydro-generated power in Ikeleng’i. However, it is the responsibility of the Government to provide the back-bone infrastructure for connecting to the national electricity grid. We know that there is a lot of potential for business between Zambia and Angola because the latter also has a shortage of power supply. So, we have an opportunity to supply power to our neighbour through an inter-connector.

Mr Chairperson, we have to invest now. Yesterday, somebody said to me that it takes twenty years before you can enjoy the shade of a tree. We have to make tough decisions now on what we need to achieve in the next twenty to fifty years. In this vein, I was so happy that the first three debaters all said that is not an issue of politics, but for all of us to make tough decisions on how we, as a nation, are going to share the cost of providing electricity, fuel and water. Clearly, the Government cannot do this alone. I am happy that this is the mood that we are seeing in the House. Everybody understands that matters relating to development, especially the provision of electricity, fuel and water, should not be politicised.

Mr Chairperson, my ministry, together with the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, is trying to harmonise structures in order to address the issues that Hon. Mtolo talked about. We have noted a structural problem between the two ministries. While water utility companies are under the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, the board that is responsible for the water utility companies is under the Ministry of Energy and Water Development. We thought that this was a misfit because even though the Ministry of Energy and Water Development deals with water, it does not do so at utility level.

Therefore, to enhance performance, we are working with my colleague to ensure that the National Water and Sanitation Company (NWASCO) is moved to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing which is the right ministry to hold NWASCO accountable for the provision of water so that there are no complaints.

Sir, our ministry, ...

Interruptions

The Chairperson: Order, on my right!

Ms Siliya: The Ministry of Energy and Water Development is obviously responsible for the overall water policy in the country in terms of the managing and monitoring of ground water levels, above ground water bodies and harvesting water for future planning in order to ensure that the water is always available in our country. We have an interest in the provision of water. However, our responsibility is limited to the most crucial areas such as the provision of boreholes in the most critical areas like rural areas, schools, health institutions and places where we know that the utility companies might not be able to reach. Our role also includes research and monitoring.

In a nutshell, I am not so sure that there is anything more to say other than that I appreciate the comments. It is good to know that everybody understands that we all have to share the cost of making water, fuel and electricity accessible to the citizens.

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

Vote 62/01 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 62/02 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 62/03 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 62/04 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Interruptions

The Chairperson: Order!

Some of you are not paying attention.

VOTE 80 – (Ministry of General Education – K7,980,412,362).

The Minister of General Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Chairperson, it is a great honour and privilege to be accorded the opportunity to address this august House and the people of Zambia on the 2016 budget for the Ministry of General Education.

Hon. Government Members left the Assembly Chamber.

Hon. Government Members: Quorum, quorum!

The Chairperson: I can hear you say, “Quorum, quorum!” Most of you are leaving the Assembly Chamber at the same time. So, we shall have no quorum.

Hon. Government Member: The hon. UPND Members have also run away!

You may continue, hon. Minister.

Dr Phiri: Sir, the link between education and social economic development has long been established. Therefore, I will not belabour the importance of education. Nevertheless, allow me to highlight that good quality education provides a variety of benefits which include the realisation of full individual and national potential, promotion of desirable attitudes and values and opens minds of learners to new ideas. Research has also consistently shown that education leads to a decline in mortality and morbidity rates as well as increased productivity of the national workforce. In short, education is the driver of all the other sectors of the economy.

Mr Chairperson, the 2016 Budget for the Ministry of General Education is significant because it comes at a time when the world adopted the Education 2030 Framework of Action at the just-ended United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Conference in Paris, France, on 4th November, 2015. The Framework of Action provides guidance on how countries will work towards achieving the United Nations (UN) sustainable Goal Number Four in the next fifteen years. This goal focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Mr Chairperson, the 2030 Education Agenda provides an opportunity for our country to consolidate the gains that we have made at the primary subsector over the past decade and extend this to the secondary and other subsectors. The 2016 budget for my ministry sets the tone for this.

Mr Chairperson, before I go further, allow me to outline the mandate of my ministry and highlight some of the achievements scored in the 2015 Budget. My ministry’s mandate is centred on the formulation and implementation of the Government’s policy on early childhood, primary and secondary education, teacher training, licensing and enforcement of standards. In this regard, the over-arching objective of the ministry is to provide equitable quality and relevant early childhood, primary and secondary education in order to improve learning outcomes.

Achievements Made in 2015

Mr Chairperson, the House will recall that in 2015, the Government chose my ministry to pilot the implementation of the Output Based Budgeting System (OBB) in the 2015 to 2016 Financial Year. Let me say a word on the OBB System for the sake of the new hon. Members of Parliament and, of course, those who may have forgotten. The OBB System has a strong focus on the realisation of the results that a particular ministry intends to achieve. The Activity-Based Budgeting System (ABB), on the other hand, is a system which focuses on the achievement of planned activities. The OBB System, therefore, offers a great opportunity for measuring allocated resources against the intended outputs or results. The following progress has been recorded amongst many others:

(a)    Early Childhood Education

Sir, in the field of early childhood education, my ministry has partnered with the private sector and other stakeholders to establish early childhood education centres as close to the community as possible. The ministry is currently working with partners such as the  United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Plan International, Save the Children, Child Fund, Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) and Flemish Association for Development Co-operation and Technical Assistance (VVOB) to name but a few, in increasing quality access to early childhood education through infrastructure development and various capacity building activities. Other activities that have been implemented include the development of a comprehensive Early Childhood Education Policy Implementation Plan and a study on the costed options of implementation of the Early Childhood Education Curriculum.
    
    (b)    Primary Education

Mr Chairperson, in the primary education subsector, the 2015 Budget led to the following achievements:

(i)    continued implemetation of various infrastructural projects;

(ii)    continued rolling out of the Revised Curriculum Framework which covered Grades 2 and 6;

(iii)    procurement and distribution of new books based on the Revised School Curriculum;

(iv)    disbursement of K95 million to primary schools in all districts in the form of school grants; and

(v)    provision of food to 860,000 learners in various schools.

(c)    Secondary Education

Sir, in the secondary education subsector, some of the commitments made in the 2015 Budget included targets to improve both the progression and completion rates of learners by completing at least fifty out of the 118 secondary schools under construction. So far:

(i)    a total of fifty schools have been completed and are operational;

(ii)    sixteen schools have been completed and await the completion of external works which include painting, construction of walkways, installation of water and sewer systems, power connections etc; and

(iii)    fifty-two secondary schools are at various stages of construction.

However, Mr Chairperson, the House may wish to know that the massive investment in the primary education subsector in pursuit of the goal of providing universal primary education brought about a new challenge, commendable as it were. Zambia now has a total of 8,754 primary schools against 794 secondary schools. In order to address the challenge of inadequate secondary schools without having to wait for the completion of the new secondary school projects, which take relatively long to complete, my ministry embarked on an initiative of converting strategically located basic schools into secondary schools as a quick and more efficient way of increasing access at secondary school level. The conversion has taken the form of adding new classroom blocks, teachers’ houses, ventilated improved pit latrines (VIPs) and the provision of mobile laboratory kits and desks. I, therefore, wish to report that with respect to the upgrading of 220 basic schools to secondary schools, that is, twenty-two in each province, twenty-four have since been completed and are operational, seventy-four are at finishing level with only final touches being worked on, fifty have been roofed, while the remaining seventy-two are at various stages of construction. My ministry is committed to meeting the target to fulfil the Government’s desire to implement the change from basic to primary school, and high school to secondary school, because the schools are expected to enrol pupils from Grades 8 to 12. Other achievements scored are:

(i)    manufacture and delivery of 2,382 double-seater and 2,200 single-seater desks to primary and secondary schools and 500 single-seater desks to Nkrumah University through the Zambia Education Project Implementation Unit (ZEPIU);

(ii)    release of K17.4 million towards bursaries for pupils from disadvantaged households;

(iii)    manufacture and distribution of 876 mobile laboratories by the National Science Centre to secondary schools countrywide; and

(iv)    production of 2,750 mathematics graph boards were also.

(d)    Management and Support Services

Sir, an assessment of the ministry was undertaken to establish the factors that impinge on effective service delivery. This was meant to ensure that the ministry delivers services efficiently and effectively. This exercise culminated the development of a draft strategic plan for the ministry for the years 2016 to 2020. The Management and Support Services Programme also facilitated the achievement of:

(i)    a net recruitment of an estimated 5,000 teachers covering early childhood education, primary and secondary teachers;

(ii)    an audit of the distribution of new books based on the Revised Curriculum; and

(iii)    capacity building of Districts and District Education Boards in all the provinces.

(e)    Teacher Education

Mr Chairperson, the House will agree with me that the quality and effectiveness of the education system depends heavily on the quality of teachers. To this end, the resources allocated to this important sector in 2015 were used to review the teacher education curriculum so that it is in tandem with the Revised School Curriculum. Furthermore, some resources were allocated towards the general operations of teacher training colleges.

Challenges Faced in 2015

Sir, notwithstanding the successes recorded, the implementation of the 2015 budget faced a number of challenges such as:

(a)    poor tracking outputs due to lack of prior experience in the execution of the OBB System;

(b)    non-restructuring of the ministry, leading to departmental structures that were not aligned to the OBB System; and

(c)     persistence of the culture of the old ABB System.

The 2016 Budget

Mr Chairperson, the 2016 policy of my ministry draws its inspiration from two sources. Firstly, the policy is inspired by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s Address to the National Assembly on 18th September, 2015, whose theme was, “Embracing a Transformational Culture for a Smart Zambia Now”. Secondly, as has already been stated, the policy is also inspired by the United Nations’ Education 2030 Agenda. In his Address, His Excellency the President gave guidance on a number of issues pertaining to my ministry. Among them was the landmark decision to split the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education into two ministries, namely General Education and Higher Education.

Total 2016 Budgetary Allocation

Sir, the total 2016 budgetary allocation for the Ministry of General Education stands at K7,980,412,362, of which K6,705,731,181 is for personal emoluments and K1,274,681,181 for non-personal emoluments.

Mr Chairperson, I am glad to inform the House that the Government has decided to continue with the piloting of the OBB System in the education sector in 2016 for the second year in a row. The ministry has, therefore, identified the following programmes towards which resources will be allocated in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the ministry in 2016:

(a)    Early Childhood Education;

(b)    Primary Education;

(c)    Secondary Education;

(d)    Youth and Adult Literacy; and

(e)    Management and Support Services.

Mr Chairperson, I now move onto the detailed proposed allocation of resources to the respective programmes.

Early Childhood Education

Mr Chairperson, the House will recall that up until 2004, the provision of Early Childhood Education was under the local government portfolio and was mostly dominated by the private sector. The Provision of Early Childhood Education was capitalised by a lack of standardised curriculum and unco-ordinated management of the entire subsector. It was not until 2011 that Early Childhood Education became a national priority. Since then, a lot of activities have been undertaken to build institutional capacity in the delivery of Early Childhood Education. Among them are the:

(i)    establishment of a Directorate of Early Childhood Education in the ministry;

(ii)    development of a standardised curriculum for learners and teachers at Early Childhood Education level;
 
(iii)    finalisation of the Early Childhood Education Policy; and

(iv)    development of Early Childhood Education guidelines.

Currently, the sector boasts of 1,526 centres, with over 70,000 early learners. So far, a total of 1,000 trained teachers have been deployed in schools and Early Childhood Education centres. More teachers will be deployed this year.

Mr Chairperson, the major output for this sub-sector in the 2016 budget is to increase the proportion of Grade 1 entrants with early childhood education from the current 15.4 per cent to 18 per cent by the end of 2016. To this effect, a total of K40,440,785 has been allocated to the subsector, out of which K33,630,452 has been set aside for infrastructure development.

Sir, K2,680,333 will go towards general operations, which include the establishment of a fully-fledged decentralised Early Childhood Education delivery structure, E Early Childhood Education Communication Strategy and capacity building activities for Early Childhood Education teachers. A further K3,771,442 has been allocated as grants to Early Childhood Education centres for their smooth operation.

    Primary Education Subsector

Mr Chairperson, there has been a tremendous increase in enrolment in the Primary Education Subsector, from 3.03 million pupils in 2011 to 3.69 million in 2014, representing a 22 per cent increase and bringing the net enrolment rate to 94.3 per cent. This remarkable increase in enrolment can be attributed to favourable policies such as sustained construction of classrooms, teachers’ houses and VIP toilets, especially in rural areas where most of the learners could not access education due to long distances.

Sir, as the House is aware, the global focus on education has shifted from increasing access to improving the quality of education, as contained in Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 which advocates inclusive and equitable quality education.

Mr Chairperson, in order to facilitate the effective implementation of programmes at primary school level, a total of K5,395,385,446 has been allocated in the 2016 Budget,  broken down as follows:

Activity                        Amount (ZMW)

Salaries, Wages and other Emoluments     5,029,694,615
School Grants        465,300
Free Education Materials         22,465,300
Food and Salaries for Co-ordinators        35,554,164
    of School Feeding Programme

Sir, in addition to the support that the ministry has provided to community schools over the years in the form of books, secondment of teachers and school grants, a further K3 million has been allocated to community schools. In addition, K101 million has been allocated for infrastructure development in the primary subsector.

Secondary Education Subsector

Mr Chairperson, in 2016, the main secondary school budget output targets include:

(i)    completion and operationalisation of seventy-four secondary schools;

(ii)    improvement of learner performance in English, mathematics and science subjects; and

(iii)    provision of school grants.

Sir, in line with the statement by the hon. Minister of Finance to the National Assembly on 9th October, 2015, the ministry will concentrate on completing the on-going projects, especially the construction of secondary schools, in order to increase access which will ultimately contribute to the increase in secondary school completion rates.

As mentioned by the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, during his Address to the National Assembly on 18th September, 2015, mathematics and science are at the core of innovation. To this end, my ministry has set aside resources to continue with the training of 2,700 teachers who are currently undergoing fast-track continuous professional development in mathematics and sciences at various universities as a way of reducing the shortage of qualified teachers of mathematics and science in secondary schools.

In order to achieve these targets, a total of K1,922,918,969 has been allocated to the secondary subsector, out of which K1,213,332,780 will be for payment of salaries and wages. The allocation for non-personal emoluments for the Secondary School Education Programme is K694.97 million.

Mr Chairperson, some of the activities that will benefit from the K694.97 million allocation include:

Activity                    Amount (ZMW)

Infrastructure Projects                502,695,485
Grants for Operations         32,114,010
Bursary Support for Orphans        23,927,011  
and Vulnerable Children         
Procurement/Manufacturing of Desks        76,000,000
Grant to National Science Centre        15,299,849
General Operations        41,814,269

The K41,814,269 will be used for activities such as continuous rolling out of the Two-Tier Revised Curriculum, procurement of teaching and learning materials and capacity building.

Youth and Adult Literacy Subsector

Mr Chairperson, the Youth and Adult Literacy Programme is aimed at facilitating access to education for out-of-school youths and adults in order to provide them with the necessary education to enable them to read, write and participate in national development. The programme has been allocated a total of K1,714,404. The focus of this programme is to increase the number of learners enrolled in literacy centres from 125,000 to 175,000.

Teacher Education

Sir, my ministry has allocated a total of K11,267,381 towards the teacher education sub-subsector as grants to the fourteen colleges of education in the country. The resources will be used for the following activities among others:

(a)    training of teachers in the Revised Curriculum;

(b)    general operations at the various colleges; and

(c)    monitoring of teachers on teaching practice.

Management and Support Services

Mr Chairperson, the Management and Support Services Programme is aimed at facilitating the efficient and effective delivery of services. The following outputs have been targeted under this programme:

(a)    reduction in audit queries by 76 per cent;

(b)    recruitment and deployment of 5,000 early childhood education, primary and secondary school teachers and support staff; and

(c)    development of the 2017 to 2021 Education Sector National Implementation Framework, Ministerial Restructuring Report and the Education and Skills Sector Policy.

Sir, a total of K619,952,759 has been allocated towards the Management and Support Services Programme. Of this amount, K444,945,979 has been set aside for salaries and wages for staff at the ministry headquarters and the net employment of 5,000 teachers. A further K87,202,716 will go towards transfers and/or grants to statutory bodies under the ministry. K3,291,970 has been allocated towards settling of debt owed to various suppliers of goods and services.
Mr Chairperson, in conclusion, ...

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Dr Phiri: ... I wish to call upon all hon. Members of this august House to support the 2016 Budget for the Ministry of General Education as presented. I would like to call upon all hon. Members, present and absent, to reflect on where we have come from, the visible strides this Government has made and the promise that this Government is making for a better education tomorrow. The fact that the school of your preference may not have been constructed should not be misconstrued as the Government’s failure in its responsibility. Zambia is a large country. So, our resource envelope may not be big enough to do at once everything in this sector. There are visible signs that we have delivered. On the basis of this track record, Zambia will, again, give the Patriotic Front (PF) a new mandate to complete our development agenda in Education come 2016.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: We are here up to 2021. Thank you for the kind words that have been said about the ministry and what we have done. Let us avoid the kind of animosity like we experienced yesterday.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this very important Vote. I know that some people may not have wanted anyone to stand up and debate but, like I said early, some of us are paid for talking. So, I will talk.

Sir, I want to thank the hon. Minister of General Education for his statement. He seems happier in his new portfolio ...

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: ... than he was when he was Minister of Local Government and Housing. I commend him for coming out strongly and seemingly happy in that position. Even the teachers are happy that he is back in that position because he understands their problems since he is from that profession.

Mr Chairperson, teachers are very important people in society. None of us would have been here if there were no teachers. However, they are the most neglected people. Some of the schools that they are posted to, including those in Lundazi, are so remote that people like Monde would not survive there. However, teachers are posted there to provide ...

The Chairperson: Do you mean Hon. Monde?

Mr Namulambe: Sorry, Mr Chairperson, I meant the hon. Minister of Livestock and Fisheries who goes by the name of Monde.

Laughter

Mr Namulambe: If he was posted to one of the remote schools like the ones in Lundazi or Luano, he would not go there.

Mr Chipungu: Why Lundazi?

Mr Namulambe: Teachers who are posted to schools in remote areas are neglected. It takes a long time for them to be paid their settling in and hardship allowances even when they have been transferred to another school. The problem is that the so-called Education Standards Officers, who are supposed to inspect schools, choose which schools to inspect and do not visit schools in remote areas. How do they expect to motivate teachers to stay in remote areas if they fail to go there? Most of the funds that are allocated to the districts do not reach schools in remote areas where there are teachers who experience a lot of suffering in order to serve the common man in the village.

Sir, with this budget that we are supporting, officials from the ministry should visit the remotest parts of the districts so that they appreciate the sufferings of the teachers. If it were not for teachers, there would be no doctors, professors or hon. Member of Parliament for Lundazi. So, it is important that funds are used effectively once they are allocated.

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister said that only on-going projects would be completed. He has forgotten that many school projects did not include the construction of teachers’ houses. Where do you think the teachers are going to live? I know that the hon. Minister of Finance said that there would be no new projects in this Budget, but these are old projects that were not completed because classroom blocks were built without houses for teachers. Where do you expect the teachers to live? So, the Government should find money to build houses for teachers.

Sir, I chose to leave the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) to join the Patriotic Front (PF) because I saw that nothing was going to come out of the MMD since the ‘purse’ was with the party in power. The people of Mpongwe welcomed my decision to join the PF because they wanted teachers’ houses to be built as promised. However, to date, they are still waiting for the houses to be built. All we want to see is that these houses are built.

Sir, I remember when the hon. Minister of General Education came to campaign in Mpongwe, he told the people that the Government would build a new secondary school as promised. The people of Mpongwe still remember that promise. A site has been chosen for the construction of the school. People cannot say that I am not doing my work as area Member of Parliament. I am actually doing my work by reminding the hon. Minister about what he promised. The secondary school should be built as per promise. The Government should show us the plan for the school so that we are assured that the school will be built in 2017 or 2019.

Mr Chairperson, there are few secondary schools in Mpongwe. Unfortunately, pupils from Mpongwe have to compete for the few school places with those from urban areas. However, pupils from urban areas are more advantaged than those from Mpongwe because they have had nursery school education, yet the cut-off point is the same.

Sir, in Mpongwe, there are schools where there are only four children from Mpongwe and the rest are from places such as Livingstone, Lusaka and Kitwe. Why do the people of Mpongwe find it difficult to find school places for their children? What have they done to deserve this?  

Mr Chairperson, before Independence, there were few schools in Lambaland. Why was it so? That is why there were very few educated Lambas who could have helped develop that area. Why should this be allowed to continue? Why should the secondary schools in Mpongwe be for the privileged? Something should be done to balance the enrolment so that pupils who come from Mpongwe also benefit from the presence of secondary schools in their area. In addition, the so-called boarding fees are too high. Boarding fees for schools like Mpongwe High School are just too high. I think it is high time the Government reduced the boarding fees.

Sir, the Catholics came to that area in order to help the poor, but their schools are now like private schools. Are they providing education as a business? What will the poor people benefit then? It is high time the ministry took steps towards helping the poor. The ministry should post teachers to schools in Mpongwe and the schools should be given grants. There are orphans in Mpongwe who cannot afford to pay the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) fund. In most cases, you will find that the Chairperson of the PTA is probably a businessman from Livingstone who will not pay attention to the plight of the less privileged because he thinks that everybody can afford the fees. The people of Mpongwe are tired of all this.  

Mr Chairperson, I would also like to appeal to the ministry to liaise with the District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) and the Education Standards Officers in regard to the staff school establishments at certain rural schools. In some instances, a school will have a full staff establishment, but very few teachers on site. This is because some teachers are transferred to urban schools that have bloated staff establishments while their names still appear on the establishments of the rural schools they were transferred from. So, if there are three teachers at a particular rural school, the salaries for the teachers who have been transferred to the urban schools should be given to the three teachers since they are the ones who are taking care of the pupils. The teachers who have been transferred to urban schools should be considered fugitives and be dismissed.

Mr Chairperson, why should an urban school with a staff establishment of fifteen teachers have thirty-two teachers on site? When the inspectors go to inspect such schools, they find all the thirty-two teachers working, but do nothing about it. Some teachers go to the extent of faking marriage certificates so that they are transferred to certain schools even when there are no vacancies at the schools. There are instances where you find a teacher’s name still appearing on the establishment for a school in Luswishi when he/she is teaching at a school in Mpongwe or Luanshya. Why should the people of Mpongwe be disadvantaged? Sometimes, when the ministry is posting new teachers to rural schools, they will think that the establishment at certain schools is full when most of the teachers would have been transferred to urban schools.

Mr Chairperson, is it not possible to revert to the basic school system because our children are finding it difficult to find places in secondary schools? If anything, there are very few secondary schools. If we cannot build more secondary schools because there is no money, why can we not revert to the basic school system so that if a pupil cannot find a place in Grade 8 or Grade 9 at Mpatamatu Secondary School in Luanshya, he/she can go to Luswishi or Masaiti Basic School?

Mr Chairperson, the Government has allowed teachers to improve their academic qualifications. So, why can they not teach Grades 8 and 9 classes? Why should we continue with the primary and secondary school system when there are very few secondary schools? I, therefore, appeal to the Government to revert to the basic school system in order to improve efficiency and allow more pupils to go up to Grade 9.

Sir, let me talk about community schools. There are many community schools that cater for vulnerable children. I would like to appeal to the hon. Minister to send teachers to these schools. Also, the infrastructure at community schools should be improved upon. Some donors send money to help the community schools. Hon. Members were privileged to attend a workshop at which the difference between Government and community schools was explained. We should ensure that the people know the allocation in the Budget for community schools. If we are going to review the policy on primary and basic schools, we should provide them with text books.

Mr Chairperson, it is also important that we establish libraries for teachers so that they can improve on their educational qualifications.

Mr Chairperson, I wish to commend the hon. Minister for the hard work. He should continue with that spirit. I love him very much.

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

Laughter

Bishop Lt-General Shikapwasha (Keembe): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me the opportunity to debate on this Vote. Firstly, I would like to tell the hon. Minister that I support this ministry’s Estimates of Expenditure.

Mr Chairperson, we should not support the hon. Minister’s budget as if we were bridesmaid supporting a bride. In other words, whilst the hon. Opposition Members support the budget, it should not benefit those in the Government only. The reason I am saying this is that this is the second time the hon. Minister is running this ministry and, in his first term, I asked him to deal with the completion of Kafunshi Secondary School. To date, the school has not been completed, yet many budgets have been approved for his ministry. Further, the Government has built many secondary schools and universities. However, in my constituency, women are asked to break stones for the construction of Chitanda and Chinyongola secondary schools. Some of them have lost their eyes as they break the stones while other constituencies have schools built without any input from the community. Why should there be two standards on one budget?

Sir, the money we approve in this House should not be used selectively. The same standard used to identify to construct schools in Kasama or Monze should be applied in Keembe. So, certain constituencies should not be favoured. In the last four years, very little money has been allocated to my constituency. I wish to appeal to the hon. Minister not to have a ‘bride’ and ‘bridesmaids’ in this Budget.

I thank you, Sir.

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Chairperson, I think the hon. Minister is worried about what I am going to say. I sincerely hope that there will not be a repetition of what happened yesterday afternoon.

Laughter

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo:  I mean well, Sir.

Laughter

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo: Mr Chairperson, I concur with my colleague who has said that Hon. Dr Phiri is not new to the Ministry of General Education. I listened very carefully to the hon.  Minister’s statement with regard to teacher education, particularly in relation to science and mathematics, infrastructure development and the availability of teaching and learning materials. The statement sounds good and I hope that the things he has talked about will be implemented. We see on television a lot of money being spent on schools that are already at roof level. The hon. Minister’s office is only one hour and fifteen minutes …

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: And Keembe is forty-five minutes away.

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo: … from Mumbwa while Keembe is only forty-five minutes away from his office. I am speaking the truth because in my constituency, the Government has failed to complete one secondary school which is still at gable level. There are Grade 11 pupils at that school. So, one wonders how they will write the examinations next year? There was some goodwill in the past seems because some directors from the ministry have visited the school. I wonder why it has not been completed to date. Our children also deserve a share of the national cake because we also pay tax. As has been stated, could the hon. Minister be fair to the rural children?

Mr Chairperson, I would also like to talk about early childhood education. Again, there seems to be some form of ‘apartheid’ in the provision of early childhood education because the rural child gets inferior service compared to the urban-based child. I hope the Government will do away with community schools. I have some pictures of community schools that I can share with the hon. Minister. Is it not possible to use the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to bring community schools to the same standard as Government-sponsored schools? The constituents ask me to speak on their behalf and I tell them that I lobby. However, decisions are made by the Government. I hope that they can give us a crumb of the national cake. The point is that one can only do so much for a certain period and expect to see an improvement.

Sir, when a man is courting a lady, he will do everything possible to impress her. He can even go to an extent of borrowing a suit. I have been telling my friends in the Government that if they want the people of Mumbwa to see that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is hardworking, they should prove it. However, if they do not do anything, the people will not be impressed. So, I earnestly appeal to the Government to look after the rural children. Many teachers are sent to schools in my constituency, but there is no accommodation for them. So, they leave. I hope the hon. Minister and his hardworking Deputy Minister will be on the ground to ensure that the contractors do their job because most of them are a let-down. However, the people of Mumbwa think it is the Ministry of General Education that is delaying the works. So, they blame the Government. I am sure the ministry can exert pressure on the contractors to speed up the works.

Mr Chairperson, my last point is on learning materials. There should be a concerted effort in providing learning materials in schools. There are set standards on how many pupils should share a textbook but, in most rural schools, such standards are not there. Maybe, in my nephew’s constituency, Bahati, people are very happy with the provision of learning materials. The hon. Minister should allocate a little more to my constituency so that one day, the children can compete favourably with their friends from other constituencies. Teaching and learning materials are a must-have. The hon. Minister should also tell this House why we do not promote local publishers. If we did that, we would not have to wait for a long time to access teaching and learning materials.

Sir, if there are no role models, especially for girl children in school, then, even the Gender Equality Bill that we passed in this House will just remain on paper. We need to have role models for girls in rural schools to help them achieve their potential. If there are no learning materials, then, they will view learning as a futile endeavour. As the saying goes, “education is the best equaliser.” If that is not put in practice, then, we shall have a rural and urban child education divide.

Mr Chairperson, I am sure in the short time that the hon. Minister has in office, he can do something with this allocation although it is not enough. However, what is important at the moment is the efficiency with which we utilise the allocation.

Sir, my contribution should not be deemed an attack on his personality, but one that relates to issues that affect us. I hope he can pick one or two things from my debate and implement them. He can leave those that he thinks are not possible to implement for another time.

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

Dr Phiri: Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank Hon. Namulambe, Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha and Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo for their contributions. I have no doubt that our technocrats have been taking down some notes. Let me assure them that their words have not fallen on stones. We shall see what we can do about the issues they have raised.

Sir, I would like to salute Hon. Namulambe – although he is not in the House – because what he said relates to all the rural constituencies in this country. In short, he was speaking on behalf of many hon. Members from rural constituencies.

Mr Chairperson, the ministry would like to salute the perseverance and patriotism of teachers. However, we do not take them for granted. This is why as a way of apologising to the many teachers countrywide, we have just signed the new conditions of service with the teachers unions not because they will solve all the problems, but as an indication that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government means well for all of them. Therefore, I can only appeal to them to desist from participating in partisan politics, but develop themselves so that they can attain higher heights.

Sir, we are cognisant of the fact that we have a big backlog in terms of the construction of teachers’ houses. We are trying to see whether the public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement can speed up the process. The major problem is that we inherited a number of secondary school projects. This has really disturbed the Patriotic Front Manifesto in terms of the implementation of some of projects. We have a responsibility to our people to complete all the projects. As a result, certain areas in the country have suffered because the resource envelope is not that big. We hope that we have made sufficient inroads to assure people that this Government means well for them although we may not have given them the school and other infrastructure that they so much need.

Mr Chairperson, Hon. Bishop Brig-Gen. Shikapwasha talked about the Kafushi Secondary Project. I wish to inform him that I still remember the project. However, because of the inadequate funding over the last few years, we went for the fast-track arrangement of upgrading strategically located basic schools into secondary schools. I am glad he also mentioned Chitanda and Chinyongola schools. My neighbour from Lunga also said that, “Nanga Msamba School?” because like several other schools, Chibondo and Mukuyu are also awaiting attention. All I can say is that we are committed to helping people access education, but we are limited by the resource envelope. We cannot say that let there be schools and the schools appear because we do not have the ability to do so. Therefore, hon. Members should bear with us.

Sir, Hon. Brig-Gen Dr. Chituwo and two other colleagues who debated on this Vote expressed similar sentiments. All that I can say is that we shall improve upon the lives of our children by providing what we can.

Mr Chairperson, since the saga of the publishers of teaching and learning material is in public domain, I am still looking at it. I must say that there has been a protracted war though often times exaggerated. It is not as portrayed in one of the newspapers because the provision of teaching and learning materials has often been misunderstood altogether. The Government has the responsibility to provide teaching and learning materials. We respect local entrepreneurs. We have no intention of ditching our local publishers in preference for foreign publishers. I wish to assure the House that there is no teaching material saga because there is no Ugandan publisher who is controlling this. However, for selfish reasons, this has been turned into a topical issue. Nonetheless, it will be taken care of very soon.

Mr Chairperson, let me thank those who have contributed and those who were thinking along with the contributors for their support. In fact, most infrastructure in the education sector has been put up due to the co-operation that we have had with hon. Members of Parliament through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) arrangement. We appreciate the effort, but we do not want to take the CDF for granted. We will endevour to perform to the best of our abilities.

 I thank you, Sir.

Vote 80 – (Ministry of General Education – K7,980,412,362).

The Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda): Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendments ...

The Chairperson: Order!

Hon. Minister, I suggest that programmes under the Vote on Page 19 be considered together. That will mean if any hon. Member seeks clarification on any one of the programmes, he/she can do so. If there are no points of clarification, I will take it that the amendments that you have proposed on page 19 have been agreed to.

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendments:

(a)    On Page 19;

(i)    Programme 5501: early Childhood Education, Output Indicator 3: Number of Existing Buildings Converted to ECE Centres, under column 2015 Actual, by the deletion of the word “1500 classrooms” and the substitution therefor of the words “Actual Data Still being Compiled”;

(ii)    Programme 5502: Primary Education, Output Indicator 1: Proportion of Grade 5 Pupils with Competence in Reading and Mathematics, under column 2015 Actual, by the deletion of the words “Eng: 32.1%, Math: 35.5%” and the substitution therefor of the words “Actual Data Still Being Compiled”;

(iii)    Programme 5502: Primary Education, Output Indicator 3: Pupil/Teacher Ratio (Grade 1-7), under the column 2015 Actual Data Still Being Compiled”;

(iv)    Programme 5502: Primary Education, Output Indicator 4: Number of New Classrooms Constructed, under column 2015 Actual, by the deletion of the ratio “55.3” and the substitution therefor of the words “Actual Data Still Being Compiled”;

(v)    Programme 5502: Primary Education, Output Indicator 5: Number of Teacher Houses Constructed, under column 2015, Actual, by the insertion of the words “Actual Data Still Being Compiled”;

(vi)    Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Output Indicator 1: Grade 9 Completion Rate, under column 2015 Actual, by the deletion of the ratio “58.1%” and the substitution therefor of the words “Actual Data Still Being Compiled”;

(vii)    Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Output Indicator 2: Grade 12 Completion Rate, under column 2015 Actual, by the deletion of the ratio “34.0%” and the substitution therefor of the words “Actual Data Still Being Compiled”; and

(viii)    Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Output Indicator 3: Gender Parity of Grade 10-12, under column 2015 Actual, by the deletion of the ratio “85.0%” and the substitution therefor of the words “Actual Data Still Being Compiled”.

(b)    On Page 23;

(i)    Under Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Sub-Programme 002: Teacher Education and Specialised Services, the deletion of K4,604,751 and the substitution therefor of K23,604,751; and

(ii)    Under Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Sub-Programme 006: Infrastructure Development, the deletion of K502,695,485 and the substitution therefor of K483,695,485.

(c)    On Page 27;

(i)    Under Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Item 2: Goods and Services, by the insertion of Sub-Item 003: Upgrading of Teacher Skills, with an allocation of K19,000,000; and

(ii)    Under Programme 5503: Secondary Education, Item 4: Capital Expenditure, Sub-Item 001: Secondary School Infrastructure, by the deletion of K502,695,485 and the substitution therefor of K483,695,485.

Amendments agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

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

VOTE 44 – (Ministry of Labour and Social Security – K23,298,189).

The Minister of Labour and Social Security (Mr Shamenda): Mr Chairperson, I wish to thank you for according me the opportunity to deliver the policy statement in support of the 2016 budget for my ministry. The statement is in two parts. The first part looks at the performance of the ministry in 2015 while the second part outlines the policy focus for the ministry for 2016.

Sir, regarding the performance of the ministry in 2015, my ministry has recorded considerable progress on some of the priorities that we set for ourselves in 2015. I am pleased to inform the House that the ministry has made strides in labour law and social security reforms. The Employment Amendment Bill was recently passed by this august House.

Mr Chairperson, allow me to thank the hon. Members of the House for their positive contributions and support rendered to the ministry during this process. It is my hope that the hon. Members will continue with this positive gesture by undertaking to sensitise their constituents on the core provisions once they take effect.

Sir, the provisions of the amendment seek to regulate the following:

(a)    registration of employment agencies;

(b)    casualisation of labour;

(c)    fixed-term contracts of labour; and

(d)    protection against unjustified dismissals.

Mr Chairperson, the amendments are intended to address the ambiguities and inadequacies in employment law that have arisen over time due to the dynamic nature of the labour market and will, therefore, hasten the implementation of the county’s Decent Work Agenda.

Sir, the Government, through the Ministry of Justice, is finalising the Social Protection Bill. This august House may recall that some aspects of the reforms, such as the revision of the retirement age, were already passed and assented to by His Excellency the President. The reforms are broadly meant to create comprehensive social security systems in our country.

Sir, the increasing economic activities countrywide have impressed upon the Government to strengthen the labour administration system and promote the Decent Work Agenda in the country. In 2015, the ministry was granted authority by the Treasury to recruit three assistant labour commissioners. The recruitment process is almost finalised. These positions will be based in selected provincial administrative capitals of Lusaka, Copperbelt and the North-Western provinces. This is in a bid to enhance efficiency in the handling the labour matters at provincial level.

Mr Chairperson, I am pleased to inform this august House that the review of the National Employment and Labour Market Policy is near completion. We intend to launch the revised policy before the end of the year. The revised policy will pursue four specific objectives in line with the other pro-poor Government policies and strategies such as the Revised Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP), the Zambia Decent Work Country Programme and Industrialisation and Job Creation Strategy. The objectives include:

The Sergeant-At-Arms walked over to the Table.

The Chairperson: Continue, hon. Minister. She is just walking to her place.

Laughter

Mr Shamenda: Sir, the objectives include to:

(a)    facilitate the creation of formal job opportunities and promote the transition from informal jobs to formal ones;
(b)    reduce under-employment and increase earnings from work;

(c)    reduce income inequalities; and

(d)    build an effective labour administration to manage the labour market.

Mr Chairperson, in a similar address to the House last year, I indicated that the 2014 Labour Force Survey would be finalised.

The Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the
Chair]

Mr Shamenda: Mr Chairperson, before business was suspended, I was about to inform the House that the ministry, in collaboration with the Central Statistics Office (CSO), finalised the report on the 2014 Labour Force Survey which will be launched by the end of this month.

Mr Chairperson, the Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and in collaboration with Airtel Zambia Limited, is in the process of setting up a national call centre aimed at promoting interaction and raising awareness on labour matters among the general public. The short code for calling the national call centre will be 7010.

Mr Chairperson, I am pleased to inform the House that the ministry has made strides in the development of the Management Information System (MIS). A needs assessment was undertaken and recommendations of the assessment report were approved. We are currently in the process of setting up the system.

Mr Chairperson, I now move onto my ministry’s policy focus for 2016. From the outset, let me mention that the 2016 budget allocation for my ministry has been drastically reduced. Notwithstanding this, my ministry has continued to engage the Ministry of Finance with a view to securing additional financial resources in 2016 for us to effectively execute our mandate, failure to which we shall be extremely constrained.

Mr Chairperson, the allocation for my ministry has been reduced from K47,928,218 in 2015 to K23,298,189 in 2016. This translates into a reduction of 51.4 per cent. With this allocation, my ministry intends to prioritise the following programmes:

Policy Development

Mr Chairperson, 2016 is crucial as we shall begin to implement the Revised National Employment and Labour Market Policy. We shall undertake to lay a strong foundation to ensure smooth implementation of the policy to manage the labour market. We shall also undertake to finalise and launch the Occupational Safety and Health Policy in 2016. The policy will articulate general principles and procedures of occupational safety and health that stakeholders need to observe in relation to the management of occupational safety and health.

Reforms

Mr Chairperson, in 2016, we shall undertake to complete the Labour Law and Social Security Reforms. We are working in earnest to ensure that we bring Bills on the remaining aspects of the labour Law Reforms and the Social Protection Bill to this House. It is our hope that the Bills will be brought to this House in the next sitting of Parliament.

Promotion of Social Dialogue

Mr Chairperson, social dialogue is critical to the wellbeing of any economy and broadly contributes to industrial harmony. The slowdown in the global economy, coupled with the slump in commodity prices, has had adverse effects on Zambia’s economy and the mining sector in particular. This has led to increased incidences of industrial unrest in various sectors of the economy due to the uncertainties in the mining sector.

Mr Chairperson, the Government has actively engaged the social partners to maintain industrial harmony in the mining sector. Social dialogue will continue until certainty and stability in the mining sector is restored.

Productivity Promotion

Mr Chairperson, productivity improvement is key to the attainment of Vision 2030 of becoming a prosperous middle-income country as pointed out by His Excellency the President on the occasion of the Official Opening of this Session. We are considering establishing a National Productivity Centre which will act as a catalyst for transforming the economy through continuous improvement and promotion of positive attitudes towards work. In 2016, we shall continue to explore the various options of operationalising the productivity centre. We shall also continue to implement workplace and enterprise-based continuous improvement systems in order to improve productivity at individual and enterprise levels.

Creation of Labour Attaché Position

Mr Chairperson, following the Cabinet’s approval to create the position of Labour Attaché in Geneva, Switzerland, my ministry will undertake to actualise this activity upon being granted authority by the Treasury. We are also exploring the possibility of creating similar positions in identified strategic missions abroad.

Mr Chairperson, there are numerous benefits of having labour attachés in missions abroad. To begin with, the country will be represented effectively in multilateral meetings on employment and labour matters. The labour attachés will also play a crucial role with respect to negotiating and securing financial and technical support for implementing programmes under the employment and labour sector. Further, he/she will inform potential investors of the core requirements of the domestic labour and employment market.

Hosting of the 42nd Ordinary Session of the African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) Governing Council Meeting for Ministers

Mr Chairperson, the ministry intends to host the 42nd Ordinary Session of the African Regional Labour Administration Centre Governing Council Meeting for Ministers responsible for labour and employment in February, 2016. The meeting will provide a platform for experts in labour and social security sectors to interface with policy makers in the region and discuss regional challenges with the ultimate aim of finding solutions to address the various labour administration challenges.

Mr Chairperson, finally, the ministry is upbeat about 2016. We are positive that we shall achieve our set priorities. I, therefore, implore the hon. Members of this House to support the budget for my ministry for 2016 to enable us to lay a platform for a reformed labour market, which is crucial in attaining a smart Zambia for tomorrow.
Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Shamenda: Mr Chairperson, as usual, I am grateful to the hon. Members who have debated silently. I know that matters of labour, which concern the employees and employers of this country, are very close to the hearts of the hon. Members of this august House.

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

Vote 44/01 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 44/02 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 44/03 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 44/04 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 44/05 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 44/06 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 76 – (Youth, Sport and Child Development – K44,831,638).

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Child Development (Mr Mwale): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for according me the opportunity to present to this august House the ministry’s policy statement in support of the 2016 Budget Estimates for the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development.

Mr Chairperson, firstly, allow me to briefly outline the functions and mission statement for my ministry which is in charge of youth, sport and child development. Our mission is, “to effectively promote and manage the development and implementation of youth empowerment and sports programmes in order to create economic opportunities for the youth and attain excellence in sport”. Given the added portfolio of child development, my ministry will effectively and efficiently promote, co-ordinate and monitor child development programmes to ensure the fulfilment of children’s rights. Through this mission statement, my ministry will provide leadership and policy guidance in the promotion of youth, sport and child development.

Mr Chairperson, in 2015, my ministry had an approved budget of K89,332,950, of which K10,089,783 was for personal emoluments and K79,243,167 was for recurrent departmental charges (RDCs). As at 31st August, 2015, K46 million of the K79,243,167 for RDCs had already been disbursed to the ministry, representing a 58.6 per cent budget execution.

Sir, in order to enhance youth empowerment and employment opportunities, my ministry finalised the development of the 2015 National Youth Policy and the first Action Plan on Youth Empowerment and Employment. These two documents were successfully launched by the Republican President, His Excellency President Lungu, on 12th of August, 2015. In this regard, my ministry has developed a roadmap for the dissemination and implementation of the two documents.

Mr Chairperson, education and skills development are an important aspect of youth empowerment. It is the policy of the ministry to establish, at least, one modern youth resource centre in each district throughout the country. In this respect, the ministry has been making progress on the construction of skills training centres in Chama, Chililabombwe, Kafue, Kalabo, and Luanshya, and upgrading of Chiyota and Kwilimuna youth resource centres.

Sir, the ministry has embarked on a programme to develop youth resettlement schemes and training centres. The objective of this empowerment programme is to provide resettlement opportunities for youths who would want to venture into agriculture and agro-related enterprises for their livelihood. One such scheme is Mwange Model Youth Development Centre in Mporokoso District, in the Northern Province. The ministry, in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), has resettled 183 youths at Mwange. The centre has a holding capacity of 518 settlers. In order to make Mwange Resettlement Centre attractive to the youth, the ministry is rehabilitating and constructing infrastructure for the provision of social support services. In this regard, the ministry, through the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), is connecting Mwange to the national electricity grid. Further, the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) has gravelled a 7 km road network and opened up 30 km access roads in Mwange Resettlement Scheme. In addition, the ministry embarked on the rehabilitation of various infrastructure and construction of student hostels and staff houses. The ministry has engaged the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and all the provincial administrations to find land for resettlement schemes in all the provinces in order to establish, at least, one youth resettlement scheme in each province where youths will be given land to engage in agricultural and other economic activities.

Mr Chairperson, with regard to sports development, the ministry launched the Community Sports Programme in 2015. The objective of this programme is to serve as a vehicle for sport talent identification and development. The programme will also reduce incidences and fatalities due to non-communicable diseases by encouraging citizens to participate in sports and physical activities of their choice. In addition, the programme will provide an enabling environment for women and children to participate in sporting activities at community level. The ministry also facilitated the participation of the Zambia National Football Team at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatorial Guinea. In September, the ministry sent a contingent of eighty-eight Zambian athletes, coaches and officials to the All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville where the country reaped one gold medal in athletics and one bronze medal in boxing. In addition, Zambia participated in the Summer Special Olympics in Atlanta, United States of America (USA), where five athletes who represented the country reaped one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze medal in athletics for the disabled.

Sir, let me now highlight the focus of the ministry in the 2016 to 2018 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. In the area of youth development, the ministry will focus on co-ordinating the implementation of the 2015 National Youth Policy and the Action Plan for Youth Empowerment and Employment. To this effect, the Government has set aside K150 million for youth empowerment and employment creation. The specific objective will be to empower the youth with life-long entrepreneurial skills, including the provision of start-up capital for them to meaningfully participate in the socio-economic development of the country.

Mr Chairperson, in order to realise the above-mentioned objective, the ministry will scale-up the disbursement of the Youth Development Fund in 2016 and enhance the capacity of youth resource centres in order to provide vocational and skills training, which is relevant to the aspirations of the youth and the labour market. Having realised the gap between skills development and the industry in the labour market, the ministry will continue to implement programmes to facilitate the transition from skills training to industry.

Sir, in order to boost economic and employment opportunities for the youth, the ministry will, in collaboration with other line ministries, co-operating partners and the private sector implement a number of quick-win interventions which include, among others:

(a)    the provision of paving plant and equipment to youth co-operatives to enable them to participate in Government infrastructure projects such as the Pave Zambia 2,000 Road Project;

(b)    the mobilisation of the youth and facilitating the formation of  co-operatives and other business enterprises in order to build their capacities, to provide them with start-up capital and equipment to enable them to set up various income-generating activities in various sectors of the economy. In this regard, the ministry will work closely with other line ministries and stakeholders to continue facilitating the formation of youth co-operatives

(c)    implementation of an affirmative action for youth employment in the transport and construction sectors;

(d)    empowerment of youth street vendors through capacity building and provision of start-up capital;

(e)    formation of youth co-operatives to benefit from the 2,000 solar milling plants to be distributed throughout the country under the Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF); and

(f)    participation of the youth in the reservation scheme by the Government where certain economic activities such as poultry, block making, local haulage and other quick-win interventions such as specialised youth resettlement schemes, cotton out-grower schemes and aquaculture that have been made a preserve for Zambians.
Mr Chairperson, in a continued effort to increase access to quality and equitable skills development, my ministry will, in 2016, endeavour to complete the on-going construction of six and upgrading of two youth resource centres before embarking on new construction projects in 2017.

Mr Chairperson, in the area of sports development, my ministry will endeavour to increase and widen the base for highly talented athletes in the country. My ministry will, in the 2016 to 2018 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, prioritise the implementation of talent identification and development programmes. This will entail building talent pathways to support young people to achieve their full potential and sustain higher performance and excellence at both regional and international sports competitions.

In order to achieve this, the Government will, in 2016, implement the Grassroots Sport Development Programme and strengthen the capacity of the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) to serve as a national centre of excellence in sport. The Government is still committed to increasing access to sport through infrastructure development. This is being done through the rehabilitation of existing sports facilities and construction of ultra-modern stadia.

In this regard, the ministry has engaged the hon. Minister of Finance and other stakeholders in sourcing funds for the construction of the Livingstone and Mongu stadia. In addition, efforts are being made to secure funding for the projects through the public-private partnerships (PPP) arrangement.

Further, my ministry will embark on the review of the Sports Council Act and the 2008 Sports Policy in order to create an enabling environment for sports development in the country. In addition, my ministry has finalised the policy on incentives in sport which will provide clear guidance on how to award athletes, coaches, technical officials and other stakeholders such as sponsors. Once implemented, the policy will contribute to the motivation of athletes to perform better across all the different sports disciplines.

Mr Chairperson, my ministry is also charged with the responsibility of co-ordinating the National Child Policy and ensuring that our nation promotes the rights of children as stipulated in the Laws of Zambia and international treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights of the Welfare of the Child.

Sir, on 16th June, 2015, the Cabinet approved the National Child Policy which has taken on board persistent and emerging issues which need to be addressed in ensuring that children grow to their fullest potential. Some of the issues include child marriage, streetism, leisure, recreation and sport, children and disabilities, identity and birth registration, among others.

Mr Chairperson, Zambia being a signatory to major conventions on children, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is under obligation to ensure that the treaties are domesticated. To this effect, my ministry is working with the Ministries of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare and Justice on the Draft Children’s Code Bill which will harmonise various children’s statutes and domesticate various treaties on children.

Sir, following the directive by His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu during the Official Opening of the Fifth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly on 18th September, 2015, for the Government to scale up interventions on street children’s programmes, my ministry, in collaboration with other line ministries, will implement a number of activities which are, but not limited to:

(a)    removal of children from the street and placing them in institutions of care;

(b)    reintegration of street children with their families and communities; and

(c)    economic empowerment of families where orphaned and vulnerable children come from through the provision of entrepreneurship training and start-up capital.

Mr Chairperson, in order to realise the above-mentioned objectives, my ministry, in 2016, will enhance the enforcement of child protection laws by among others, advocating for prosecution of parents sending their children to beg or work on the streets. The ministry will also intensity its sensitisation of citizens against giving alms to children on the streets. Instead, the ministry will encourage donors and well wishers to channel their donations to institutions and homes that take care of vulnerable children.

Sir, young people are an important resource in attaining sustainable socio-economic development. In this regard, my ministry will, in collaboration with other line ministries and stakeholders, scale up the campaign against early, forced and child marriages in order to ensure the survival, protection and development of children and to enable them to effectively participate in national affairs.

Mr Chairperson, in concluding my policy statement, I urge hon. Members of this august House to support the 2016 Estimates of Expenditure for my ministry, as this will accelerate the implementation of the youth, sport and child development programmes. Eighty-two per cent of our population consists of children and youths. They are the present and future of this country. It is, therefore, incumbent upon all of us to support their development.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Chairperson, I want to thank you for this rare opportunity to make a few remarks. I will follow the instructions from Hon. Col. Lungu, Hon. Charles Zulu and the hon. Member for Malambo that I should be brief and to the point. I assured them that I am a man of neither many nor few words.

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Chairperson, my first item of debate is racial discrimination. I am reminded of what Hon. Shakafuswa said during the policy debate on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As hon. Members of Parliament, we are the law makers and among the big wigs in this country. Racial discrimination in football and other sports has been going on for some time, but Africa has kept quiet about it. Many African football players have suffered racial discrimination. Literally all the African players playing in European teams have been made fun of. They have been called monkeys, and bananas have been thrown at them.
Mr Chairperson, if we do not speak for them through the hon. Minister responsible for sports and his counterparts in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region, then, they will continue finding it difficult to participate in sports in other parts of the world. I must admit that sometimes, it is difficult to know how or where to start addressing this issue. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development can collaborate with other ministries in the SADC Region and take this issue up with the African Union (AU).
Why have we allowed Sepp Blatter to be the one to speak for Africa? Which African player has not suffered racial discrimination? I believe that we need to tackle this vice in every possible way. I concur with what Hon. Shakafuswa said.

Mr Chairperson, I should have brought some of the write-ups on this issue. For instance, on Saturday, 14th November, 2015, The Post newspaper carried a story headlined, “Apple Apologies for Ejecting African Students from Store”. Apple managers apologised to six teenagers of African descent after staff kicked them out of an Australian store, citing concerns they might steal something. The video of the incident went viral on Facebook. The clip has been seen all over the world. This is just one example of how racial discrimination has taken root in the world, while African governments have remained quiet on this matter. I, therefore, challenge the Ministries of Youth, Sport and Child Development and Foreign Affairs to work together in order to address this issue. Together, we can make a difference.

Sir, the second issue I would like to talk about relates to soccer in general. At the moment, the most topical issue in Zambian soccer is whether we should hire a foreign or local coach. I think the limiting factor in hiring expatriate coaches is the salary. However, we should look at the bigger picture. Often, when Zambia wins, as we did at the weekend, everybody forgets about what we have been through in the past. There is dancing and jubilation, which is alright.

Mr Chairperson, an economist and anyone else in the business sector would say paying a soccer coach US$25,000 is too much and we cannot afford it. However, we should not lookat the amount, but the benefits that accrue to sports in the country when we bring in expatriate personnel. If there is a sector that can easily be developed within a short period of six months to one year, it is the soccer industry. Soccer brings happiness and I am glad that the hon. Minister and his Deputy have referred to the fact that soccer is a unifying factor.

Mr Chairperson, it takes a long time to reap benefits from the mining and agriculture sectors. However, if we invested US$40,000 in sports, we would witness unity, love and happiness in the country. If there is one industry that we can grow easily, it is the sports industry. Therefore, why are we not taking advantage of it? I am glad that the Head of State is a real soccer fun. He understands how good it feels when Zambia wins a game.

Now, because Zambia has beaten Sudan, we are saying that we need a local coach, but that should not be the yardstick. We are looking at the short-term. Zambia should reach a stage where the national soccer team plays international matches against countries like Argentina, Mexico and Japan competitively so that we can feature at the World Cup with dignity. However, today, we seem to be excited because we played Sudan and won, but that should not be the yardstick. We need to go all the way and take advantage of the good-will that we have received from the Head of State who is a real soccer fan. Often times, we ask economists about soccer-related issues instead of the people from Mandevu or Chaisa who are the actual soccer fans. The biggest industry in this country is soccer and it brings lots of happiness.

Mr Chairperson, what we know about Germany is the Bundesliga; about Spain is La Liga; and about the United Kingdom is the Barclays Premier League. We do not even know what their economies are based on. In Africa, economies of countries like Senegal, Cameroon and Nigeria thrive on soccer. It was a privilege for Malawi to play Zambia in the past and they would kneel before us, thanking us for giving them an opportunity to play. Even if they lost the game 5-1, that one goal brought them glory. However, today, Namibia can tell us that they can beat us and this has happened three times. I know that these are not small countries, as all countries are improving, but let us invest in this industry and in our national soccer team, as it makes the whole country happy.

Sir, I promised to be brief and to the point. I support this Vote.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: Mr Chairperson, allow me to preface my debate. When I was at school, I played in the national soccer team …

Interruptions

Hon. Government Members: Where?

Hon. MMD Members: General!

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: … with Sandford Mvula and Fred Mwila. When I completed secondary school, I went to fly aeroplanes in the Zambia Air Force. As a result of my keen interest in football, I was one of the founders of Red Arrows Football Club.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: Sir, I was also the coach for Red Arrows Football Club and …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: … was Chairman for a long time.

Hon. MMD Members: General!

Bishop Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha: Mr Chairperson, the reason I prefaced my debate is that I agree with the wonderful hon. Member of Parliament who debated before me. When we decided to deal with the issue of football in the Zambia Air Force, we had a plan. We sent many Zambians who included Patrick Phiri and Josephat Mutetwa to train as coaches at an academy in Brazil and they came back with degrees in coaching. I think we should invest the US$25,000 in the training of local coaches rather than paying foreign coaches. It is better for the hon. Minister to invest in training Zambian coaches who are going to carry the team through for many years to come rather than foreign coaches. It is costly to engage foreign coaches because the Government does not only pay the US$25,000, but also other expenses because the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) cannot afford to care of the bills alone. Therefore, my advice to the hon. Minister is that he should consider investing in Zambian coaches, as I have no doubt that they will perform very well. Already, the ministry has a network of coaches who are doing well and can produce good results. It is better to look at these and allow them to develop.
Sir, I also wish to appeal to the hon. Minister to look at other sports disciplines. We should also look at the development of soccer and other sports in school.

Mr Chairperson, I came from the school system. So did many others like Godfrey Chitalu, Allex  Chola, Richard Stevenson and Sandy Mvula that made a mark in football. The hon. Minister should pay attention to sports in schools because it will help the youth to develop a clear mind and make decisions on what they want to do in future because that helped many of us. Secondly, it will help to bring about discipline in schools because there is discipline in all sports activities. At the moment, school infrastructure has broken down so badly that there are few places where pupils can enjoy good sports. We can improve this by developing soccer in schools. This can also help boost the entire system of the Zambia National Soccer Team.

Mr Chairperson, I thought that I could input in a way from my experience as a soccer player.

 I thank you, Sir.

 Hon. Members:  Hear, hear!

 Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, from the outset, I want to support the Vote for the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development. However, there are some issues that I want to raise.

Sir, I listened attentively to the policy statement by the hon. Minister regarding child development and the measures that the ministry is trying to put in place to address issues that relate to children, especially street kids, the implementation of the National Child Policy and many others.

Mr Chairperson, the Department of Child Development was recently removed from the Ministry of Gender. Unfortunately, my observation is that when the Budget was worked on, the Ministry of Gender got the allocation that was supposed to go to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development.

Sir, the allocation for the Child Development Department in the Ministry of Gender has reduced. From my calculations, it has reduced by almost 81 per cent. Why should the Ministry of Gender keep most of the money that should have gone to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development? How are we going to implement the programmes under the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development if the funds have been moved to women programmes?

 Interruptions
Mr Namulambe: Sir, yes, women produce children, but the fact is that the funds should have been moved to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development, which deals with children’s affairs instead of leaving them in the Ministry of Gender.

Sir, I know I will still have a few minutes to debate tomorrow. In view of this, I am going to move an amendment so that the funds that are still at the Ministry of Gender are moved to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development. This is the only way if we are to carry out the measures that the hon. Minister has highlighted.
Mr Chairperson, impindi yashila.        

The Chairperson: Order!

(Debate adjourned)

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HOUSE RESUMED

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

(Progress reported)

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MOTION

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President and Minister of National Development (Mrs Wina): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

______

The House adjourned at 1918 hours until 1430 hours on Thursday, 19th November, 2015.