DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSSEMBLY

Wednesday, 4th March, 2015

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

  _______

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

The following hon. Member took and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance:

Christopher Mphanza Mvunga

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

CONSTRUCTION OF 650 HEALTH POSTS

The Minister of Health (Dr Kasonde): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for granting me this opportunity to update the House and the Nation at large on the construction of 650 health posts countrywide, a subject to which we shall return in due course.

 Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, as the House may be aware, these health posts are being constructed at a total cost of US$55.9 million, through the US$50 million Indian Government Concession Loan, given to the Zambian Government, which will contribute the remaining balance of US$5.9 million. The loan agreement was signed on, 29th March, 2012.
Mr Speaker, the project involves the following:

(i)    construction of 650 pre-fabricated health post buildings, staff houses and Ventilation Improved Pit latrines (VIP);

(ii)    provision of basic medical equipment to the 650 health posts to be constructed; and

(iii)    provision of solar power, boreholes and hand pumps.

Mr Speaker, for easy management of the contract, the 650 health posts ...

Mrs Masebo entered the Assembly Chamber.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kasonde: …were split into three lots in order to minimise the risk that may result if all the health posts were awarded to one contractor. These contracts were signed on, 3rd July, 2013.

Sir, presentation of the breakdown of these lots is as follows:

Contractor        Contract Details        Contract Sum US$        Duration

Jaguar Overseas    Lot 1: Construction of        $19,468,236            Two years
Ltd            pre-fabricated structures,    (K116,809,416)              (24 months)
            supply & installation of 
            essential equipment for 
            208 Health posts in Central,
            Copperbelt & the Eastern 
            provinces.
Angelique        Lot 2: Construction of      $18,100,735            Two years
International     pre-fabricated structures,     (K108,604,410)              (24 months)
Ltd            supply & installation of 
            essential equipment for 
            247 Health posts in the North-
            Western, the Northern, 
Muchinga and Luapula 
provinces.
Megha        Lot 3: Construction of       $18,387,160                   Two years
Engineering &    pre-fabricated structures,      (K110,322,960)              (24 months)
Infrastructure    supply and instillation of 
Ltd            essential equipment for 195
            Health posts in the Western, 
the Southern and Lusaka 
provinces.
Total                               US$55,956,131
                               (K335,736,786)

Mr Speaker, the site handovers for the project was done between February and April, 2014 in all the provinces. The project is expected to be undertaken over a period of 24 months from April, 2014 to April, 2016. So far, the progress is as follows:

(i)    construction has commenced at a total of 155 sites across the country;

(ii)    a total of seventy-eight sites have completed construction of the sub-structures awaiting erection of pre-fabricated superstructures;

(iii)    pre-fabricated structures for 163 sites have already arrived in the country and erection was expected to commence last month (February);

(iv)    60 per cent of materials for borehole construction on the sites  have already arrived; and  

(v)    completion of all health posts is expected by April, 2016.

Mr Speaker, construction of these health posts is intended to bring health care services as close to the family unit as possible, especially in rural areas where currently only 46 per cent of the population is within a 5 km radius to a health facility. This will increase to 80 per cent once these health posts have been commissioned. It will also greatly increase the percentage of mothers assisted by a skilled birth attendant at childbirth.

Mr Speaker, I would like to assure the House and nation at large that the Government is committed to ensuring that this project is delivered according to schedule. Further, the Government has scaled up the training of health workers required to man these facilities.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I will lay down more details on the Table as part of the statement I have just read.

Dr Kasonde laid the paper on the Table.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement given by the hon. Minister of Health.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, while it is appreciated that the hon. Minister updates us on these health centres, it is usually the same information that is given. He mentioned the construction of some structures having started without stating where. In which areas has construction started? We are lost and do not know. It is important that we are made aware of these developments. If the hon. Minister cannot mention these areas at this time, he is at liberty to come back with a list indicating the position of each province on this issue at a later date.

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, out of consideration for the House, I have laid on the Table, a list describing, province by province, the status of construction of these health posts. I hope that this will be understood by the hon. Member asking that question.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: In fact, this list will be circulated in the usual way to every hon. Member of Parliament.

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, this update is very welcome. Today is, 4th March, 2015. In the last statement that the hon. Minister gave, he indicated that the contractor who is supposed to construct these clinics in the Western Province, Kalabo inclusive, was supposed to commence works on, 1st January, 2015. I would like to know whether the contractor is on site in the province, as previously stated.

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, as I have already mentioned, the details are in the document which has been laid on the Table. They refer to provincial allocations, but do not specify district level development. However, I recall that the district level list of centres was distributed before, and could be redistributed. If I was to present institution by institution, the actual level of development, I might occupy more time and energy than hon. Members might be willing to take.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central): Mr Speaker, will the staff houses also require pre-fabricated material. If not, how far has the construction of the staff houses gone, because nothing is happening on the ground?

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, yes, it is correct that staff houses are a commitment and part of the contracts that were signed. So, for every health post, one house has been allocated. Additional houses may be built by the ministry if needed and, indeed, I suspect they will be needed. However, it is also correct that the contractors have not started with these houses. They, instead, have started with structures of the health posts .That is the reality on the ground, I do not see cause to intervene as long as the contractors maintain the completion period.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, will these health posts only have one member of staff to attend to the community, given the fact that it is only one house that is going to be built at each of these facilities.

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, as I said, one house is the commitment of the contractor. It is not the total housing that will be provided. However, the reason for this is that the original intention was that the community health worker who was going to work and supervise at that health post was going to be very much a visitor to the community and only one would be needed. 

However, over the period since our commitment to this project, there have been questions about the need for additional services to be provided. There have been concerns expressed by hon. Members and the public about the consequences of having no provision for the higher level, which is health-centre level services, at these institutions. It is, therefore, being considered whether additional services should be provided. We believe that in the period of twenty months, we can make that decision and clarify it to the House.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, it is good that we are getting reports on the progress taking place with respect to these 650 health posts, financed by the Indian Government who have the discipline of ensuring that when they make a commitment, money is provided for the work. However, the Zambian Government is also funding other health posts which were started in 2010, such as the ones in Mulinga, Mushukula, and many others in Liuwa. These projects have remained stagnant while the works being funded by our Indian counterparts are progressing. Is the hon. Minister, happy with this situation? 

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, my statement was concerned with the 650 health posts which are being paid for by the Indian Government Loan. However, let me also recognise that there are other health posts that have, over the period, been initiated by various, shall we say, ‘investors’. The construction of such health posts may have been started by a concerned hon. Member of Parliament, but they remain incomplete and, of course, many others who have ventured into this activity. We have had difficulty in following up some of these health posts, which were not communicated sufficiently in detail and planned for. 
Sir, in spite of this weakness in the whole programme, work is continuing to complete these structures. I am, therefore, unable to establish exactly whether the particular centre that the hon. Member has in mind falls under those that are progressing or not. There is a commitment to complete them, but let us recognise that they were started in such a way that there was no proper plan for how they would progress over the period of years.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, after several questions and inquiries over the construction of health posts in the Northern Province, we were given a time frame in which the contractor was expected to start construction of the health posts in the province. We were assured that the contractor would be on site by, 1st November, 2014, to start the construction of nine health posts in both Lubansenshi and Lupososhi constituencies in Luwingu District. However, as I speak, there is no sign of the contractor on site. May I find out from the hon. Minister, what challenges the contractor may be experiencing and what has caused the failure to start construction of the health posts.

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I think that we ought to be very clear as to who promised those dates between the Government and the contractor. The Government is committed to a contract to complete those structures by 2016. The contractor is committed to his own phases which they presented. It is not up to the hon. Minister of Health to order the contractor to complete the works by a certain date. Our task is to ensure that they maintain the speed that will bring the result on the appointed date. 

Mr Speaker, it is my intention, in the course of this week or latest next week, to meet them for the third time, so that we go through the time table and check what is holding up the works. If it is our ministry that is at fault, we shall deal with that. However, if it is purely the contractors’ fault, then we shall see whether they can be assisted in their difficulties or else relieved of that function. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Masebo (Chongwe): Mr Speaker, I like the way the hon. Minister is responding to the questions that are being put before him. My question is similar to that of the former Minister of Finance, Hon. Dr Musokotwane, except he raised concern over the non-completion of the construction of the health posts. However, mine concerns a situation where we have a good number of health posts completed, but their opening is taking long. A case in point is Mulalika Clinic in my constituency which was completed almost two years ago but has not been given administrative staff. 

Sir, is your ministry or the Government considering a revision of this policy on the construction of health posts? I ask this because although we support it, and everyone is in need of a health post. The challenge I see is the construction of many health posts countrywide, but with the failure to make them operational. Are you looking at this the issue vis-à-vis ensuring that once a health post has been completed, it opens as quickly as possible?

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I welcome the contribution of the hon. Member, who is canvassing on my behalf to get support for the staffing of the Ministry of Health, and I appreciate that she was in this position at one point and, therefore, understands our problems. The specific issue which she has raised is an important one. 

Mr Speaker, for all these 650 health posts being built, there is a group working to ensure that equipment and human resource are prepared in readiness for their completion. This is exactly what is being done. 

However, I referred to a situation in which one receives information that a certain centre was under construction the last two years and that the source of funds for that centre had been ‘X’ in the first year, ‘Y’ in the second year and ‘Z’ in the third year. There is no plan. That is the situation in which we sometimes find ourselves. Let us ensure that whenever a new structure is being constructed regardless of the source of the funds for that structure, there is a plan agreed upon with the ministry on how the consequences or implications shall be taken care of in the process of construction.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mpundu (Nchelenge): Mr Speaker, how many jobs are going to be created as a result of this huge construction project?

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, we estimated that 300 new jobs will be created by the construction of each of these health posts. We shall monitor the extent to which this estimate is achieved and I hope it will turn out to be either true or, indeed, exceeded.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, when responding to the hon. Member of Parliament for Lubansenshi, the hon. Minister stated that the contractor had his own deadline for the completion of the project, and so does the ministry. Who is supposed to ensure that the contractor adheres to the deadlines? I ask this because in certain areas, this contractor is lagging behind. 

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, yes, it is the responsibility of the ministry to monitor progress of the contractors and if it has not been done, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa …

Interruptions

Dr Kasonde: … meaning that I accept responsibility. What I have tried to point out is that these contractors presented a time table for the construction and completion of these projects. As a ministry, we sit with them from time to time, as I will do in the course of this week or the next to review their progress, and to help where some obstacles are being met. That is how I see my responsibility, and that of the ministry. Let us not confuse the responsibility of the ministry to ensure that there is sufficient support for the contractors to do their job, and that of the contractors to do what they said they would do, like the Patriotic Front (PF) does. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, we already have health posts which are the first health facility of contact by our citizens. The previous policy of having one health worker to man a health post has not worked because they are overwhelmed by the actual attendance at the post, and have little time for outreach programmes. Can the hon. Minister clarify whether these new 650 health posts are going to be different from the ones already in existence? We all know that one health worker cannot manage the workload. Are the new health posts under construction going to be different? If not, why not plan to have two health workers to man each health post?

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I respond with due appreciation for the fact that the hon. Member for Mumbwa is very knowledgeable in this area, and that is why I pointed out from the outset that we have gone into detail about how these health posts will operate. I have with me information on the kind of ideas that we are developing on the use of these health posts. The reason for going through this is, indeed, the fact which he has mentioned. Even without his prior advice, which he neglected to give us in the first place, we have been able to identify the need to reconsider the kind of staffing for these health posts. The structures are definitely going to be adequate for more than one officer if we decide that more than one is required.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Speaker: Order! 

I will take the following round of questions from hon. Members for Ikeleng’i, Chadiza, Luena, Chavuma, Nalikwanda, and Lukulu West.

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, two years ago, the hon. Minister appreciated the initiative taken by some hon. Members of Parliament, like myself, to construct health posts in their areas using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). He appreciated, and congratulated us for doing a good thing. Today, the hon. Minister is saying that those health posts were built without a plan for administrative staff, and that is the reason why they have not been made operational. What will the hon. Minister do with the buildings we constructed, which he says were not planned for, in terms of staff administration?

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, we want to be very clear about one principle and belief of the Ministry of Health, that is, we appreciate the contribution of hon. Members who have taken it upon themselves to construct structures for health services. This is our belief, and it will continue to be the creed of the ministry. What I have tried to point out is that every time we begin to construct such structures, we need to get together to agree on their implications. It may be that some hon. Members do not appreciate the consequences of starting a structure, that is, equipment, staff houses and other things which are required. It only takes consultation to tell us that you are beginning a project, and that you will take care of putting up the structure, as we will take care of the human resources over an agreed period. That is all I seek from hon. Members. I am not denying them the great work that they have already carried out, and the work that I hope they will continue to do.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, the people of Chadiza are good because they do not argue. I remember very well that the hon. Minister of Health told this House that the contractors, who are going to construct these health posts, would not need any contributions from the communities. In my constituency, there are three sites where these clinics are supposed to be constructed. The contractor has asked the community to contribute sand, stones, and any other material which will be required. Hon. Minister, is this part of the agreement, that the community observes and supervises the construction project or are they supposed to participate in the construction work? Since the people of Chadiza are participating in the construction work, are they going to be paid?

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I must sympathise with the hon. Member. Genuine people are being exploited by contractors who have a very clear contract stating what they will do and with what resources. They have already received the initial payment for their work. However, it is not only up to the Ministry of Health to watch for that, but also for the hon. Member for Chadiza to keep an eye and ear open so that this kind of exploitation does not occur. Of course, in the event that a contractor were to make a request, and if the hon. Member or the people are convinced that it is in their interest to contribute materials to the contractor, let them do so. However, they are not obliged to do so. What I have emphasised is that the community should see itself as the owner of the outcome of this work and, therefore, enable the contractors to get on with their work. If the contractors are having local community problems that impede the performance of their work, it is the business of the community to be interested and to assist the contractors. Let them see these projects as their own, and let them share in the growth of these projects.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, the pre-fabricated materials that are being used in the construction of the 650 health centres, which is quite a big undertaking, are coming from outside the country. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on my right!

Ms Imenda: Would it not have been more beneficial for Zambia if these pre-fabricated materials were made within the country. I say this because establishing an industry for pre-fabricated materials would create more jobs, in addition to the 300 that the hon. Minister spoke about. It would also create a place to get cheaper building materials because the cost of building in Zambia is quite expensive. The hon. Minister should have consulted with the hon. Minister of Finance, the hon. Minister of Labour and Social Security and other relevant stakeholders, to ensure that there is an on-going industry after the completion of the 650 health centres. 

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I could not agree more with the hon. Member. If we had utilised our local materials, we would have benefited in the way that she has described.  

Sir, however, may I draw attention to the fact that these contracts and the award of the US$50 million was the outcome of negotiations, between the governments of the Republic of Zambia and India. If this issue had been accepted during these discussions, then we would be where she is describing. The fact of the matter is that these were negotiations for someone else to raise resources for us to look after our people. We had to have an agreement on what they wanted to benefit, and what we were prepared to accept. In this case, this is what we were prepared to accept on behalf of the Zambian people. It was a negotiation and I think that we should take the hon. Member’s idea into account, the next time we have a project of this nature. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Konga (Chavuma): Mr Speaker, my question is similar to Hon. Imenda’s statement. The Government of Zambia acquired a US$50 million grant from the Indian Government, which created jobs for its people through the production of the pre-fabricated materials. Further, most, if not all the contracts were awarded to Indians. I do not understand how the creation of 300 jobs in Zambia was done, because the bulk of the jobs went to the Indian contractors. Had we gone in Hon. Imenda’s direction, we would have created more jobs for our people. 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, you can just take note of that, since you have already responded thereto. 

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, behind the statistics given by the hon. Minister, is the shocking slow pace at which construction works are being undertaken. For instance, only seventy-eighty out of 650 sites have had their sub-structures completed. Can the hon. Minister enlighten the House on the factors that are causing the slow pace of the construction process, given that April, 2016,  is only twelve months away.

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, we have had reason to examine the factors that might have contributed to this delay while respecting the fact that the delivery will be at the appropriate time. I can, however, mention that, at least, one factor has been important. The contract to construct the basic structure or foundation is, and has been awarded to a sub-contractor by agreement with the Indian Government and the contractors. Each contractor should give at least 20 per cent of the work, and the pay given, to a local sub-contractor. Therefore, work that the hon. Member described falls mainly under the category of sub-contracted work. 

Sir, we have noticed that some sub-contractors have not performed to our expectations, either because of their own incompetence or in some cases, the main contractor has not given them part of the advance payment which they received for the contract. We have sub-contractors who have gone to their contractors to ask for money so that they can get started on the works and the contractor has denied payment, with promises to pay when the sub-contractor has completed his work. These are the two very unfortunate experiences we have had, and which may explain some of the delay. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mutelo (Lukulu West): Mr Speaker, I am worried. From 2012 to 2015, this is the only up-date we have received. 

Sir, Washishi Health Post is one of the centres earmarked for construction. Is there any assurance that come April, 2016, this health post will be completed? There is a tendency by this Patriotic Front (PF) Government of signing contracts and later changing the signed projects. Is there any assurance, hon. Minister, that Washishi, which is flooded and in dire need of rehabilitation, will be completed? 

Laughter 

Dr Kasonde: Mr Speaker, I tried to emphasise the difference between the responsibilities of the contractor and those of the PF Government, before and after 2016, as we continue to govern the country. The assurance which the hon. Member seeks must be understood in the terms that I have described. We have a contract, which is the basis for any contractual work. This is the first assurance. 

Sir, secondly, we have regular reviews on what is going on. On this basis, the Government, now and in the future, will be able to assure hon. Members and the public that the expected result will come their way. 

I thank you, Sir. 

ROAD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN ZAMBIA VIS-À-VIS THE LINK ZAMBIA 8,000 KM PROJECT AND THE BENEFITS THE COUNTRY IS SO FAR EXPERIENCING 

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, and Chief Whip (Mr Mukanga): Mr Speaker, before I begin my ministerial statement, I would like to congratulate His Excellency the President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu on winning the presidential by-election …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: … just as I predicted in December, 2014.

Mr Mushanga: I remember your prophecy!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: I would also like to congratulate our new Member of Parliament, Hon. Chris Mvunga, on being nominated and appointed Deputy Minister of Finance.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for granting me this opportunity to make a ministerial statement, on road development programmes in Zambia. The Road Development Agency (RDA), which falls under my ministry, was established by the Public Roads Act No. 12 of 2002, for the purpose of providing care, maintenance and construction of public roads in Zambia, and also to regulate maximum weights permissible for transmission on our roads.  

Sir, Zambia has a total classified road network of 67,671 km of public roads. The RDA has identified 40,454 km from the classified network as the Core Road Network (CRN), which is the minimum network required to spur economic development, and this needs to be in a maintainable condition.

Mr Speaker, to ensure that the CRN is brought to a maintainable condition, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has, in the 2015 Road Sector Annual Work Plan (RSAWP), allocated a total of K5.4 billion. This allocation comprises both local and external resources amounting to K3.2 billion and K2.2 billion, respectively. The RDA has embarked on various road developmental projects with the view to address the current road infrastructure deficiencies, thereby simulating economic growth and consequently, reducing the levels of poverty in the country. 

Sir, these major road programmes include the Link Zambia 8,000 km Programme, the Lusaka 400 km Project, the Pave Zambia 2,000 km Project, the National Road Tolling Programme, and other major rehabilitation and maintenance projects.

Mr Speaker, the Government of the Republic of Zambia launched the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Programme on 20th September, 2012. This is an accelerated road construction programme aimed at transforming Zambia into a truly land-linked country in Southern Africa. The benefits to accrue from this programme include, job creation, reduction of road user costs and transit times and the creation of economic growth poles and wealth in outlaying areas of Zambia.

Sir, I am pleased to inform you that as at 31 December, 2014, 2,616 km had been procured, out of which 406 km has been surfaced and opened to traffic while other roads are at different levels of completion. Furthermore, the programme, since its inception, has created over 18,000 jobs in the road construction industry. Under this programme, the road-links from Copperbelt to the North-Western Province will be upgraded to a dual carriageway. Detailed designs for upgrading these road-links are under way and will be completed by July, 2015.

Mr Speaker, the road link from Lusaka to Kapiri Mposhi is also scheduled to be upgraded to a dual carriageway and designs for the same project have been completed. Other notable projects under the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Programme also include the construction of the road link from Mongu to Kalabo.

Sir, the project is 75 per cent complete and has seen the construction of eighteen bridges out of the twenty-six. It is expected to be completed in April, 2016, four months ahead of schedule. 131.5 km of the bottom road from Munyumbwe and Chaanga, all the way up to Njambi in the Southern Province, is being upgraded to bituminous standards with physical progress standing at 65 per cent.

Mr Speaker, alongside the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Programme, the Pave Zambia 2,000 km Project is being implemented. The Pave Zambia 2,000 km project aims at providing improved access to various social amenities in urban areas using the interlocking, paving brick and cobblestone technology. The project also aims at creating employment opportunities for the majority of Zambians. So far, the installation of paving blocks equipment in all the ten provinces has been completed, including the mobilisation of plants and equipment to support the project. 

Sir, I am pleased to inform you that women’s groups have been formed in Lusaka’s Chazanga, Kalingalinga and Zingalume compounds for training in cobblestone chiselling at National Council for Construction. So far, one group, comprising forty-five participants, has been trained in cobblestone production and laying. We intend to roll out such a programme to other provinces as well.

Mr Speaker, the RDA is also implementing the Lusaka 400 km, which is targeted at the rehabilitating and upgrading of approximately 400 km of selected Lusaka City roads. The US$348 million project is on-going and is expected to address the current challenges faced on Lusaka roads, which include congestion of vehicles and motorised and non-motorised traffic conflicts. The project commenced in 2013 and is scheduled to come to completion in 2017. So far, a total of 100 km, representing an average of 24.5 per cent has been surfaced.

Sir, in order to provide additional revenues for road maintenance, as defined by the Road Tolling Act No. 14 of 2011 and Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 73 of 2013, the RDA commenced the Road Tolling Programme on, 1st November, 2013. A total of K279 million was collected from heavy goods vehicles in toll revenue against a target of K250 million, for the period, January to December 2014. The RDA collected K47 million above the target set for 2014.

Mr Speaker, construction of toll plazas is underway, and inland collection of tolls from all vehicle types will commence in the second quarter of 2015. It is projected that a total of K350 million will be collected in 2015. 

Sir, in addition to the provision of additional revenues for road maintenance, the RDA has also developed a road maintenance strategy for the period 2015 to 2024. The strategy aims at creating a clear pathway for the implementation of maintenance activities on the CRN by making maintenance a number one priority alongside other developmental programmes. Through this strategy, the RDA will, in the short to midterm, partner with the Zambia National Service (ZNS) as their appointed local road authority to rehabilitate a total of 9,991 km of primary feeder roads across the country at a cost of US$918 million over a period of four years from 2015 to 2018. 

Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the hon. Members of the House that besides the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Programme, the RDA is also implementing various construction and rehabilitation projects. A total of twenty major road construction and rehabilitation projects are currently under implementation. As of December, 2014, a total of approximately 2,268 km had been surfaced out of, approximately, 3,307 km, representing 68 per cent overall progress. Among the major rehabilitation projects currently on-going include the road linking Lusaka to Chirundu, the Great East Road from Arcades to the Airport Junction in Lusaka Province, the emergence of rehabilitation works on the Nakonde to Chinsali Road, and the Nacala Corridor from Luangwa Bridge to Mwami Border in the Eastern Province.

Mr Speaker, I wish to also mention that the RDA is also undertaking the construction of various bridge projects among which include the Mufuchani and Sioma bridges whose physical progress for both is standing at 25 per cent and will be completed by November 25th, 2015, and November 30th, 2015, respectively. I am pleased to inform you that 2014 saw the completion of the construction of the Michael Chilufya Sata Bridge in Chiawa. 

Sir, may I also assure the House that the contract for the rehabilitation of the Chingola- Solwezi Road will be awarded by the end of the first quarter of 2015. Further, the RDA is also undertaking maintenance activities which are aimed at preserving the road assets. Some of the roads under periodic maintenance include the Ndola-Kitwe, Solwezi-Mwinilunga and Livingstone-Sesheke roads. 

Mr Speaker, in enhancing trade facilitation and commerce, the governments of the Republic of Zambia and Botswana have partnered, with support from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and African Development Bank (ADB), to construct the Kazungula Road and Railway Bridge across the Zambezi River with one-stop border post facilities. I am glad to announce that after many years since the project was conceptualised by the two governments, a contract to construct the bridge was signed on 5th September, 2014, with Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company Limited of South Korea, at a sum of approximately US$162 million. The actual construction of the bridge commenced on December 5, 2014, and is expected to be completed by December, 2018. 

Mr Speaker, allow me to conclude by re-affirming that the Government of His Excellency the President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu …
Mr Livune: Question!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, allow me to conclude by re-affirming that the Government of our Jubilee President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: … through the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication and the RDA, will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that roads of good quality are constructed in our quest to transform Zambia from a landlocked to a land-linked country. We also anticipate that the newly introduced Vendor Rating System (VRS), for works and services, will continue to generate quality in the design and construction of road works in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, it is important that we get an update of this nature as the hon. Minister has done. I was anticipating to hear about a very important economic trunk road, a segment of the Kafue-Mazabuka Road, which I, as a representative for Mazabuka Central, have been told would include a variation order for the Road Development Agency (RDA) to include the 30 km township roads, which has been pending for the last three years. I did not quite hear him say anything about that segment. I would like to know what the status is because the last time this road was mentioned, he indicated that contracts had already been signed and that they were waiting for funds to be made available.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, we are looking at a lot of possibilities, especially for Mazabuka. We are trying to plan for a road that will pass through …
Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

Mr Mukanga: … Mazabuka, Mumbwa and  Lusaka up to Copperbelt Province. As for the specific road which has been referred to, I will look at the update that we have currently and will be able to inform the hon. Member and the House. I also wish to inform the hon. Member that the road in question is very important and we will have to work on it.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chishimba (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, how many foreign and Zambian contractors are engaged in the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project? In terms of value, how much money has been paid to these contractors? 

Mr Speaker: Before the hon. Minister responds, please, limit yourselves to one question. There are so many other colleagues who would like to pose questions to the hon. Minister.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the question that has been posed is very specific, and I do not have an answer for it right now. Suffice to say that within the course of the week, we discussed how many foreign and local contractors are working on the roads, and found that there was a change in the way we have been doing things. We had a lot of foreign contractors and, now, we are reducing on the number because of the strategy that we have put in place. If the hon. Member wants to know the amounts of money that were paid out to the contractors, he can come to my office so that I give him that information.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

 Just on that score, I would not like to muzzle hon. Members. That is not my inclination. These specific questions may not yield the responses that you may want because they are very expansive and of a detailed nature. 

You are still at liberty to ask. I am just cautioning and counselling you.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, I am sure the hon. Minister, who is my brother, can even guess what type of a question I want to pose. He has told the House that they would like to transform Zambia by constructing good road networks. This is the fourth year that the Patriotic Front (PF) is in Government and what the hon. Minister has tabulated sounds good. He has also assured us that the contract for the rehabilitation of the Chingola-Solwezi Road will be awarded in April or before the end of July this year. That aside, the other day he talked about the Jimbe Road T5, which is very important, but he has not mentioned it today. In which budget are they going to include it so that we can be connected to Angola, since he stated that it is a very important road?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, that road is under the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project. I would like to inform the House that the Angolan hon. Minister of Transport is in Zambia, and we will discuss the road infrastructure between Zambia and his country so that we can link up the two countries. So, we are on course and will deliver a road network to the people of Ikeleng’i …

Mr Muchima: Thank you.

Mr Mukanga: … so that they see what this Government is made of.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mrs Mazoka (Pemba): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister when road works will start in the townships of Pemba since it is now a district. It has been in that status since 2012, but nothing seems to be happening with regard to the paving of roads in that constituency.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I stated that we came up with a strategic plan of ensuring that all feeder and gravel roads are constructed properly and orderly by the ZNS.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, …

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: I will not allow any points of order during this segment.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, may I inform the hon. Minister that for fifty years, we have not seen any road works in my constituency. The only road we have is Lihule Road …

Interruptions

Mr Mufalali: … that passes through Nalikwanda all the way to Kalomo and Dundumwezi. The Patriotic Front (PF) Government is a pro-poor Government and, in fact, your predecessor Hon. Christopher Yaluma came to Senanga and saw the state of roads. I would like to find out what plans you have, at least, to link Senanga to Machile Road since this has been in the pipelines for a long time. Does the Government have any plans for Senanga, in short?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, we have plans, not only for Senanga, but the entire country, so that all the people can benefit. That is why we have embarked on the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project which is not only meant for a specific district, but also for the entire country. As for certain roads which I will not mention, …

Laughter

Mr Mukanga: … we will do our best to ensure that the ZNS works on them in order to ensure that our people are connected.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, the Secretary to the Treasury stated that until all the existing projects are completed, they will not be able to begin any new projects. I would like to find out whether the rehabilitation of the Mpongwe-Machiya Road will only be undertaken when these other projects have been completed.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I think that all the roads that our department has planned for, including those in the Yellow Book, will be repaired strategically and properly in accordance with our plans. So, the people of Mpongwe should be at peace and wait to see what we are going to do.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, before I proceed to ask my question, I would like to congratulate Mr Muliokela, a president of a political party that never stood for elections, but campaigned on the basis that those who did not want to vote for the other presidential candidates should spoil the votes. I noticed that a number of people listened to him and did so well that he beat one political party that was in alliance with the Patriotic Front (PF), in terms of votes nationwide. Congratulations, Mr Muliokela.

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister of Transport …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Continue, Hon. Mwiimbu.

Mr Mwiimbu: … Works, Supply and Communication what specific problems they are encountering pertaining to funding of road projects in various constituencies considering we have been told that most of these road works have stalled as a result of a lack of funding. I have in mind the road works that were taking place in Monze Central Constituency which have stalled due to non-payment.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for posing that question, but I would also like to comment on the fact that before 20th January came, all of us went to campaign and each one should have campaigned for his/her party, and those of us on the Government side did so, and we won. It does not matter whether Mr Muliokela told some people to spoil the votes because we are still in power and we are happy.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: We thank our partners as well for their noble support.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: It is better to support a party which will win and not one that will lose.

Mr Mushanga: Ba Mutati, mwaumfwa!

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, sometime in December last year, I went to inspect the road works that were taking place in Monze. One of the challenges we have is a limited resource envelope, and so, our programmes are restricted in that regard. Therefore, we can only execute a certain amount of road works at a time, and that is what we are trying to do. However, we are slowly overcoming some of these challenges and you will be able to see a lot of construction works taking place. Some people may think that road works have stalled, but this is not the case. Most of the contractors were on industrial break, and by the end of the month, road works will resume.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Let me counsel hon. Members. Let us restrict ourselves to the business at hand.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: There is another platform available, outside the Floor of the House, for you to canvass all these other issues about the past and the future. For the time being, let us restrict ourselves to the statement rendered by the hon. Minister.

Hon. Members indicated.

Mr Speaker: I indicated earlier on the way we will proceed. Of course, it is good to rise and we take note, but I am following an order here and the next speaker is the hon. Member for Kaoma Central.

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, road users on the Lusaka-Mongu Road, especially those who use public transport, in particular, are almost withdrawing their buses because of the bad state of the road between Tateyoyo and Katunda. As far as major road network maintenance is concerned, I would like to hear from the hon. Minister the status of this road, which is now in a poor state.

 Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the Government is aware of the state of the road between Tateyoyo and Mongu.

 Sir, we are trying to ensure that we put contractors on site to work on that particular stretch so that our people can move from one place to another with ease.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has indicated that Road Development Agency (RDA) will start using the toll gates on the major roads by the end of the first quarter. I am aware that the Government is already using the toll gate between Chingola and Solwezi. Why is the Government using the toll gate on a road which has been in a very bad state for almost three years?  

 Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I would like to appreciate the question that the hon. Member for Chavuma has raised.

Sir, the whole purpose of tolling is to raise money for road maintenance. Let me inform the hon. Member that the Government will continue to raise money through these toll gates so that the road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance projects become sustainable. 

Mr Speaker, the Government has already identified the challenges on the Chingola-Solwezi Road. We have since decided to break it into three lots. It is, therefore, the Government’s intention to put three contractors to execute that programme.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, just yesterday, a bus travelling from Lusaka to Lukulu was involved in a road accident. This did not happen because of a head-on collision, it was a vehicle to road accident.

 Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

Anyway, we do not need to get the details; we can use our imagination to picture what happened.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, may I be protected.

Mr Speaker: Order! You are protected.

Mr Mutelo: Sir, I know that President Sata passed away, may his soul rest in peace. Unfortunately, the former Vice-President is no longer sitting in the Front Bench. My worry is that among the roads that the hon. Minister has mentioned, Katunda-Lukulu Road is not there, and the gravel on this road has extended from Mwembeshi to Tateyoyo. The gravel used to end at Katunda, but it has now extended to Tateyoyo. Does the hon. Minister want me to start crying for this road to be worked on?

Laughter

 Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I would like to appreciate the hon. Member, for that question.

Sir, let me state that accidents occur due to many factors. It might not only be because of the bad state of the road, but might involve the human element. Therefore, it may not be correct that when the road is in a bad state, it could be the contributing factor. As the Government, we are trying to do all we can to ensure that our hon. Member stops talking about the same road every time. We will work on it and ensure that it is more passable so that our road users can be assured of a safe trip.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, we would all appreciate it if the stretch from Katunda to Lukulu, via Tateyoyo to Mumbeji could be worked on because it is long overdue.

Laughter

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, the tolling project has been long overdue and, definitely, it is a welcome situation. The hon. Minister has said that the whole idea is to collect money so that it can be used …

 Dr Scott entered the Assembly Chamber.

 Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear! Boma! His Excellency!

Mr Speaker: Order! May the hon. Member continue, please.

Mr Lufuma: Hear, hear! 

Mr Speaker, may I also take this opportunity to welcome Dr Scott to the Back Bench.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Lufuma, it is not your duty to do that.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Otherwise, I will request you to resume your seat.

 Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, I am sorry.

Laughter

Mr Lufuma:  Mr Speaker, I was saying that the money collected from the toll gates is supposed to be used to maintain these roads. I would like to find out from the hon. Minister if this money, once collected, will not be misused for other projects other than the roads. Is the ministry going to create a different account other than Control 99 for these monies?

 Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I would like to state that we do the collection and then, the Ministry of Finance looks after these funds. I would, therefore, like to appeal to hon. Members to trust this Government. The ministry has come up with these figures because there is transparency in the way things are being done.

Sir, apart from that, I would also like to give the House a bonus answer. If you look at the figures which I was quoting, our projection was that we were going to raise K250 million from January to December because we collect about K21 million per month, but instead, we collected more because of the number of trucks that use our roads. We also incorporated the police and have since collected much more. Therefore, once this money has been collected, it is kept at the Ministry of Finance so that we can use it on road maintenance.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker: Order!

I will take questions from hon. Members for the following constituencies:

Hon. Members indicated.

Mr Speaker: Order!

 I already have a list. Therefore, I am just making an announcement. I will take questions from hon. Members for the following constituencies: Lumezi, Kawambwa, Solwezi West, Chama North, Namwala, Keembe, Mukushi North, Lunte, Katombola and Zambezi East.
Mr I. Banda (Lumezi): Mr Speaker, I would also like to join my colleagues in congratulating the hon. Minister on giving an elaborate statement.

Sir, I would like to ask the hon. Minister when the programme of tarring the Chama-Lundazi Road is going to start.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the Chama-Lundazi Road is the road that we have been looking at so that we could come up with an immediate solution due to the challenges that have been experienced by road users. We will do everything we can, within the course of this year, to ensure that it is worked on.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Chilangwa (Kawambwa): I also to thank the hon. Minister for the elaborate statement that he has issued. Can the hon. Minister tell us when we will see the roll out for the Pave Zambia 2,000 km Project in Luapula Province and Kawambwa, in particular?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I would like to inform the House that the equipment for this programme has already been transported to Luapula Province, and it is under the provincial administrative office. The most important thing is for them to prioritise it and then have this equipment taken to Kawambwa. We will also find out exactly when the provincial administration will want to work on the roads in Kawambwa. We will help the hon. Member.

 I thank you, Sir.   
 
Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Pemba asked if there was any progress on the road network in the townships of Pemba Constituency, and was not talking about truck roads. Therefore, why did the hon. Minister talk about feeder roads?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, township roads are also being worked on. According to the statement I gave, our programme encompasses both township and truck or districts roads. So, that will be done as well.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Zimba (Chama North): Mr Speaker, in the statement issued by the hon. Minister, I heard that the ministry is going to involve the Zambia National Service (ZNS) in the construction of feeder roads. However, I did not hear him state the advantages of using the ZNS instead of the Rural Roads Unit (RRU). Why did the Government involve the ZNS without explaining …

Mr Mushanga: To you!

Mr Zimba: … the difficulties found under the RRU, an organ that exists for this purpose?

Mr Muchima: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I think we have faced a lot of challenges with the way the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) has been operating. When we give it work for primary roads, at times, things have not worked out as expected. Since hon. Members of Parliament have been complaining about it, we thought of a way to ensure that we enhance our operations so that things change. 

Therefore, we brought in the ZNS. This will help matters in trying to achieve all the projects we want to undertake in good time. It is within the powers of those in the Government to decide who can perform and what we can do to ensure that we deliver. We are still in power, so we decide.

Thank you, Sir.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, speaking on behalf of the people of Namwala and Itezhi-tezhi, whom I represent, …

Laughter 

Ms Lubezhi: ... is it not wishful thinking for the hon. Minister …

Mr Speaker: Sorry, you said you are the hon. Member of Parliament for what?

Hon. Members: Namwala and Itezhi-tezhi.

Mr Speaker: Which constituency do you represent?

Ms Lubezhi: Namwala, Sir.

Mr Speaker:  Yes, it is Namwala. Very well.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Namwala Constituency. Did I get it right?

Hon. UPND Members: Yes, Sir!

Interruptions 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, is it not wishful thinking for the hon. Minister to say that the Government is going to construct a road from Mazabuka via Mumbwa, up to the Copperbelt? I ask this because our colleagues on your right have failed to maintain an embarkment road like the Namwala-Itezhi-tezhi, which has got similar geographical features and is only 60 km.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I appreciate that everybody here has the liberty to say what they want but, like I explained earlier, we have plans to undertake various projects so as to decongest traffic in our cities.  How can she say that we have not done anything when we have worked on the Monze-Niko Road which takes you close to Namwala? If she cannot see that we are doing something on the road network, then we have a very big problem.

Interruptions
Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Mr Mukanga: I also mentioned the Bottom road. It has never been worked on since Independence. This Government is doing what even Hitler failed to do.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: We are doing all we can. All we are requesting from the hon. Members is patience, because the power lies in the hands of those on this side of the House, and we decide which direction the country should move. We are going to do everything we can to please the people of Namwala.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha (Keembe): Mr Speaker, I did not hear the hon. Minister talk about constructing a dual carriage way from Lusaka to Livingstone. I thought this was an important economic road that can help the country. I also did not hear him mention the completion of 65 km of the Keembe Landless Corner-Mumbwa Road. I hope I can get a bonus answer on that.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, our plans are that we come up with dual carriage ways wherever possible, and Livingstone to Lusaka is not an exception. We want to see that our people are travelling safely. What is stopping us from executing all these projects is the availability of funds to carry out proper feasibility studies and implement the projects. The Mumbwa-Landless Corner stretch has been on the cards for some time. Soon, we will be able to execute that project because we have discussed it before and it will be done.

Thank you, Sir.

Mrs Mphande (Mkushi North): Mr Speaker, when will the construction of the Musofu-Munda wanga Road, under the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road programme, commence and has a contractor already been identified?
Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I will check on the details of that stretch and give a statement to the hon. Member so that she is made aware of exactly what is happening.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, I hope I heard the hon. Minister correctly that the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road programme started in 2012, and that out of the 8,000 km, so far, we have been able to construct 406 km, representing 5 per cent of what was planned. What interventions have been put in place to accelerate the implementation of the whole project, and do those interventions include the commencement of the road from Mporokoso to Kaputa?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, since I am at liberty to answer only one question, I would like to say that the interventions are many. What we are trying to do is look at various options of implementation. We are also looking at the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model to see how best and how fast we can implement this project. So, we are going to implement the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road programme. As far as the Government is concerned, we are on course and will do that through various interventions so that we may achieve what we want.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, the Kabuyu-Simango Road in Kazungala, Senkovo-Makunka via Musokotwane Palace, Sehumbwa-Makunka-Ngwezi via Manono, Sikauzwe-Ngwezi and Sikauzwe-Mulobezi to Moomba roads are all in extremely bad states.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Mr Livune: Sir, to a large extent, this is because the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) has not been funded for 2014, and we are already in 2015. Is the hon. Minister aware of this, and what is he doing to ensure that money for these roads is released?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, there is need to put the roads that the hon. Member has mentioned in the Annual Work Plan (AWP) so that we can put them in order of priority for easy execution.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Sayifwanda (Zambezi East): Mr Speaker, I would like the hon. Minister to put the record clear to this House and the people of the North-Western Province on the Solwezi-Chingola Road. You stated that the feasibility study would end in July, 2015, and that the contract would be awarded in April this year. What is the position? 

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I stated that there would be a feasibility study to transform the Solwezi-Chingola Road into a dual carriage road in July. However, the construction of the road, to increase its width and to put a new surface, will start in April. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, last year, the hon. Member for Mapatizya, posed a question to the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, as to when the Mapatizya Road was going to be worked on. The Deputy Minister then, Hon. Mwimba Malama, said that the World Bank had funded the road. He further stated that the African Development Bank (ADB) had also funded the Dundumwezi Road joining Mumbwa up to Itezhi-tezhi. In your statement, hon. Minister, you said that the resource envelope is very small. May I know why it has become small, when these two banks funded these particular roads on which you have not done anything to date?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, considering that this is a specific question, I need to check what the reasons may have been. However, if funding has already come through, we will be able to do the job. We are more than willing to do anything for the Zambian people. They deserve a decent service, and we shall provide it. It is the PF Government that has been given the mandate, and it will perform accordingly.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, I would like to commend the hon. Minister, for the progress that we are seeing on the Mbala-Nakonde Road. The people of Mbala and Senga Hill are most grateful. Please, hon. Minister, continue, because that road is very important to us.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, the Road Development Agency (RDA), recently came to Mbala to verify the township roads project, but we have no information on when the contractor will come on site to start the works. I would like the hon. Minister, to update us on when the contractor is coming on site.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the wise comment.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Mukanga: It is wise because he appreciates what has been done, and is asking for what we need to do. We will do all we can to ensure that we achieve more this year.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Speaker: When business was suspended, the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication had just concluded his response to the question asked by the hon. Member for Mbala. 

The next question is from the hon. Member for Mumbwa.

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo: Mr Speaker, I am grateful to the hon. Minister for that update. However, we have been discussing a very important road on which we have had an agreement, but I did not hear him mention that in the statement. When will the construction of the Mumbwa-Kasempa Road, which will connect the new Copperbelt in the North-Western Province, start? I need not state how immensely beneficial the road will be to the country. 

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the Mumbwa-Kasempa Road is very important even in our plans. So, we have been looking for ways of expediting the procurement process so that we can start working on it. Our plan, hon. Member, is to start the works this year.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has acknowledged that only 5 per cent of the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road programme has been completed over the last three years. Simple computation would indicate that, at this rate, the project will be completed in sixty or eighty years. Can he assure the nation on the rate at which the roads will be completed, especially taking into account the various intervening variables, such as funding constraints?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, we need to understand that the intricate details and processes in road construction are many. So, when I say that we have upgraded 406 km to black top, I do not mean that it is all we have done. The other roads are at different levels of completion. We may have worked on the bases, sub-grades or drainage systems of the other roads, which are the most difficult parts. The black top is very easy. Therefore, we will take more time working on the most difficult parts, but do a quick job on the black tops. Therefore, the people of Zambia should have all the confidence that our plans are working. Those of us who have travelled around the country have seen what I am talking about. There has been a lot of progress. We will soon see the PF Government transform Zambia into a very different country from what it has been. Our President is eager to ensure that …

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Mukanga: … there is equitable distribution of projects across the country, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!
Mr Mukanga: … so that everybody can see what we are doing. The advantage of constructing roads is that people do not have to rely on what we tell them because they can see the progress. The people all over the country have seen what we have done. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: You can say what you want, but the people can see that we have done what we could. When the industrial break comes to an end, you will see massive construction projects back on track.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

_________

            QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

                 CATTLE VACCINATION AGAINST CORRIDOR DISEASE 

363. Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)    when the Government would extend the vaccination of cattle against corridor disease to Central Province and other parts of the country; 

(b)    what drug was used to vaccinate against corridor disease; and 

(c)    when the drug would be available to individual farmers who are interested in vaccinating their animals themselves.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Monde): Mr Speaker, immunisation against East Coast Fever (ECF) is currently being done in the Eastern and Southern provinces. The expansion programme to Central Province and other parts of the country has been planned for when the ECF sero-prevalence surveys in the provinces have been completed. If the results of the surveys necessitate it, the ECF immunisation will commence in the relevant districts in 2016 and 2017. However, to mitigate the disease, the Government is encouraging farmers to regularly dip their cattle and treat those that fall sick with anti-theileria drugs. 

Mr Speaker, the ECF stabilates are used to immunise cattle against corridor disease. For the Eastern Province, we use the Katete Strain, while for the Southern Province, we use the Chitongo Strain.

Mr Speaker, the ECF stabilates cannot be made available to individual farmers because of the complexity of the cold chain required for their storage. The vaccine has to be stored in liquid nitrogen at -196○C. So, all the farmers who want to vaccinate their cattle should access the vaccine from the Department of Veterinary Services during the vaccination period, which is between April and May, and September and November.
 
I thank you, Sir.  

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, corridor disease is called denkete in our language, and I think that the hon. Minister understands what the word means. This disease can wipe out a whole kraal in a week. Can the hon. Minister tell us the symptoms of the disease.

Mr Monde: Mr Speaker, I do not know the symptoms of the disease. In any case, I think that explaining the symptoms now would turn this sitting into a seminar.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to take advantage of the answer given by the hon. Deputy Minister to widen my understanding of this disease and its vaccines. What are the “anti-theileria drugs” referred to in the hon. Minister’s answer? I want to know so that I can explain to the farmers when they ask me about them.

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Lubinda): Mr Speaker, theilerias are a class of disease transmitted by ticks. So, we are talking about a drug that treats theileria or tick-borne disease. 

Sir, as a comment, the hon. Member who asked the question should also pay attention when we give answers instead of doing other things, such as fidgeting with papers, so that he might inform his farmers that the drugs we are talking about are those that are meant to protect their animals against tick-borne diseases.  

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mulomba (Magoye): Mr Speaker, we are aware that farmers are required to pay K15 for each animal to be vaccinated. Is the Government considering giving the vaccine free of charge in the future?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, much as we would want to give the drug to the farmers free of charge, the vaccine is quite expensive and we ought to recover our cost of running the programme. In fact, the K15 that we ask for is highly subsidised because the vaccines that we use are not made locally, but are imported from Malawi. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister said that he does not know the symptoms of the disease. Is he implying that there are no known symptoms of this disease or that he does not know the symptoms as an individual? 

Mr Speaker: I understood the response to have meant that the hon. Deputy Minister did not know the symptoms. It is very unlikely that we would be dealing with a phenomenon whose symptoms we do not know. 

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo: Mr Speaker, I am aware of the very robust extension programme against diseases in grain crops. How capable are the veterinary extension services in informing the hon. Minister of the possibility of the disease extending to Central Province?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, our extension service is reasonably effective, and we have stated before that our desire is to expand the service by employing more officers even though the ones we have are already doing a commendable job. With regard to Central Province, we already have a record of the prevalence of East Coast Fever (ECF), which is at 3 per cent, meaning that of all the animals, only 3 per cent could be affected by the disease. Again, as the hon. Deputy Minister said, any farmer who wishes to have his animals vaccinated can go to our Livestock Extension Officers (LEOs) for that service. Our officers have always been available to vaccinate animals at the request of the farmers and we are satisfied with that. Notwithstanding, we certainly would still like to increase the number of extension officers. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Speaker: I will take the last two questions from the hon. Member for Mapatizya and the hon. Member for Katombola, in that order. 

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister tell us what should come first between the sampling of animals for infection and the random vaccination of animals, which would even include those that are already affected?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister has said that the Department of Veterinary and Animal Health is conducting surveys in provinces where the vaccination programme has not yet started, that is, all provinces except Central and the Southern provinces. The reason for conducting the surveys is to establish the kinds of prevailing strains, if any, in the other provinces. It is not possible for us to get the Katete Strain and vaccinate animals in the Northern Province because, if we did that, we would risk transmitting the disease to those areas. We will not survey the animals in Central and the Southern provinces before we vaccinate them because we know the prevailing strains there. So, if farmers in these provinces go to our Veterinary and Animal Health Department, their animals will be vaccinated. I hope this clarifies everything. We are only conducting surveys in areas where we have not yet established the ECF strains. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, to us, animals are ‘Choolobwe, kuba akako’, meaning, it is very important to have your own animals. So, bearing in mind that many farmers are listening to this important platform, would it not be prudent for the hon. Minister to come back on a later date, and tell us the symptoms of East Coast Fever (ECF), instead of just saying that he is not too sure of the symptoms? We want to know the symptoms so that we may help him to explain this disease to the farmers.  

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, Zambians tune in to Parliament Radio to listen to Government policies, not to learn about animal disease symptoms.

Interruptions

Mr Lubinda: Any farmer who wants to know the symptoms of a disease will certainly not spend their time listening to Parliament Radio, but will, instead, go and ask livestock officers. 

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Mr Lubinda: Further, if there is an hon. Member of Parliament who wishes to be taught the symptoms of the ECF, I advise them to visit that department. This Parliament communicates Government policies and programmes on the eradication of diseases like the EFC to Zambians. I will not turn it …

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Lubinda: … into a classroom for teaching the symptoms of the EFC. That, I refuse to do. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

CONSTRUCTION OF NANSANGA FARMING BLOCK ROAD

364. Mr Musonda (Kapiri Mposhi) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    when the construction of the road to Nansanga Farming Block in Serenje District would commence; and
(b)    what the estimated cost of the project was.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Dr Mwali): Mr Speaker, the construction of the road in Nansanga Farming Block, in Serenje District, will commence upon completion of feasibility studies, designs and preparation of tender documents. Procurement of the consultant to carry out the feasibility study, designs and preparation of tender documents is currently on-going. 

Sir, the project cost will be estimated upon completion of the designs. 

I thank you, Sir. 

POSITION OF DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRETARY

365. Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West) asked the Vice-President:

(a)    whether the position of Deputy Permanent Secretary had been abolished;

(b)    if not, what the establishment of Deputy Permanent Secretary was; and 

(c)    how many positions were filled, as of 30th September, 2014.

The Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, a decision was made to abolish the position of Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS) in all the ministries, except those that had not been restructured, and provinces. 

Mr Speaker, the establishment for the DPSs in the ten provinces and unrestructured ministries is seventeen. As at 30th September, 2014, twelve positions of DPS were filled. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Mwanza: I thank you, Mr Speaker. 

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir. 
Mr Speaker:  A point of order is raised. 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I rise on a serious matter pertaining to the procedures of this House. 

Mr Speaker, I am aware that the previous hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock used to inform this House about the diseases prevalent in specific areas of this country and their symptoms. Further, the hon. Minister of Health recently told this House about Ebola and its symptoms. So, is the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock in order to tell this House and the nation that it is not the responsibility of hon. Ministers to tell us the symptoms of particular diseases, and that the responsibility lies with the technocrats in the various constituencies when he knows very well that hon. Ministers and hon. Deputy Ministers are the ones who are accountable to this House? We cannot call the technocrats to this House to explain issues that affect ministries.  

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I will reserve my ruling. 

Hon. Member for Solwezi West, you may proceed. 

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, was the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, whose Deputy Permanent Secretary is a relation of a very high-ranking official in the Government, not restructured? 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, if the hon. Member had followed my response, he would have heard me say that we still have the DPSs in the provinces, and a number of unrestructured ministries. The Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is one of those that are yet to be restructured. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, what difficulty is there in restructuring the ministries? Is it not just a matter of changing the name from Permanent Secretary to Director?
Mr Kambwili: Ah!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, it is not difficult, per se. When you are restructuring an institution, such as a ministry, the objective is to enhance efficiency. In terms of positions, you ask yourself what relevance each of them has to the institution. 

Sir, the hon. Member may wish to know that the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education was merged with …

Mr Muchima interjected.

Mr Kampyongo: No. The structure of the province, … 

Sorry, Mr Speaker, I think that the hon. Member is trying to engage me in an argument.

Sir, there was a realisation that the position of the DPS was becoming superfluous in the decision-making process because policy decisions were made at Permanent Secretary (PS) level while technical ones were made at directorate level. Therefore, the relevance of the DPSs could not be established. The scenario was replicated with regard to accountability and responsibilities. So, the difficulty was not in renaming the position, but in establishing its relevance.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mooya (Moomba): Mr Speaker, the position of Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS) was abolished in 2000, which is fifteen years ago. Why has it taken so long to effect that decision?

The Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Mr Speaker, in the case of hon. Deputy Ministers at …

Mr Mwila: Deputy Permanent Secretaries.

The Vice-President: … I mean, Deputy Permanent Secretaries (DPSs) in provinces, it was found that the Permanent Secretaries (PSs) are, at times, out of station for long periods of time. So, another official has to discharge the administrative functions and, in such cases, those officials are the DPSs. Otherwise, in the ministries, there was no need for DPSs because, as it has been explained, the portfolio did not fit well with the structures.

I thank you, Sir.

CONNECTION OF LUENA BARRACKS TO NEW WATER SYSTEM 

366.    Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central) asked the Vice-President:

(a)    why Luena Barracks, in Kaoma District, was not connected to the new water system in the district; and 

(b)    when the Barracks would be connected to the new water system.

The Deputy Minister of Defence (Mr Mulenga): Mr Speaker, Luena Barracks, which was initially constructed with an independent water supply system, will be connected to the Western Water Company (WWC) system in the 2016 Budget Cycle.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, is … 

Mr Mweetwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise what I consider to be a very important point of order.

Sir, when the Executive comes to this House to make pronouncements on Government policies and positions relating to various issues of national importance, it is assumed that what each of its members, especially hon. Ministers and the Vice-President, say represents the actual position of  the Government. 
Mr Speaker, last Friday, 27th February, 2015, Her Honour the Vice-President, on the Floor of this House stated that the Government’s position on the statement that the leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), Mr Hakainde Hichilema, had made in respect to the Office of the President, Special Branch, was that it was, in her words, “A joke and political gimmick.” However, a few days later, His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Lungu, instructed the police to investigate Mr Hichilema.

Mr Muntanga interjected.

Mr Mweetwa: Pursuant to those instructions from Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the police conducted futile searches at three venues associated with Mr Hichilema yesterday, namely the UPND Secretariat and two of Mr Hichilema’s houses, one in Kabulonga and the other, his new residence in Lusaka’s New Kasama area. Further, today, Mr Hichilema was summoned to Woodlands Police Station, where a warn and caution statement was read to him. Additionally, yesterday, the hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting issued a statement on television, which was, in my view, intended to magnify the offence supposedly committed by Mr Hichilema and cause the police to move quickly against him. 

Mr Speaker, is the Leader of Government Business in this House in order, to stand on the Floor of this House and issue a statement that is not reflective of the true position of the Government? 

Mr Speaker: I reserve my ruling. Continue with your question, Hon. Antonio.

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, the new source of water for Kaoma is right in front of the barracks. So, why has it taken the Government this long to connect the people in the barracks, who have inadequate supply of clean water, to the new supply system?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, the Government is aware of its responsibility to provide water to our men and women in uniform. However, looking at the magnitude of the works that need to be undertaken there, we can only plan for them in the next Budget. I assure you that come 2016, the process to provide water to our brothers and sisters in the barracks will start. 

I thank you, Sir.
Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that the men and women in uniform in that barrack actually draw water from shallow wells?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, yes, we are aware. That is why we plan to fund the project in the 2016 Budget.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, our men and women in uniform are suffering. Why does the Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, not drill boreholes in that area now, using the drilling equipment purchased by the Government not too long ago, instead of waiting for the 2016 Budget? 

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, those military cantonments were constructed a long time ago and the water reticulation system was adequate for the population then. Now, however, the population has grown. We, therefore, need to connect the cantonments to the new water system, which will supply more water. Boreholes can only be supplementary. We cannot rely on them when the population is growing at such a fast rate. 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha (Keembe): Mr Speaker, does the hon. Minister realise that when his soldiers drink water from shallow wells, they will suffer from many diseases and their proficiency will be low? As such, they will not be able to fight a war if called upon to do so.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha: Is it not better to set an emergency plan to provide them with fresh water so that he saves their lives?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, I respect the question by hon. Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha. We are aware that our brothers and sisters in uniform are human beings who deserve clean water. In fact, they voted for us. So, they need to benefit from Government programmes. We are, therefore, preparing to put up a suitable water reticulation system in the barracks. 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

TAX REVENUE FROM IMPORTED USED VEHICLES

367. Mr Hamusonde asked the Minister of Finance how much monthly revenue was raised from taxes imposed on imported used vehicles per month, on average. 

The Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda): Mr Speaker, the average monthly revenue collected by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), on imported used vehicles for the period January to September, 2014, was as follows:

Tax    ‘ZMW’ Amount 

Customs Duty    21,276,359

Value-Added Tax         35,769,056

Import Excise Duty         23,783,235

Motor Vehicle Tax         1,533,672

Carbon Emission Surtax      476,572

Total           745,220,000        

Mr Speaker, the Government collected …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

Mr Chikwanda: … the weighted average revenue of K82.8 million per month.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, is it possible for the hon. Minister to tell us, roughly, how many vehicles we import every month?

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, I do not want to give inaccurate answers. That question needs to go to our office so that we research the required information and give the hon. Member the exact details. Alternatively, he can come to our offices so that we give him the information. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Milambo (Mwembeshi): Mr Speaker, it has now become public knowledge that the value for duty purposes, on second hand imported vehicles, is always uplifted by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) officials. Why is it so?

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, it will definitely require research to establish whether that is a statement of fact and not an opinion. I would gladly want to benefit from the hon. Member of Parliament’s knowledge on the matter. In public institutions, we need to ensure maximum restrictions among officers. Where the public is aware of the perpetration of certain malpractices by some officers, they should not withhold that information from the relevant authorities. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, the congestion around Kasumbalesa Border Post is almost 2 kms of trucks. What is the Government doing to enhance revenue collection, particularly from Kasumbalesa?

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, among other measures, arrangements are in progress to make border posts like Kasumbalesa and Mokambo operate on a twenty-four-hour basis. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, would it not be possible for this Government to find a dealer who would assemble vehicles in this country and reduce the cost of importing them? I recall the days when Fiat had an assembly plant in Livingstone, and I am sure the hon. Minister of Finance, does too.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: From my vantage position, I am able to detect the many conversations going on. I always say that the doors are open for those who want to engage in conversations to go and converse outside the Chamber. I have noticed that for the last ten days, this has been the chief pre-occupation of one or two hon. Members ...

Laughter

Mr Speaker: … who have not been participating fully in the proceedings of the House. I do not even know how they are representing their constituencies. 

Who was on the Floor?

Laughter

Mr Speaker: I have been distracted.

Hon. Member: Do you not have a list?

Laughter

Mr Speaker: No, I do not have a list, but someone had indicated the hon. Member for Katombola.

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, I had finished asking my question, and I am sure that the hon. Minister got it.
Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, judging from the large number of cars flooding the Zambian market every day, there is surely scope for assembling vehicles in the country. The Government does not want to go into the assembly of vehicles, but that should not prevent Zambians who have the industrial and entrepreneurial capacity from establishing such enterprises in Zambia.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Mwembeshi said that the taxes on second-hand car imports are uplifted when the cars reach the border, which is the case. That being so, is there any scrap value on the imported vehicles? If there is, how old should a car be for the scrap value to apply?

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, the ZRA officials charge various taxes in accordance with the rates specified in the various Acts of Parliament that empower them to do so.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mweetwa: Sir, the importation of second-hand motor vehicles has, to a significant degree, a bearing on job creation because a number of the vehicles come to be operated as taxis or mini buses. However, in many instances, the tax levied on the cars is more than the prices of importing them, which makes it extremely difficult for would-be importers to venture into that business, and create the jobs that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has failed to create for the young people of this country.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mr Mweetwa: Is there anything that the Government intends to do, in the short and medium terms, in fact, I cannot talk about medium or long-term measures because this Government will be out of office next month, …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter
Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, does the Government have any short-term plans to reduce these high taxes so that they can be in conformity with its election slogan of lower taxes, as opposed to what they are currently doing?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, there is nothing much of value in what the hon. Member has said other than his abuse of his enormous talent …

Laughter

Mr Chikwanda: … and eloquence of speech, and I am very disinclined to exchanging tirades, obscenities and polemics with him.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

                    CONSTRUCTION OF DIP TANKS IN KAPIRI MPOSHI

368. Mr Musonda (Kapiri Mposhi) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)    how many dip tanks were earmarked for construction in Kapiri Mposhi Parliamentary Constituency in 2015;

(b)    in which areas the dip tanks would be constructed; and

(c)    what the estimated cost of the project was.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Ng’onga): Mr Speaker, no dip tanks are scheduled for construction in Kapiri Mposhi Parliamentary Constituency in 2015. However, two dip tanks are earmarked for rehabilitation during this year in Kampumba and Mondake wards. 

Sir, the estimated cost of the rehabilitation of the two dip tanks is K150,000.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Musonda: Mr Speaker, is the Government able to assist farmers who may wish to construct dip tanks on their farms?

 Mr Lubinda: Sir, if farmers would like to construct dip tanks on their farms, they are at liberty to approach extension officers who will provide them with technical expertise. Unfortunately, the Government is not in a position to provide any financial or material assistance.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, animal diseases are a serious issue in the country today.

Mr Mweetwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, I apologise to the hon. Member on the Floor, for disrupting his debate. 

Sir, I am raising this point of order, in a sincere effort to defend the rights that we enjoy as hon. Members of this House in pursuance to the traditions and rules that we have set for ourselves.

Sir, Standing Order 29(1) states that:

“Questions shall be put only to Ministers and shall only relate to public affairs with which they are officially connected, proceedings pending in the Assembly or any matter of administration for which they are responsible, and shall be governed by the rules of admissibility.”

Mr Speaker, my question to the hon. Minister of Finance, for whom I have much admiration, was clear. I asked whether there were any immediate measures that the Government would put in place to reduce the high taxes on the importation of second-hand vehicles. His response was that I was abusing what he called my enormous talent and eloquence of speech, which I do not understand, …

Laughter

Mr Mweetwa: … and that he was not interested in exchanging obscenities as though I had uttered any obnoxious words on the Floor of this House. Is he, therefore, in order to refuse to answer a question that I asked for and on behalf of the people who elected me and, instead, decide to go into his polemics?

Laughter

Mr Mweetwa: I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Mr Speaker: My ruling is simple. If you had put your question as plainly as you have done now, …

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Mr Speaker: … this point of order would not have arisen.

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Mr Speaker: I have consistently urged hon. Members to show mutual respect to each other because it is very important to do so. Let us shed all these aspersions and insinuations because they derail the process. You indicated, and I ignored it deliberately that the current Government will be out of office next month.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I do not know on what premise you based your statement.
Interruptions

Mr Speaker: He said, “Next month.” We can listen to the record. As I have said before, the record does not lie. So, let us be plain. I have no doubt in my mind that if you ask the hon. Minister of Finance a plain question, he will respond appropriately.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: It is as simple as that.

Hon. Government Members: Apologise!

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, before the point of order, I was saying that the remedy to animal diseases, which have been with us for quite some time, lies in the provision of dip tanks.

Sir, last year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock gave the assurance that dip tanks would be constructed in various parts of the country. How many dip tanks has the Government constructed, so far? We should know whether the Government fulfils its promises to us.

 Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, when a similar question was asked last week, the hon. Deputy Minister indicated that before the House adjourned in December, 2014, the Government had provided a schedule of all the dip tanks to be constructed or rehabilitated. I also stated that if it was in the interest of hon. Members for us to reproduce that schedule, we would happily do so. Since the question has been raised again, I pledge that next week, the ministry will provide an updated schedule of all the dip tanks that will be rehabilitated or constructed countrywide. 

Sir, with your permission, I will provide additional information. Last week, some doubts were raised about our answer to a question on the cost of constructing dip tanks and I promised that my two colleagues and I would look into the matter. I would like to state that we have since been given a few samples of actual Bill of Quantities (BoQs) from some provinces, which convinced the three of us and senior management in the ministry that the figures we gave last week were correct. I have a sample of the BoQ from the Eastern Province, which I will lay on the Table so that the hon. Members who are really keen on following-up the matter may do so.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda laid the paper on the Table.

DEPLOYMENT OF MEDICAL PERSONNEL TO MITETE DISTRICT

369. Mr Mutelo (Lukulu West) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health when qualified medical personnel would be deployed to the following health centres in Mitete District:

(a)    Kakulunda;

(b)    Mitete;

(c)    Sikunduko;

(d)    Mataba; and

(e)    Nyala.

The Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Mr Chisala): Mr Speaker, the mentioned health centres are staffed as follows:

Health Centre    Staffing

Kakulunda    One Zambia Enrolled Nurse (ZEN)

Mitete    One Zambia Enrolled Nurse (ZEN)

Sikunduko    One trained Community Health Assistant
Mataba    One trained Community Health Assistant

Nyala    One trained Community Health Assistant

Sir, it is anticipated that more qualified staff will be deployed to Mitete District once the next recruitment of health workers has been effected this year.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker. 

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, apart from Kakulunda Health Centre, which received one health worker last week, and we appreciate that, do we have to wait indefinitely for Zambia Enrolled Nurses (ZENs) to be sent to Sikunduko, Mataba and Nyala health centres? I ask this because we currently have only two ZENs in the entire district.

The Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Ms Kabanshi): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister has already answered that question. The structure of these institutions is as follows:

(a)    one Environmental Health Technologist (EHT);

(b)    one Zambia Enrolled Nurse (ZEN);

(c)    one Classified Daily Employee (CDE); and 

(d)    one Security Guard. 

Therefore, Sir, having one person at an institution with such a structure is not that bad. However, we promise to improve on the staffing levels in the course of this year. 

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, how does the Government intend to improve the health care delivery system when it has sent Zambia Enrolled Nurses (ZENs) to Kakulunda and Mitete, which are clinics, not health posts?
Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the question referred to the institutions as health centres and I answered accordingly. The structure I gave in my response is for health centres, not clinics.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, taking into account the hon. Minister’s answer, and the advice I was given by the hon. Minister of Health, who is an expert on the matter. Could the hon. Minister tell us who is responsible for prescribing medicines to patients in the mentioned institutions in Mitete District.

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the ZENs in those institutions are capable of prescribing drugs.
 
Laughter

Ms Kabanshi: Sir, the hon. Member may wish to know that even Community Health Assistants are trained to handle simple ailments.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.
 
Mr Mweetwa: Sir, arising from the hon. Minister’s answer, and given that we have this …

Mr Mufalali: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health in order not to answer my question? I asked her what the Government is doing to improve the health care delivery system at the health centres listed in the question, but all she said is that things are being done according to what has been prescribed. A health centre is supposed to be managed by a clinical officer. Why did she duck my question?

Mr Speaker: As the hon. Minister continues to respond to questions, she will clarify her position.

Mr Mweetwa: Sir, in her answer, the hon. Minister admitted that there is a shortage of health personnel, and that more should be deployed after training. Therefore, was the firing of nurses, who were only re-instated because of the last Presidential by-election, not an unreasonable act by the Government?

Mr Kambwili: Mwa bwekeshapo, nafuti!

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: Before the hon. Minister responds, let me state that this is a classic instance of the sort of questions I advised against earlier. There is no need to go that route. These are simple and bare questions that you are asking on behalf of your constituency. I know that we are politicians, but we should not politicise questions to that extent. You want information. So, ask for it from your colleagues as objectively as you can. Objectivity should be the guiding factor. I know it is probably a tall order, but let us try to ask objective questions.

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, I do not remember any nurses going on strike in Mitete. So, I do not think that there were any that were fired from there.

Thank you, Sir.

Interruptions

Mr Belemu (Mbabala): Mr Speaker, in answering the question from Hon. Mwiimbu, the hon. Minister said that Classified Daily Employees (CDEs) and Zambia Enrolled Nurses (ZENs) are capable of prescribing drugs. Is it Government policy that from now onwards, we should submit ourselves before the CDEs for prescription of drugs in our rural areas, where there are no qualified medical personnel? Must we start getting injected by them?

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: I did not hear the hon. Minister give such a response.

Hon. Members: That is what she said. 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, as I was responding to Hon. Mwiimbu’s question, I stressed the fact that the staff establishment at a health post includes an EHT, a ZEN, a CDE and a security guard. The ones who prescribe medicines are the ZENs.

Thank you, Sir.

MATERNITY WING AT CHABILIKA RURAL HEALTH CENTRE

370. Mr Mpundu (Nchelenge) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health when a maternity wing would be constructed at Chabilika Rural Health Centre in Nchelenge District.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, the construction of a maternity wing at Chabilika Rural Health Centre in Nchelenge Parliamentary Constituency will be considered in my ministry’s Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) for 2015. Currently, the centre uses an alternative room with appropriate equipment for deliveries.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, this is already 2015. Therefore, when will the Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) be implemented?

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, we have already released the IDP for 2015. That is why we are saying that the maternity wing will be constructed this year.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

TRANSFORMATION OF ZNBC INTO A PUBLIC BROADCASTER

371. Mr Chitafu (Kafulafuta) asked the Minister of Information and Broadcasting:
(a)    when the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) would be transformed into a fully-fledged public broadcaster;

(b)    whether there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ZNBC and the Swedish Radio; and

(c)    if so, what the benefits of the MoU to the ZNBC were.

The Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Mr Tembo): Mr Speaker, by law, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is already a public service provider. 

Sir, yes, there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ZNBC and Swedish Radio, which was signed on 16th December, 2013.

Sir, the ZNBC has benefited a lot from the MoU. Through that framework, the ZNBC personnel undertook two study tours to Swedish Radio. The second tour included some members of the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Broadcasting Services. Additionally, with the help of Swedish Radio, the ZNBC conducted a mid-survey study on the financing and funding of public service broadcasting. The information generated from that survey is being used by the Government to review the Television (TV) Levy. The ZNBC is benefitting from the MoU in terms of knowledge, skills and organisational culture transfer through staff exchanges between the two institutions. So far, the Swedish Radio staff has conducted a seminar on radio production in Lusaka for fifteen ZNBC staff while the ZNBC Board members were trained in corporate affairs related to radio production. 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, if I heard the hon. Minister correctly, he stated that the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is a public broadcaster. My question is: As a State-controlled public broadcaster, when will the ZNBC start to exhibit the characteristics of a public broadcaster which, to some extent, operates as the fourth arm of the Government in promoting the growth of democracy? Currently, the widely-accepted view is that the ZNBC, by and large, operates as a propaganda mouth-piece of the Ruling Party.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Mr Kambwili): Mr Speaker, to the contrary, during the just-ended Presidential by-election, we saw more of the Opposition on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Television (TV) than the Ruling Party.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Kambwili: Certainly!

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kambwili: We saw more of the Opposition presidential candidates …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Minister, hold on.

Hon. Opposition Members rose.

Mr Speaker: Order! 

Resume your seats, hon. Members. Let us have some order. You have asked the hon. Minister a question, and he is responding.
Hon. Opposition Member: Alebepa!

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member who asked the question referred to democracy, yet you do not want the hon. Minister to express himself. How come? Even if you do not agree with him, give him the opportunity to respond. You will have an opportunity to challenge what he is saying through follow-up questions. You cannot shout him down. This democracy that you talk about is a two-way process. It should not be tailored to suit only one side. The hon. Minister has a view to express, and it is my duty to defend all the views that hon. Members wish to express here, …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: … whether you like them or not.

Mr Mucheleka: Long live, Mr Speaker!

Mr Speaker: If you want to challenge him, ask him a question, but not in that fashion whereby you want to drown him. Why? Above all, he is an hon. Minister. 

Interruptions    

Mr Speaker: Yes, he is responding and he has to be respected, as an hon. Minister. 

Interruptions    

Mr Speaker: You may continue, hon. Minister.

Mr Kambwili: Sir, before the interruptions, I was saying that in the just-ended Presidential by-election, we saw more of the Opposition candidates …

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kambwili: … on ZNBC TV than the Ruling Party candidate.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Kambwili: That is a fact. For the first time in the history of Zambia, we also saw advertisements of the Opposition running during prime time news.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: I think that people must give credit where it is due. We were in the Opposition before, and we would go to the ZNBC to pay for advertising slots, but not even one would be shown during prime time news. During the last Presidential by-election, we saw advertisements of Mr Hakainde Hichilema (HH) on television every day. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kambwili: Further, the ZNBC Board is ratified by Parliament, which shows that the station is, indeed, a public broadcaster.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, the two essential elements of a public broadcaster are:

(a)    it is to be owned by the people; and

(b)    its governance structure is such that there is no political interference. 

Sir, with that in mind, could the hon. Minister explain to me the reports we heard during the run-up to the elections, which he has cited as a time in which the station exhibited fully its characteristics as a public broadcaster, that an hon. Cabinet Minister and his Permanent Secretary (PS) had stormed the newsroom and intimidated the newscasters at the ZNBC. Did those actions truly represent the way a public broadcaster is run? Do they not amount to political interference?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, I do not want to delve into the issue that the hon. Member has raised because the ZNBC Board Chairperson and I are in court over it. Suffice to say that when we depend so much on speculations and rumours, we end up having too many wrong impressions.   

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister said that the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is, indeed, a public broadcaster, but qualified his answer by saying, “by law.” Was he indicating that, in reality, the station might not be a public broadcaster?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, let me apologise for the hon. Deputy Minister’s use of the phrase ‘by law.’ The ZNBC is actually a public broadcaster.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, how soon will the review of the law on the Television (TV) Levy be concluded, considering that there is a loud outcry about how the levy is administered to the public? 

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, there have been many complaints about the way the TV Levy is administered. So, the ministry has taken steps to correct the situation. However, we all need to realise that television services are paid for all over the world. Therefore, as we migrate to the digital era, we must be prepared to pay for ZNBC TV as much as we pay for Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) and other services. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Laughter

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): No balombwana, colleagues.

Mr Speaker, in his response, the hon. Minister patted his Government on the back by saying that he had not seen Mr Hakainde Hichilema on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Television as much as he did during the campaigns for the just-ended Presidential by-election, and that reminded me of two people, namely the German, Joseph Goebbels and Ali Hassan al-Majid, popularly known as Chemical Ali, from the Republic of Iraq. 

Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that during the period that he has referred to, the United Party for National Development (UPND) went to court to seek redress over the ZNBC’s unwillingness to cover Mr Hichilema’s campaign trail, which was a distinctly different matter from that of the paid-for advertisements? Is he also aware that the court ordered the station to start operating like an independent broadcaster, but the ZNBC ignored the court order with impunity and even started transposing election results? For example, in Kabompo, the station gave the number of votes for the UPND to their candidate and that occasioned turmoil in the district, as people took to the streets to protest against the behaviour of the ZNBC. Is he not aware of that? 

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, the United Party for National Development (UPND) went to court based on its own assumptions of how the ZNBC operated. However, you may remember very well that the Patriotic Front (PF) did not start its campaigns on time because there were many wrangles. So, before the PF started its campaigns, Mr Hichilema was always on television, and the evidence is there for everybody to see. If the hon. Member will not accept that there has been an improvement in the conduct of the ZNBC, then, he is in denial. The truth is that there was a very big improvement, and I speak from experience. Once, when we were in the Opposition pact with the UPND, and the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) was in power, we complained about the ZNBC, but nothing happened.

Laughter

Mr Kambwili: Now, members of the Opposition are always on television. So, they should just congratulate the PF on a job well done.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

VCT BLOCK AT CHINKHOMBE RURAL HEALTH CENTRE

372. Mr Phiri (Mkaika) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health:

(a)    why works on the Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Block at Chinkhombe Rural Health Centre in Mkaika Parliamentary Constituency had been abandoned;

(b)    what the name of the contractor for the project was; 

(c)    what the cost of the project was; and 

(d)    what the way forward on the project was.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, the works stopped because the contract was terminated by the Provincial Buildings Officer on account of the contractor’s lack of capacity to implement the project, which has since been re-advertised.

Mr Speaker, the name of the contractor was Welcome Construction Company. 

Sir, the cost of building the Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Centre is K45,188.

Mr Speaker, the project was re-advertised and bids have been received. The contract will be awarded to the best bidder.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Phiri: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that all the materials required for the project were procured and delivered to the site, and that the cement is even caking? If he is, could he tell us when the project will start?

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, we are aware that the building materials were procured. However, all I can say is that I am sure that the new contractor will be on site within next month.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Speaker: Order!
 ________

 MOTION

      ADJOURNMENT

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

Question put and agreed to.

__________

The House adjourned at 1801 hours until 1430 hours on Thursday, 5th March, 2015.

_________