DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Friday, 5th December, 2014

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House that Dr Agarawal’s Eye Hospital will hold a talk show on eye problems and the treatment provided by that institution. The talk show will take place on Monday, 8th December, 2014 from 1000 hours to 1200 hours in the auditorium here at Parliament Buildings. The talk show will be followed by a free eye screening exercise from Tuesday, 9th December, 2014, to Thursday, 11th December, 2014. The screening will take place in Committee Room No. 5 from 0830 hours to 1600 hours each day. All interested hon. Members are encouraged to attend the talk show and go for the free eye screening events at their own convenience. Needless for me to say, attendance is on a voluntary basis.

Thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

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BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, Chief Whip, and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mukanga): Mr Speaker, I rise to give the House an idea of the Business it will consider next week.

Sir, on Tuesday, 9th December, 2014, the business of the House will commence with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Then, the House will consider the following reports:

(a)    Report on the Committee on Local Governance, Housing and Chiefs’ Affairs on the Report on Summarised Audit Accounts of Councils for the Year Ended 31st December, 2012; and

(b)    Report on the Committee on Local Governance, Housing and Chiefs’ Affairs on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Sanitation Programme Support, Phase 1.
 
Thereafter, the House will resolve into Committee of Supply on the 2015 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure to consider Heads 88 and 90 to 98 – Office of the President – Provinces.

Sir, on Wednesday, 10th December, 2014, the Business of the House will begin with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by Presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will consider Private Member’s Motions, if there will be any. The House will, then, resolve into Committee of Supply on the 2015 Budget and resume consideration of Heads 88 and 90 to 98 – Office of the President – Provinces.

Mr Speaker, on Thursday, 11th December, 2014, the Business of the House will start with Questions, if there will be any. That will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will any. Thereafter, the House will consider the following Committee reports:

(a)    Report on the Committee on Lands, Environment and Tourism on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Management of Wildlife;

(b)    Report of the Committee on Lands, Environment and Tourism on the Management of Environmental Degradation Caused by Mining Activities in Zambia; and

(c)    Report of the Committee on Public Accounts on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Accounts of Parastatal Bodies for the Year Ended 31st December, 2012.

The House will, thereafter, resolve into Committee of Supply on the 2015 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure to continue with consideration of Heads 88 and 90 to 98 – Office of the President – Provinces. 

Mr Speaker, on Friday, 12th December, 2014, the Business of the House will commence with Questions for Oral Answer, if there will be any. After that, it will deal with Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, it will consider the Second Reading Stage of the following Bills:

(a)    the Property Transfer Tax (Amendment) Bill, (N. A. B.6/2014);

(b)    the Zambia Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, (N. A. B.7/20114); and

(c)    the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, (N.A.B. 9/2014).

Mr Speaker, the House will, then, resolve into Committee of Supply on the 2015 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure to wind up consideration of Heads 88 and 90 to 98 – Office of the President – Provinces. Thereafter, the House will deal with any matter that might be outstanding.

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

CONSTRUCTION OF LUAZIBI/CHIBALE ROAD

261. Mr Zimba (Chama North) asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing:

(a)    when the construction of the Lualizi/Chibale Road in Chief Chibale’s Chiefdom in Chama District would be completed; and

(b)    what had delayed the completion of the project.

The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mr Kufuna): Mr Speaker, the works on the Lualizi/Chibale Road were initially scheduled to be completed in April, 2014. However, the contract was terminated before completion of the works and the process of engaging another contractor has started.

Mr Speaker, the completion has been delayed because the contract was terminated before the completion of the works.

I thank you, Sir. 

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, why was the contract terminated?

Mr Kufuna: Mr Speaker, the contract was terminated because the contractor could not perform to our expectations.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

CONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNICATION TOWERS IN LUBANSENSHI

262. Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication when the Government would facilitate the construction of communication towers in the following areas of Lubansenshi Parliamentary Constituency:

(a)    Chief Chipalo’s area; and

(b)    Sub-Chief Mucheleka’s area.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Col. Kaunda): Mr Speaker, the construction of communication towers in the mentioned areas of Lubansenshi Constituency will be done under Phase II of the programme, which is scheduled to commence in April, 2015 and end in 2016. The project profile for Phase II will involve mapping, scoping and surveys in the first quarter of 2015 and actual construction of the towers in the second quarter. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Speaker, why has it almost become a tradition for projects in the Northern Province, particularly in Luwingu, to be in the last phases?

Col. Kaunda: Sir, Bembas say, “Ufwale, chibi cheka; wende ubwamba, chibi cheka.” This means that when you dress wear clothes, people will have a problem with you and, even when you go about naked, it will still be a problem. 

Laughter

Col. Kaunda: Sir, we have no preferred provinces in the implementation of projects. We just follow our programme.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa): Mr Speaker, how many towers will be constructed in the two chiefdoms?

Col. Kaunda: Sir, after conducting the surveys in Phase II, we will know exactly how many towers will be constructed in the two chiefdoms.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, at the completion of Phase II, will the gaps that exist in communication …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on my right!

Mr Lufuma: … be fully covered in the areas concerned and the nation as a whole?

Col. Kaunda: Sir, it is our wish for our citizens to have access to communication services at all times wherever they may be. However, even after we implement Phase II of the project, there will still be gaps in communication services because this is a continuous exercise. Suffice it for me to say that we will cover the whole country by 2016.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kalila: Sir, when will Phase II begin? Even just a rough approximation will be okay.

Col. Kaunda: Sir, the funds are already available, but we are yet to evaluate the contractors. However, the project will commence by the first quarter of 2015.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Katuka (Mwinilunga): Mr Speaker, will hon. Members of Parliament be given an opportunity to input into Phase II of this programme as they did in the first phase?

Col. Kaunda: Sir, it is our wish to incorporate the suggestions of the chiefs, hon. Members of Parliament, councillors and various stakeholders into the survey.

Thank you, Sir.

LUWINGU DISTRICT COUNCIL EARTH-MOVING EQUIPMENT

263. Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi) asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing whether the Government had any plans to support Luwingu District Council in maintaining the earth-moving equipment procured using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mr Tembo): Mr Speaker, it is the responsibility of the local authorities to maintain the earth-moving equipment. However, the ministry, through the provincial officers, will continue to provide technical support to the council’s engineering department.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Bwalya: Mr Speaker, the earth-moving equipment was bought at a great cost and Luwingu District Council needs financial backup from the parent ministry because it has a very weak revenue base. Will the council, if the need arises, have access to the Local Government Equalisation Fund to meet the cost of maintaining the earth-moving equipment?

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, if my memory serves me right, it is the second time this question is being asked on the Floor of this House. Fortunately, the questioner has already answered himself.

Laughter

Mr Tembo: The Local Government Equalisation Fund will be used by councils that have a low revenue base.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Kabwata.

Dr Kaingu: President of Kabwata.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda (Kabwata): Sir, at the risk of inciting comments from chilingalinga, …

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: … could the hon. Minister clarify the matter of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) being used to buy earth-moving equipment. When Luwingu District Council applied to use the CDF to buy the equipment, did the ministry take into account the low revenue base of the council and its inability to maintain such equipment? If the ministry did that, what was the basis on which it approved the procurement?

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, even before the introduction of the Local Government Equalisation Fund, the local authorities already had provisions in their budgets for maintaining earth-moving equipment and utility vehicles and the budgets were submitted to the ministry, which always approves them.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has said that the ministry will provide technical support to Luwingu District Council. Can he enlighten the House on the technical capacity of the ministry, which it can extend to councils.

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, we have always provided technical support in the provinces, especially through our Provincial Local Government offices. We have provincial engineers and work in liaison with our sister ministry, the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, which also provides technical support to the local authorities.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Speaker, is it not possible to give a special grant to Luwingu District Council specifically for the maintenance of this machinery, which was bought at the expense of the other developmental needs of the people?

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, as I indicated in my answer, the introduction of the Local Government Equalisation Fund will solve many of the problems in the servicing of the equipment. We are aware that the financial positions of some local authorities are quite bad, hence the introduction of the fund that was intended to solve some of the problems that the hon. Member has just referred to.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, …

Mr Lubinda: Chilingalinga!

Mr Livune: You have heard the comment coming from chihunya, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Can we, please, refrain from these incomprehensible communications. 

Laughter

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to interpret the word ‘chihunya’ for your benefit.

Mr Speaker: What is it? Indeed, do that for the record.

Laughter

Mr Livune: A chihunya is a very funny insect that is very cowardly and has a tendency of eating itself.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Alright. Let us progress with our business now.

Laughter

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister mentioned that the ministry will provide technical support, but we are talking about earth-moving equipment that is already on the rocks. Why has the ministry not provided that technical support before now when the hon. Member has raised this Question in this House? We know that Questions take time to process. Is it incompetence on the part of the ministry?

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, firstly, let me correct the impression that this Question has given the hon. Member of Parliament. The machine we are talking about is not grounded. It is still new. 

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: If it has not been attended to, then, a report has not been submitted to the ministry or province.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Member: Why waste time?

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, constituencies like Mapatizya, Kalomo Central, Dundumwezi and Mbabala also bought earth-moving equipment using their Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Unfortunately, it is now almost two years, but we have not received the machinery from United Kingdom (UK). What measures has the Government put in place …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

Mr Miyanda: … to help the affected constituencies to get their equipment? I ask this because the Ministry of Local Government and Housing approved the procurement.

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for that important question. 

Sir, we had earlier indicated in this House that all councils that had problems in procuring earth-moving machines and those that had not received the machines were supposed to submit their reports to the ministry, and some local authorities have done so. In turn, we have communicated to the security agencies, which are currently investigating the cases. However, some of the local authorities have not yet submitted their reports. So, we can only act after receiving the reports.

I thank you, Sir.

CONSTRUCTION OF IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT OFFICES AT NSUMBU BORDER POST

265. Mr Chansa (Chimbamilonga) asked the Minister of Home Affairs:

(a)    when an Immigration Department office block would be constructed at Nsumbu Border Post in Nsama District; and

(b)    when a utility motor vehicle would be provided to the border post.

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Chilangwa): Mr Speaker, the Immigration Department has budgeted for the construction of an Immigration office block and medium-cost house, and the sinking of a borehole and water tank at Nsumbu Border Post in Nsama District in the 2014 Budget. The procurement process for the works, which will cost K3,400,000, is in progress and construction will start in 2015 after the procurement process has been completed.

Sir, the Immigration Department has adopted a phased approach to the purchase and distribution of vehicles, motorcycles and speed boats to its offices countrywide. So far, it has provided a Harrier 505 Mercury 90hp Boat to Nsumbu Boarder Post and is in the process of procuring a motorcycle for it in order to ease its operational challenges. The department will only procure a motor vehicle for the border post when funds have been made available.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, I have heard from the hon. Minister that the Government will procure and supply motor vehicles in a phased manner. Is he able to tell me which districts or offices will receive the motor vehicles in the first phase?

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Speaker, the question was specific to Nsumbu. If the hon. Member wishes to know other details, he can file in a question and we will provide the information.

I thank you, Sir.

ELECTRIFICATION OF LUMWANA HOSPITAL

266. Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West) asked the Minister of Health when Lumwana Hospital in Solwezi West Parliamentary Constituency would be electrified.

The Deputy Minister of Health (Dr Chilufya): Mr Speaker, Lumwana Hospital in Solwezi West Parliamentary Constituency is already electrified.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, when did that happen? As far as I know, Lumwana Hospital is not electrified.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I advise the hon. Member to visit his constituency more regularly.

Laughter

Dr Chilufya: We electrified Lumwana Hospital on 4th September, 2014. As a matter of fact, we hope to open the hospital to the public in the next few weeks.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, the reason the hospital was not operational is that it was not electrified. Now that it has been electrified, is it operational?

Mr Speaker: I think that the hon. Minister has just said that the Government is on the verge of opening the hospital.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, we will open Lumwana Hospital in the next few weeks.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, the answer from the hon. Minister leaves us wondering. Is it possible for him and the hon. Member of Parliament to go to the constituency to verify that information within this week?

Mr Speaker: There is no need for the hon. Minister to respond to that question.

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, the area Member of Parliament is not aware of the fact that the hospital was electrified while the hon. Minister is considering opening it soon. Is the hon. Minister willing to offer the hon. Member a lift when he goes to officially open the hospital so that the hon. Member is made aware of what is happening in his constituency?

Laughter

Mr Speaker: I will leave that to a tea break discussion.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu (Mwandi): Mr Speaker, the problem we have with this Government is that it goes into constituencies without inviting the hon. Members of Parliament. Why did the hon. Minister not invite the Member of Parliament when he went to electrify this hospital?

Laughter

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the people of Zambia gave us the mandate to govern this country and we do not need permission to visit any of its parts. Hon. Members of Parliament should visit their constituencies at their own time.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

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MOTION

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON THE REPORT OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL’S REPORT ON THE DEPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS IN BASIC SCHOOLS

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology on the Auditor-General’s Report on the Deployment of Teachers in Basic Schools for the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House on 2nd December, 2014.

Mr Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Mr Musonda (Kapiri Mposhi): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as contained in the Standing Orders, your Committee was tasked to consider the Report of the Auditor-General on the Deployment of Teachers in Basic Schools.

Sir, in order to gain insight into the observations and recommendations made in the Auditor-General’s Performance Audit Report, your Committee sought oral and written submissions from relevant stakeholders, including the Teaching Service Commission (TSC). I am sure that hon. Members have your Committee’s report before them. So, I will restrict my debate to salient issues contained therein. 

Mr Speaker, from the outset, let me mention that this is the first performance audit report that your Committee has considered. Your Committee also commends the Office of the Auditor-General for going beyond the traditional financial audits to include performance audit in its scope of work. It is, indeed, a step in the right direction.

Sir, before I move to specific issues in the report, I would like to express your Committee’s disappointment with the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education for not responding to the preliminary issues that were raised during the auditing process. Your Committee was informed that, in conformity with the Auditor-General’s Office’s reporting procedure, the draft report was sent to the Permanent Secretary, who was required to respond to the issues raised therein within thirty days of the issuance of the report. That was in 2010. Your Committee was further informed that the ministry had not made any comments on the report in spite of a reminder sent in 2012. Although this report is being considered at a time when the structure of the education system has changed from basic and high school to primary and secondary school, the issues it raises still remain pertinent to the improvement of the delivery of education services in the country.

Sir, one of the observations of the report was that there were serious weaknesses in teacher deployment, as evidenced by some schools, even within the same district, having a higher teacher-pupil ratio than others, especially in rural areas. Further, establishments for teachers were not consistent with the demands of schools going by the number of unfilled positions. Some stakeholders who submitted before your Committee were of the view that the weaknesses in the deployment of teachers were a result of the failure by the ministry to upgrade schools on a timely basis. Schools had been developing and expanding, in terms of infrastructure and capacity for enrolment, but the ministry had not upgraded them, thereby making it difficult for them to officially accommodate more teachers. That anomaly was a result of the ministry’s failure to invest in an information management system to provide it accurate information on the deployment and transfer of teachers. Instead, the ministry relied solely on the Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PMEC) system under the Public Service Management Division (PSMD). Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the ministry invests in a robust information system for managing information on the recruitment, deployment and transfer of teachers. That system should complement the PMEC one.

Sir, on the reluctance by teachers to work in rural areas, the Auditor-General had observed that the ministry had, in addition to the hardship allowances, introduced incentives like fast-track promotion and upgrading opportunities in an effort to make the rural basic schools attractive. However, most teachers had continued to shun schools in rural areas on the pretext that the rural areas offered them fewer opportunities for personal advancement. Further, most teachers in rural areas felt that the Rural Hardship Allowance was inadequate, and therefore, did not inspire them enough. The inadequacy of suitable accommodation had also posed serious challenges in most rural schools. Therefore, the Auditor-General recommended that the ministry made available suitable accommodation for teachers, particularly in the rural areas. The teachers’ unions were of the view that the incentives attached to teaching in rural areas were not attractive enough in comparison with the challenges associated with working there. They contended that the Rural Hardship Allowance of 20 per cent of the basic salary and the remote hardship allowance of 25 per cent which, in real cash terms amounted to about K700 and K900, respectively, were not appealing enough to the majority of the teachers. Your Committee observes that, in the absence of services like health care, electricity, communication, transport, banking, recreation and suitable accommodation, even a higher percentage of the hardship allowances might not be a panacea to the reluctance by teachers to work in rural areas. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government engages the private sector and relevant institutions, such as the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), Zambia Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ZICTA) and Rural Roads Unit (RRU) in a co-ordinated rural development programme that will take social services to rural areas.

Mr Speaker, on the role of the TSC in the provision of education services in the country, the TSC and other stakeholders informed your Committee that the commission only got involved in the confirmation and promotion of teachers. Therefore, one wonders how an institution that was deemed an employer was not involved in the recruitment, deployment and transfer of teachers. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the functions of the ministry and those of the TSC be reviewed if the commission is to remain relevant and appreciated in the teaching service.

In conclusion, I wish to place on record your Committee’s indebtedness and gratitude to you for according it the opportunity to scrutinise the Auditor-General’s Report on the Deployment of Teachers in Basic Schools. I would also like to thank all the stakeholders who appeared before your Committee and contributed to the process of scrutinising the report. Gratitude also goes to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to your Committee.

Sir, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Mr Musonda: Now, Mr Speaker.

Sir, in seconding the Motion so ably moved by the Chairperson of your Committee, I wish to comment on a few issues raised in your Committee’s report. 

Sir, the Committee was informed that, according to the existing guidelines, teachers were supposed to work at a school to which they were deployed for a minimum of two years before they could become eligible for transfer to another school, and that a transfer depended on the availability of a vacancy under the Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PMEC) system maintained by the Public Service Management Division (PSMD). However, notwithstanding those guidelines, it had been established that teachers sent to rural areas were transferred even before they had served their schools for two years. Further, when transferred, the teachers still maintained as their pay points their former schools or were put on the payroll of another school, not the one to which they were transferred. Some stakeholders attributed the rampant flouting of transfer regulations to the pressure exerted on the Provincial Education Officers (PEOs) and District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) by senior Government officials. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that PEOs and DEBS be left to work professionally and follow the guidelines on transfers.

Mr Speaker, let me also comment on how long it took the TSC to confirm teachers in their positions and dispose of disciplinary cases referred to it. Your Committee was informed that, although the guidelines on the handling of confirmations and disciplinary cases were clearly laid down, it still took very long for the TSC to dispose of such cases and that was attributed to the fact that two separate institutions, namely, the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and the TSC dealt with the same teachers, which sometimes resulted in the loss or misplacement of staff files. Your Committee, in this regard, recommends that the responsibilities of the two institutions be streamlined to avoid the forward-and-backward movement of files.

Lastly, Sir, I thank the Chairperson of your Committee for the able manner in which he presided over the business of your Committee. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Sir, let me thank the Chairperson of the Committee and the seconder of the Motion for the able manner in which they moved and seconded the Motion. 

Sir, in debating the report, I would like to, first of all, appeal to the Chairperson of the Committee to inform this House what preliminary issues were raised by the Auditor-General’s Office to which the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education failed to respond. Moving on from that, I wish to state that, indeed, performance audits help in improving the efficacy of institutions, and the Auditor-General’s Office has been very instrumental in this area. I recall undertaking a study on the usage of medical kits throughout the country. The report on the study generated many issues that needed to be addressed in order for the concerned institutions to provide the best services.

Sir, we have been told by the Chairperson of the Committee that the period within which an audit query must be responded to is thirty days. However, it is now four years since the audit queries were sent to the Permanent Secretary in 2010. Obviously, there was a change of Governments and a transition period. It is also highly possible that the then Permanent Secretary might have been dropped or transferred and a new one appointed. Nonetheless, these are not reason enough to justify the queries going unanswered for this long. These issues should have been part of the discussion on this report. So, even though I support the report, my argument is that it is slightly incomplete because it does not mention the preliminary issues that were raised by the Auditor-General. 

Sir, the report also addresses itself to the transition period. When the Patriotic Front (PF) came into office, it made very lofty policy pronouncements, one of which, and I think that it was not given careful consideration before it was made, was the reversal of the education system back to the primary and secondary education structure from the basic and high school education structure. It is now 2014 and it is a fact that, that policy has not been implemented fully because some schools still operate under the basic‒secondary school system. In order to avoid distortion, the Government should have been ready to implement the policy by the time it made the announcement. Alternatively, it should, at least, have given itself a year in which all the schools could have adopted the new system.

Sir, the report refers to the weak deployment system and the use of the payroll system during this performance audit. I want to find out from the hon. Minister what it takes to capacitate the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) to assist in this problem of the high teacher-pupil ratio that this country has been grappling with for a very long time now. Of course, there is also a need to define the factors that are used in determining whether a place is a rural or remote, which determines the categorisation of the teacher who serve in them. I know that the distance from a district post office is one of the measures used to determine whether an area is rural or remote. The report also emphasises that the hardship allowance, whether it be Rural or Remote Allowance, was not enough compensation to the teachers for the situation in which they found themselves in the rural or remote areas. To work in a rural area where, for example, there is no electricity and one teacher handles a class of 100 pupils, even prepare a lesson plan becomes a challenge. That is the reason the performance of children in the examinations has been below average. The teachers do not bring out the best of themselves in imparting knowledge to pupils. 

Sir, our teachers are stressed, and I have an example in my constituency, which is just across the Munali Hills. There is a school that was initially a farm and it is sad that, fifty years after Independence, the teachers there, most of them female, live in what used to be horse stables. Therefore, it is very good that the report raises the issue of lack of accommodation for teachers. If a female teacher can live in a horse stable, how do you expect her to teach the children effectively? The worst part is, that situation is not unique to my constituency. It is the reality nearly everywhere teachers are deployed. Even as they are being deployed, there is no consideration, whatsoever, of how they will live because most end up living in grass-thatched houses or, in the case of the example I just gave you, horse stables, where there are no toilets. This is a fact. I ended up offering to build a ventilated improved pit (VIP) toilet for the school in my constituency because, as you know, female teachers need extra facilities for them to operate. In an environment where there is no toilet, you aware, hon. Minister, that it is a source of embarrassment for teachers because they do not have where to dump some things. I think, you need to look at that aspect for the teachers to perform to your expectations. You need to address the basics. When you deploy teachers to their work areas, please, ensure that the basics are in place, including toilets, although many people think that toilets are not important installations. We have seen the problems that have been created, ever since the PF came into power and legalised street vending without putting up the necessary amenities, in this case, public toilets. If given an opportunity, we shall line up toilets everywhere we allow public activities to take place. 

Sir, I want to say, one more time, that the TSC needs to be capacitated so that the issue of ghost workers can be resolved. I do not know if the Committee looked at the issue of the ghost workers, but I still believe, that aspect needs to be attended to. I know that some amount of work has been done to clean up the payroll, but it goes without saying that, in an arrangement where we have community schools that sometimes graduate into Government institutions, the matter requires continuous assessment in order for the rightful people to be paid.

Sir, overall, I support the report and hope that it will not gather dust in the ministry like the preliminary issues raised by the Auditor-General have been gathering dust in the Office of the Permanent Secretary when they needed to be responded to in order for us to improve the provision of education in our country. It goes without saying that, if you educate someone, you give them a gift that cannot be bequeathed to another when they depart this earth. It is an equaliser for people, like some us, who were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. When you get some education, you have crossed the Rubicon because you are likely to live a life that is decent and be beneficial to the communities to which they belong.

Sir, I thank you.

Dr Kaingu (Mwandi): Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to debate your Committee’s report.

Sir, I want to echo my colleague, Hon. Nkombo’s sentiments on accommodation for teachers. The Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education has built many classrooms, but very few teachers’ houses. I do not know whether it believes that teachers must commute from the villages to their schools to teach. With particular reference to my constituency, the Patriotic Front (PF) has not built even a single teacher’s house from the time it got into the Government. If it was not for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which we use to build teachers’ houses, our teachers would be sleeping in the cold. We have a situation in which teachers share accommodation with pupils. In the evening, teachers spread their beds in the classroom and sleep and, early in the morning, undo their beds to let the pupils learn. That is why results in rural areas are that bad. I do not know whether it is the policy of the Government to get teachers to schools and let them arrange their own accommodation. This is why some teachers shun transfers. You can imagine, a teacher building a house at a rural school and, then, you decide to transfer them to another school that has no accommodation. For sure, that teacher will refuse to move. So, I wanted to put it on record that, although the Government has made an effort and the hon. Minister has toured the whole country commissioning infrastructure that we left half-completed, I have never seen him, and I am sure he will agree with me, commission even one house. So, in supporting this report, I would like the hon. Minister to be aware of the accommodation situation of rural teachers.

 I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity to debate. I also thank your Committee for the excellent work that it has done in highlighting the challenges pertaining to education. My comments will be focused on the issue of teachers’ accommodation.

Sir, as many of my colleagues who have spoken before me have stated, teachers’ accommodation is a very serious problem in our rural areas. Speaking particularly for Liuwa, I can safely say that, probably, only 15 to 20 per cent of the teachers are decently accommodated. Maybe, that estimate is even too optimistic. Other teachers live in grass-thatched houses, some of which have been torched by arsonists. I know two schools that were torched by criminals, putting the teachers’ lives at risk. One is at Nangole, the other is somewhere in Liuwa. There are also teachers who live in cracked brick-and-iron-sheet houses that were constructed, maybe, in the 1950s to 1970s. An example is Kuli School. These dilapidated houses are also a safety risk to the teachers. The rest of the teachers either live in semi-permanent structures or, as a colleague just indicated, classrooms. Under these circumstances, it is not difficult to understand why teachers are very demotivated.  The rainy season has set in and they are concerned about what will happen to their household property because their houses are not secure. So, they are worried and de-motivated. 

Mr Speaker, what I find to be very sad about the problem of teacher accommodation and its impact on the child is that we do not see the Central Government making serious efforts to address the issue. Yesterday, we heard the hon. Minister talk about how many schools and universities he would build in each province. However, if he builds universities without strengthening the foundation of the education system, which is the primary school system, I wonder who will go to the universities. Perhaps, we are constructing the universities in the rural provinces for children in the urban areas. With de-motivated teachers, how will the pupils in the rural areas compete favourably with those in urban areas? It will not be possible. 

Mr Speaker, from 2011, when this Government came into office, to date, the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education has only funded the construction of one teacher’s house in Liuwa. One wonders why sufficient resources are not provided for efforts to fight a problem this serious. When will the Government overcome this problem if it will be building only one house in a whole constituency? There are thirty-seven schools in Liuwa, yet only one teacher’s house has been built since 2011. We heard that there is nothing happening in Mwandi either, and I am sure that nothing is happening in many other constituencies. So, when will the problem of teacher accommodation be solved? That is the question that must be answered. The little efforts that have been made to address the problem have depended on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The CDF that we receive in Liuwa and many other places is used for building classrooms and teachers’ houses. So, we can see that the focus of the ministry is far from any consideration of what is happening on the ground, where the reality is that teachers want accommodation and those of us who have constituencies face a lot of pressure from the teachers as we visit our areas. I know that the hon. Minister has been touring the country, but I do not know what the teachers tell him. For us, it is always about accommodation. However, the ministry keeps spending its money on other areas, and we are very worried about that.

Mr Chairperson, let me come back to the overall Budget. Yes, I know that money is limited, but I still insist that we can make better progress with better focusing of resources on the priorities that our people are telling us. Yesterday, I spoke about by-elections. Let us take the K6 billion that was spent on the by-election in Mitete, for example. That amount could have been used to construct about thirty teachers’ houses, but the by-election was prioritised. Similarly, when you look at the Bomas that are being constructed, you will see that money is being spent, among other things, on building offices District Commissioners (DCs) and other officers, and on paying their salaries. Is that what the people want? The answer is no. If you go around in the rural areas, you will find old mission schools like Mbereshi Secondary St Mark’s Secondary schools. Such schools, together with their teachers’ houses, and clinics were constructed in villages where there were no Bomas, but people appreciated them. They did not ask for Bomas to be constructed. We are spending so much money on constructing Bomas that will not deliver schools, teachers’ houses and clinics. Why are we doing that? For whose benefit? If we cut out the wastage of resources on by-elections and the establishment of Bomas everywhere, we will have the money to build decent accommodation facilities for our teachers and pupils. As I said yesterday, our pupils and students are the future of this country. There is no resource more valuable than human capacity. However, today, we are ignoring this resource through dubious prioritisation. Therefore, I support the report but, in doing so, also entreat the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education to prioritise things that are useful to this country, not the useless ones, as you are doing now.

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

I know that this subject is bound to attract a great deal of interventions, and I have noted from the previous debate that, so far, we are, more or less, repeating the issues. So, I would like to allow the hon. Minister to respond now.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, first of all, I thank Hon. Dr Kalila for the well-thought-out Report of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Deployment of Teachers to Basic schools. 

Mr Speaker, as the House has heard, the preliminary audit queries were sent to the ministry in 2010 and a reminder was sent in 2012. All I can do, as the person responsible for the ministry, is apologise for the lapse and say that there are obvious reasons for this lapse. However, I am delighted that this report we are considering today has highlighted some of the things that we were supposed to have considered two years ago. 

Mr Speaker, before I comment on the various submissions, let me, very clearly, say something to the people of Zambia. When discussing issues on education and any other subject, let us not forget where we are coming from and why our people chose to change the Government in 2011. Sometimes, we forget that the mistakes we see now are a product of our non-performance in the past. If I have to remind the nation, I will say that the morale of our teachers was at its lowest when the late President, Mr Sata, appointed me Minister. The structures at school, district, province and national levels had crumbled and there was disorder. For example, a teacher would come from Liuwa straight to the hon. Minister’s Office over something that could be dealt with at school, district or provincial level. Such things have now been minimised. The Teaching Service Commission (TSC) had been rendered moribund and was making decisions that were not consistent with its responsibilities with regard to promotions and confirmations. There was almost total chaos. However, today, we have a TSC that was constituted after 2011, and will be joined by the Teaching Council (TC), which we are putting in place. So far, the TSC has done a commendable job. Its commissioners are always on the move, and our teachers have appreciated the difference between what is happening now and what used to happen in the past. We hope that the TC will further invigorate the work of the TSC. In the past, there were rigid recruitment and deployment regimes based on patronage. Now, at least, we have a TSC that says that it will advertise some positions. I hope that we can grow that attitude because it will bring sanity back to the ministry.

Mr Speaker, in the past, schools were often constructed without teachers’ houses, leading to a huge backlog throughout the country. What you hear about Liuwa and Kaputa is true about every other area. This is a nightmare for the ministry. Whilst we want to build new institutions, we also have to look at renovating old ones and building new houses for teachers. This is why I have been pleading with our teachers during my visits to many parts of Zambia to hold on a little longer because we understand their plight. I have been a teacher almost all my life. So, how can I forget the plight of my fellow teachers who are still in the service? All I can say is that the major limitation to building teachers’ houses is that we inherited a colossal project to increase access to education at the secondary school level at which eighty-three very costly projects were under implementation. From 2011 to date, and as can be seen from the last budget you approved yesterday, almost all the money allocated for infrastructure will go to secondary schools to complete the various on-going building projects. I hope, things will work out so that we complete these projects next year using the budget that you have given us. I also hope that some money will be freed for the ministry to build the thousands of houses that we have to build for our teachers. I am glad that it is now generally accepted that most of the seemingly huge K9.4 billion that has been allocated to the ministry will, mainly, go to personal emoluments, leaving K3 billion for the actual service delivery business. Whether we can stretch that amount to cater for education from early childhood to tertiary programmes is debatable, and you rightly debated it yesterday. So, I was very grateful to hear that there was a commitment towards education and that the money allocated to the ministry could be doubled. If that happened, it would enable us to clear the backlog.  

Mr Chairperson, coming back to the report, I thank Hon. Dr Kalila, the Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology. I am aware that there are serious weaknesses in the recruitment and deployment of teachers. We have religiously followed guidelines that are not founded on any scientific data. Sometimes, we deploy teachers to schools where we know there are more teachers than needed. 

Mr Chairperson, this time around, we are working on a new package. We do not advertise for teachers to apply, then, sit down and deploy them. Rather, recruitments will be based on data from the districts. I have made it very clear to my ministry officials that this data should inform us which schools have shortages of teachers. We also want to know whether the teachers we deploy to schools stay there or, if they do not, where they move to. We gather all this kind of information. I hope that the next teacher deployment by the ministry will show the difference by targeting rural schools. Those who get transfers should not carry the Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PEMC) slots with them because, on paper, they will continue to reflect on the establishments of their former schools. For example, five teachers will appear to be at a school in Liuwa when, in actual fact, they have long moved to urban areas. So, we are working on mechanisms for retaining our teachers in the schools to which they are deployed. I assure this august House that the ministry is very committed to doing that. 

Mr Chairperson, the ministry’s collaboration with the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), the Zambia Information Communication and Technology Authority (ZICTA) and the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) is bearing fruit. We are electrifying our rural schools and supplying them with computers even though the pace at which we are doing so can be faster. 

Sir, I would like to state that this report will be used well to help us focus on the problem areas. It is a wake-up call for the ministry to address the many challenges identified. However, as I keep telling people, there is always a reason God places people in specific offices. So, each one must find their purpose. For example, someone should ask themselves why they are District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) for Sikongo. What does God want them to do to for His people? They do not have to be under supervision to do their work because they know why they wake up to go to school every day. It should not be a mere ritual. We have the challenge of giving this facility to as many disadvantaged children as possible, particularly in the rural areas. I am confident that we will get where we need to be in terms of service delivery because the Provincial Education Officer (PEOs), DEBSs and headteachers are now cultivating a result-oriented mindset. Yesterday, we piloted the Output-Based Budget (OBB), and I am very confident that the education sector will wake up and deliver on behalf of the Government. 

Lastly, Sir, I thank Hon. Nkombo, Hon. Dr Kaingu and Hon. Dr Musokotwane for their input. I also assure them that their cry is our cry. They have given us a responsibility and we will execute it to the best of our ability.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, on behalf of your Committee, I equally thank the three debaters, Hon. Dr Musokotwane, Hon. Nkombo and Hon. Dr Kaingu, for their contributions to the debate on this report. I also thank the hon. Minister for the kind remarks and commitment that he has made to resolve the issues highlighted in this report. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Question put and agreed to. 

______

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the 
Chair]

(Debate resumed)

VOTE 88 – (Muchinga Province – K59,680,767), VOTE 90 – (Lusaka Province – K78,223,842), VOTE 91 – (Copperbelt Province – K89,346,969),  – VOTE 92 – (Central Province – K82,583,724, VOTE 93 – (Northern Province – K88,892,707), VOTE 94 – (Western Province – K85,478,130), VOTE 95 – (Eastern Province – K81,925,248), VOTE 96 – (Luapula Province – K79,732,554), VOTE 97 – (North-Western Province – K 78,353,309) and  VOTE 98 – (Southern Province – K101,815,912).

The Chairperson: Hon. Members, we now move to provinces. The Acting Leader of Government Business in the House will give the general policy debate. However, before he does, I want to let you know that you should prepare, amongst yourselves, three hon. Members to debate per province. 

Acting Leader of Government Business in the House, you may proceed.   

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, Chief Whip, and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mukanga): Mr Chairperson, I am honoured to present to this august House the policy statement in support of the 2015 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Office of the President, Provincial Administration. The statement is for all the ten provinces of our country.

Sir, the provincial administration is an extension of the Central Government at regional level. It is responsible for civil administration and effective co-ordination and implementation of national policies and programmes in the province. To achieve its mandate, provincial administrations are guided by the following mission statement: 

“To co-ordinate and administer implementation of national policies and programmes in the province in order to enhance service delivery and promote sustainable development”.

Mr Chairperson, in the quest to promote sustainable development and equitable provision of quality services to our people, provincial administration remains a valuable vehicle for administering and co-ordinating the implementation of developmental programmes on behalf of the sector ministries because it is closer to the people. Therefore, the 2015 Budget is aimed at providing the provincial administration with the requisite resources for the effective and efficient implementation of developmental programmes. 

Sir, in 2014, particular attention has been paid to infrastructure development, poverty reduction, human development, environmental sustainability and decentralisation. This is in accordance with the Revised Sixth National Development Plan (R-SNDP), which strongly emphasises these key priority areas of social and economic development. It is important for me to inform this august House that significant progress has been registered in the implementation of the following key focus areas:

Infrastructure Development 

Sir, infrastructure development is the key driver in the attainment of meaningful sustainable socio-economic development. To this effect, we continued constructing and improving the existing roads and other transport and communications infrastructure across the country. This is aimed at opening up productive areas and improving the transportation of goods and services throughout the country. Further, the construction of other social infrastructure outlay, such as schools and health facilities, has been accelerated across the country.

Poverty Reduction

Mr Chairperson, in a country where over 70 per cent of the population still derives its livelihood directly or indirectly from agriculture, the sector’s viability is critical in the fight against poverty. Thus, improving the sector’s productivity has the potential of making a lasting contribution to the lowering of poverty levels in the country. In 2014, the sector received the necessary attention based on each province’s agricultural potential and dynamic comparative advantage. The Government increased the resources allocated to the sector through interventions like:

(a)    the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP);

(b)    construction of livestock service centres and provincial livestock laboratories across the country; and 

(c)    aquaculture and capture fisheries activities and interventions.

Sir, owing to the increased allocation of resources and favourable weather patterns experienced during the 2013/2014 Agricultural Season, the nation registered a record bumper maize harvest of 3.4 metric tonnes. Despite some sporadic disease outbreaks, interventions implemented in the livestock sub-sector have not only averted large-scale livestock disease outbreaks, but also led to a significant improvement in its performance. 

Human Development

Mr Chairperson, to accelerate human development, a number of health and education facilities have been completed while other projects are ongoing. To operationalise the completed health and educational facilities, the Government has also acquired and will continue acquiring the necessary equipment and other requisites. Additionally, most of the facilities have since been staffed with vital human resource.

Water and Sanitation

Sir, there has been an increase in the number of safe water points across the country in 2014. This has had a significant positive impact on the number of people with sustained access to safe and clean drinking water.

Environmental Sustainability

Sir, environmental sustainability is an indispensible ingredient in the attainment of sustainable development. To stem the tidal wave of environmental degradation resulting from human activities, we implemented and escalated measures like afforestation and reforestation. These measures were complemented by other natural resource management interventions, such as community-based resource management programmes.

Decentralisation 

Mr Chairperson, in order to accelerate equitable development throughout the country, the Government is actively pursuing decentralisation, which will move services closer to the people. For this reason, thirty new districts have been created since September 2011. Provincial devolution and decentralisation task forces to oversee the decentralisation process have also been established.

Mr Chairperson, the combined 2015 Budget for the Office of the President, Provincial Administration, stands at K826,033,153. This represents an increase of 10.1 per cent on the 2014 Budget of K750,476,438. Of the 2015 Annual Budget, about 45 per cent will go towards personal emoluments while the remaining 55 per cent will go towards various programmes and developmental projects to be undertaken under the Poverty Reduction Programmes (PRPs), capital projects and some recurrent expenditure programmers.

Mr Chairperson, there has been a progressive increase in the 2015 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure based on each province’s comparative advantage. The allocations to each province are as follows:

Head    Province    2014    2015    Variance    Percentage Increase %

88    Muchinga    44,628,942    59,680,767    15,051,825        33.7266

90    Lusaka    71,735,283    78,223,842    6,488,559    9.045143

91    Copperbelt    86,543,109    89,346,970    2,803,861    3.239843

92    Central    71,183,670    82,583,716    11,400,046    16.01497

93    Northern    88,641,594    88,892,707    251,113    0.28329

94    Western    71,469,364    85,478,128    14,008,764    19.60108

95    Eastern    78,182,138    81,925,246    3,743,108    4.787677

96    Luapula    70,266,728    79,732,555    9,465,827        13.47128

97    North-
    Western    72,498,449    78,353,308    5,854,859    8.07584

98    Southern    95,327,161    101,815,914    6,488,753    6.806825

    Total    750,476,438    826,033,153    75,556,715    10.0678    

Mr Chairperson, from the foregoing, you will not that Muchinga Province has the highest percentage increase of all the provinces. This is because the province is now approaching its full staff complement, with most Government departments now physically represented. 

Sir, the 2015 Budget Estimates have been prepared in line with the R-SNDP and builds on the successes and lessons learnt during the implementation of the first phase. Going forward, Provincial Administration will continue to co-ordinate, plan, monitor, implement and evaluate developmental programmes aimed at attaining broad-based economic growth that will ensure poverty reduction, employment creation and human development. 

Sir, in 2015, the strategic focus for the Provincial Administration will remain:

(a)    infrastructure development;

(b)    human development;

(c)    poverty reduction (agriculture and livestock development);

(d)    water and sanitation;  and 

(e)    environmental sustainability. 

Sir, while the Link Zambia 8000 and Pave Zambia 2000 projects remain the flagship of our infrastructure development, particular attention will also be paid to dredging of canals in 2015. Supervision of the increased and continued investment in infrastructure development will be strengthened. Apart from improving the roads and other communication infrastructure, a provision has been made to fully operationalise the newly-established districts across the country by building the necessary infrastructure. 

Mr Speaker, activities and measures aimed at raising awareness and strengthening the protection of our citizens’ right to education, health and other socio-economic rights will be intensified in 2015. The Government has, therefore, re-aligned the Budget to respond to social challenges by tackling issues of employment creation and poverty reduction. This has been done by increasing the allocation to empowerment programmes in the key socio-economic sectors, namely, youth, child, sports, development, tourism, social welfare and community development. Furthermore, we will enhance the fight against the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), malaria and other non-communicable diseases by scaling up preventive and curative interventions. We will also increase the number of health facilities across the country, which is already evident in the construction of 650 health posts, among other infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, as I indicated earlier, over 70 per cent of our people derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from the agricultural sector. Consequently, the sector’s viability still remains critical in the fight against poverty, as it is a major driver of sustainable economic growth. To this end, the crop, livestock and fisheries sub-sectors will retain their prominence …

The Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1045 hours until 1100 hours.

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the 
Chair]

Mr Mukanga: Mr Chairperson, before business was suspended, I was saying that the crop, livestock and fisheries sub-sectors would remain major priority areas in 2015. 

Sir, with regard to environmental sustainability, activities aimed at stemming the tidal wave of environmental degradation, enhancement of biological diversity, afforestation and reforestation will be continued and accelerated in 2015. This will be augmented by citizens’ social awareness campaigns and education programmes. In view of the aforementioned, I urge the hon. Members of this august House to support the 2015 Budget Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Office of the President, Provincial Administration, as presented.

Mr Chairperson, I beg to move.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: As I indicated earlier on, we will randomly give the Floor to three hon. Members to debate from each province. Those who want to debate can indicate so that we take note. 

Hon. Opposition Members did not indicate.

The Chairperson: This will be wonderful because we will finish fast.

Interruptions

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me the opportunity to debate on this Floor. It would have been highly unfortunate for us to go ahead into individual items without any one of us saying a word or two.

Sir, I thank the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House, who is my fellow Whip, for his submission. 

As you know, Sir, I come from the Southern Province, just across the Kafue River. I have looked at the Budget estimates for the province and, unfortunately, they do not present a different picture from what we have seen in the last few years that the Patriotic Front (PF) has been in control. For three consecutive years, most of the allocations in the Yellow Book have not been implemented and, therefore, have not fulfilled the aspirations of the people we represent. I will itemise some of the activities that have not been implemented.

Mr Chairperson, it is a fact that the capacity of the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) has continued to diminish and that the institution has not done much to improve the feeder road network to facilitate the movement of produce to the market. I am hopeful that, as we implement this Budget next year, this area will be looked at. In my view, there should not only be maintenance of RRU equipment, but also replacement of obsolete components so that the councils can carry out simple improvements to the road infrastructure. Similarly, I have been to the Ministry of Finance to ask about the allocations for the construction of township roads, especially in my constituency, because very little or nothing has been done. We have engaged everybody who needed to be engaged and tried our best to use as many ways as possible of lobbying for the implementation of the projects. We have not restricted our engagement to the Floor of this House. We have engaged the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA), the Secretary to the Treasury and the hon. Minister of Finance, hitting our heads on walls but, despite works being earmarked on 28 km of township roads in the Budget for Mazabuka Central, nothing has happened. Therefore, I am only supporting the Budget for the Southern Province because it is a Constitutional requirement that we must pass this Budget.

Mr Chairperson, the Farmer Input and Support Programme (FISP) in the Southern Province, like in many other provinces, has been a disaster. However, the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock yesterday bragged on television that the programme had been successful in all the provinces. I bet, people look at things differently depending on which side of the divide they are. According to what I know, although the farming inputs were ready to be distributed to farmers as early as May, 2014, the non-payment of farmers for the produce they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), whether one likes it or not, is failure on the part of the PF Government. I do not want anyone to argue against that because, just a week ago, some farmers in Chipata almost rioted when the police brutalised them for demanding what was due to them. The hon. Minister just took advantage of the fact that he stands on the Government platform to brag that the programme had been a success on television.

Sir, one can argue that the Southern Province has received quite a huge chunk of the Budget but, while that might be true, I think that the devil is in the details. Most of the money will go towards personal emoluments for some people to earn a living. I think, that is a record of failure because failure has no other definition, as a matter of fact. What we need in the province, hon. Minister of Finance, Provincial Minister and, to some extent, the hon. Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development and the Office of the Vice-President, is the actual construction of dams, not mere pronouncements and plans on pieces of paper. If we get the dams, the province will release its full potential in the livestock industry.

Sir, it is a pity that our colleagues are leaving office but, sometimes, a piteous situation can be a blessing in disguise.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nkombo: They will probably be here for one-and-half years, then, finally leave through that door ...

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: ... because the people of this country have seen the true colours of the PF. They are a group of individuals …

Mr Mweetwa: Liars.

Mr Nkombo: … who were bound by one individual. The Almighty God let us down because he took our President a bit too soon and, as a country, we did not deserve to see the confusion that is prevailing in the PF.

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Sir.

Interruptions

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Chairperson, thank you for allowing me to rise on this important point of order. 

Sir, is the hon. Member on the Floor in order to draw the democratic Patriotic Front (PF), which has just gone through a democratic process, …

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: … into his debate instead of talking about his autocratic party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), in which it is a huge crime to vie for the position of President? In fact, the party he is referring to is non-tribal, but national in character.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Is he in order to scandalise our democratic party and forget about his autocratic one?

The Chairperson: You have adequately debated your point of order. 

Can the hon. Member of Mazabuka Central continue.

Mr Nkombo: Sir, they say that variety is the spice of life, and you have seen the spice from the other side. It is a fact that subscribing to someone’s dreams is the easier part, but realising the dream on behalf of that person is a very tall order. The Lusaka/Livingstone Road is an international trucking road. Therefore, I do not want to beg the hon. Ministers for the Southern Province, of Finance, and Transport, Works, Supply and Communication to work on it because it is their responsibility to do so because people die on it every day. In his statement, the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House stated that the PF has embarked on constructing a road network. It must be a useful road network. Just yesterday, my colleagues, Hon. Muchima from the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) and Hon. Hamududu, asked the Government to make the Link Zambia 8000 Project meaningful. The Government should not work like a rushing crowd that does not even know where it is going. It should work with all-inclusive plans. Whether people like it or not, the Kafue/Mazabuka Road has contributed a lot to the development of our economy, yet it continues to be ravaged by the huge trucks that pass through our country from South Africa and Namibia to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We do not even know where the money collected at the Kafue Weigh Bridge goes.

Mr Mutelo: They steal it!

Mr Nkombo: Mr Chairperson, coming back to the Southern Province economy, my dream, and I have said that dreams are easier to have, but harder to actualise, is that, after we bid farewell to the PF after 20th January, 2015, …

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Nkombo: … or after we say, “Goodbye”, in case the word ‘farewell’ is too complicated for some people; when we say, “Shalenipo, mukwai”, …

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: … the Jubilee Coalition will start to address the issue of trunk roads. I am sure that the Zambian people are itching, day and night, for that day of reckoning to come so that they can demonstrate the meaning of the adage, “You reap what you sow.” What the PF has been sowing in the last few days of free punch up, it will reap on 20th January, 2015. The people of Zambia are now tired of being told, “... as and when the finances will be available”.

Sir, when the PF came into power, it had a dream, but it is now living in the glorious past because the man who had the dream left with the vision. The people who have remained behind, instead of focusing on realising the dream that the man left, are just busy Kung Fu fighting ...

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: ... or Karate. Some have even graduated to Black Belt, Second Dan, but what this country requires is unity. Our country is bigger than any individual among us. Therefore, as we develop our country, that realisation should be at the front of the minds of those who are running Government affairs. We are not begging, but simply demanding what rightfully belongs to us. So, the PF needs to do something. Miracles happen. Jesus Christ performed them. The PF can work on the township roads I am talking about between now and 20th January, 2015. Alas, they will be heroes too late. We will see them on 21st January, 2015, when we will get every well-meaning Zambian rallying behind a group of individuals who have agreed to work together to move this country forward without leaving any part behind, unlike what we have seen. I am not shy to say that the development projects under the PF have been lopsided, whether you want to admit it or not. The Government has concentrated on areas where its members come from.

Interruptions

Hon. Government Member: What about the Bottom Road?

Mr Nkombo: What I am saying is a fact because numbers do not lie. The PF has constructed three universities in one district, but that is normal to its members.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate this Budget and my province in particular.

Sir, let me start my debate with agriculture. This year has been the worst that the Northern Province and, in particular, my constituency, have witnessed in as far as agriculture is concerned. To date, out of 4,000 farmers who sold their produce to the Government, only 400 or 10 per cent have been paid. Yesterday, some people from my constituency called me to say that they had heard on radio that money had been disbursed to Lusaka and the North-Western provinces but, when it came to the Northern Province, only Kasama District had been funded. So, they were asking me why they had been left out.

Col. Kaunda: On a point of order, Sir.

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised. 

Col. Kaunda: Mr Chairperson, good mothers teach their children to keep their hands out of their pockets when speaking in front of elders. Is the hon. Member, who is debating very well, in order to put his hands in his pockets whilst speaking in front of the Honourable Mr Speaker’s Chair? 

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

The Chairperson: Well, that is his style of speaking.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: It is not a problem to me.

You may continue, Hon. Simbao.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simbao: Thank you, Mr Chairperson. I will keep my hands out of my pockets. However, Hon. Col. Kaunda must know that there should be a way to freely …

The Chairperson: I have already ruled on that, Hon. Simbao.

Mr Simbao: Thank you, Sir.

Mr Chairperson, the farmers in my constituency are wondering why only one district has been funded out of seven. What will they do if they are not given the money now when it is already quite late to plant? They may grow their crops, but they may have to borrow to do so and may end up not realising any profit after they harvest. As you know, there is no guarantee that what has happened this year will not happen next year because the problem is always the same, that of money. So far, we have been told that not everything has been catered for in this Budget because there is no money. So, if the farmers borrow money to finance their activities, the chances are that, even next year, they will still have to borrow to grow food stuffs, which means that they will be giving all their money to the Government, but the Government will not give them any interest at all whenever it will choose to pay them. Therefore, the farmers in my constituency and six other districts in the Northern Province are very annoyed that they have not been given their money for the maize they sold to Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

Sir, when Hon. Muntanga debated on agriculture, I heard him say that, if his party came into office, it would scrap off the Fertiliser Input Support Programme (FISP). Well, I wish him luck. However, when FISP started, it was a very good programme until three years ago. There were no complications of not paying farmers till December. There may have been a little delay, but not as long as this. It is this ineffectiveness that has led people like Hon. Muntanga to say that they will scrap off the programme and start selling fertiliser at a subsidised flat rate. Well, again, I wish him luck. Nonetheless, FISP, if properly used, is a very good system. It tries to support the vulnerable farmers in my constituency.

Mr Chairperson, frankly speaking, the farmers who have not been paid for the crops they sold to the FRA have suffered. So, I would like to pose this question to the Government: Having delayed so much in paying the farmers, when will you give that money to the rightful owners? The farmers may have borrowed to buy the farming inputs for the 2014/2015 Farming Season, but they still need to pay back the debt. As you know, there are no banks out there, so, when the farmers borrow, they do it on the basis of what is called lundalunda, a very expensive type of borrowing that will leave those people in total poverty.

Mr Chairperson, in terms of water and sewerage, I do not think that we, in the Northern Province, have benefitted from this Government. We seem to have been forgotten. In Mpulungu, there is a very big body of fresh water, Lake Bangweulu, yet the taps are dry, which compromises the sanitation situation in the district. When it starts raining, all the dirt and faecal matter is washed into the lake. In 2011, I remember the late President, Mr Sata, going there and criticising the then Government and promising that, if elected into office, he would ensure that there was running water in Mpulungu within a year of being in office. He gave an example of the councils, saying that the Council Chairperson would be able to go into his office, use the toilet and flush, instead of looking for a pit latrine or going into the bush. However, to date, the place has remained the same. Mpulungu is a very big town, yet it has no running water. So, as Northerners, we do not understand what wrong we have done for this Government to break its promise to us.

Sir, our population has really grown. In Senga Hill Constituency alone, we are 90,000, yet we only have two secondary schools. As such, most of our pupils are forced to access secondary schools elsewhere, which is very difficult because of the competition for places. So, our pupils have to score very high marks to go to Isoka, Mungwi, Malole or even Mporokoso secondary schools. So, we remind the Government that an area with such a high population cannot have only two secondary schools. In its new system of converting some primary schools into secondary schools, the Government has given the people of Senga Hill Constituency one school, although there are no plans of realising that because there is no money even if the people have offered to meet the Government half way by contributing materials like bricks and sand, but the Government is not coming through with its part. So, the school that was earmarked for upgrading has remained the way it used to be before. We do not know when it will become Mambwe Mission Secondary School. So, I would like to tell the Government that the people still remember the promises it made to them. Just like my brother, Hon. Gary Nkombo, said, the people will remember those promises on 20th January, 2015. By now, the people should have seen some movement towards the realisation of some of the projects, but there is nothing. So, it will be very easy for us to remind them of these unfulfilled promises and advise them to vote wisely on 20th January, 2015.

Mr Chairperson the Mbala/Nakonde Road should have been completed by now. However, when the Patriotic Front (PF) Government came into power, it suspended the works for some time and took a long time to go back and resume the works. As a result, we may have another year to go before the road is completed. My fellow hon. Members and I would have had a very good time visiting our constituencies, but we will suffer for another year before we can have the privilege of driving on a good road because of the deliberate delay by the Government. The works on the Mbala/Kasaba Bay Road started when Hon. Namugala was Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources. The road has now been abandoned and there is no way of getting to Kasaba Bay. There was supposed to have been a bridge on that road, but it is not there. So, all the effort and energy that Hon. Namugala put in has been thrown to the wind by this Government. The people will remember this, too, come 20th January, 2014. If you live in Mbala and are not comfortable to travel by water, you have to come round all the way to Kasama and Mporokoso to get to Kasaba Bay. That is not how to govern people.

Mr Chairperson, in the Northern Province, there is no employment worth talking about. I feel very sad when I go to the province and see that the people I used to see on the street are still there. These are people who were very hopeful that they would benefit from the change of Government in 2011. So, again, it will be very easy to ask them if there has been any change in their life and they will, obviously, say no. So, 20th January, 2015, might be a bit exciting. It will be very easy to remind the people of what they were promised by the PF Government and ask whether the promises have been fulfilled. Then, I will say, “Well, maybe, on 20th January, 2015, you should know how to vote because you have now seen the truth, unlike the time it was being put in the air for you and you went for it. You have seen that nothing significant has been done for you in three years.” So, I want to remind the Leader of Government Business in the House that there are people in the Northern Province, too. So, the Government should not just look at some provinces. We are also people, and …

Mr Sichone: On a point of order, Sir.

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Mr Sichone: Mr Chairperson, I rise on this point of order with a heavy heart, seeing that my own brother is struggling to debate. 

Sir, what the Patriotic Front (PF) has done in three years cannot be compared to what the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) did in the twenty years it was in power. Is the hon. Member who is debating in order to refer to the activities of the PF in the three years that it has been in power when he was an hon. Minister in a Government that was in power for twenty years?

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: The fact that he was in the Government for twenty years does not preclude him from saying something now. 

You may continue, Hon. Simbao.

Mr Simbao laughed.

Mr Simbao: Mr Chairperson, this is how people accumulate twenty years of doing nothing. I am informing the PF that it is not doing anything in the Northern Province, but the hon. Member wants to challenge that. The PF Government will end up doing nothing in three years. The remaining one-and-half years will probably be for the Opposition. So, we will start reminding the party what it could have done in these three years. It is possible, though, for the PF to even stay in office for another twenty years.

Sir, the Northern Province does not seem to be getting anything from this Government, and I know that all the hon. Members of Parliament from the province agree with me. I do not know why the province has been abandoned when it is one of those that really supported the present Government. In 2011, Muchinga was part of the Northern Province and it formed the backbone of the PF Government. Unfortunately, today, our farmers are not paid and schools have no teachers. In my constituency, some schools are a sorry sight with some schools having one teacher to handle Grades 1 to 7. Some schools do not have even a single teacher. Currently, I have requests for teachers from schools in my constituency, but I do not know what to do because the hon. Minister is aware of the problem. I do not need to go to him and tell him that there is no teacher at a given school. I really do not know why the Ruling Party is treating us like this. Senga Hill Constituency has four big residential areas where we would like to have running water, namely, Nondo, Senga, Kavumbo and Mambwe. These are urban areas but, unfortunately, like I said when I debated on Mpulungu, we have no running water there and the people are complaining. 

As I end, Sir, I hope that the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House has heard.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chipungu (Rufunsa): Mr Chairperson, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the Vote for Lusaka, my home province. In doing so, I will adopt the contributions by my two colleagues, Hon. Kapembwa Simbao and Hon. Gary Nkombo, as my own. 

Mr Lubinda: They did not talk about Lusaka Province.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Chairperson, this has been a very difficult year for me, as Member of Parliament for Rufunsa, because of the events created by our colleagues on your right. I am talking about things like the indiscriminate cutting of the mukula tree, which nobody has done anything about. There is also the encroachment on our beautiful land. Although I have had interactions with the relevant hon. Ministers, the people are still crying about this problem because no action has been taken to address it. If we have complaints and we go to see hon. Ministers or Permanent Secretaries (PSs), but they do not do anything, I do not know where else we should go.

Mr Chairperson, I have had no input in the Budget for Lusaka Province, yet I have been a Member of Parliament …

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Mr Nkombo: Sir, I was enjoying the hon. Member of Parliament’s debate until I heard some erroneous statement. 

Sir, is the hon. Member on the Floor in order to continue lamenting not knowing where to go for solutions to the Patriotic Front’s (PF’s) mismanagement of public affairs when there are voters out there to go to? 

Laughter 

The Chairperson: Hon. Chipungu, please, continue.

Laughter

Mr Chipungu: Mr Chairperson, before the point of order, I was saying that I have now been a Member of Parliament for almost eight years now and it has been our tradition that when the budget for a province is being prepared, hon. Members from that province are invited to sit with the Provincial Administration and input into the budget. Hon. Shawa used to do that when he was the hon. Deputy Minister for Lusaka Province. It was also done by the other hon. Ministers who held that position. 

Mr Chairperson, Lusaka Province is very unique. As you are aware, it hosts some rural districts and the capital city. Looking at the budget for our province, the total allocation for 2015 is K78 million compared with K71 million for this year. This, however, is too little. If you look at the Yellow Book, you can see that the small amounts of money allocated to the province are thinly spread for various projects, most of which are only in Lusaka District. This means that the rural parts are totally disadvantaged. Additionally, most of the money is for personal emoluments, leaving very little for capital projects. 

Mr Chairperson, it is my considered view that the budget for Lusaka Province should be increased because this is where the capital city is, where the President, hon. Ministers and diplomats are. The needs of this province are obviously numerous. If the allocation for this province is not increased, I think, it is only prudent that the Government considers shifting the provincial headquarters to a more central district, such as Chongwe or Rufunsa, so that the rural part has its own money for development. I want to put it on record that the rural districts like Rufunsa are not getting much.

Mr Chairperson, let me also talk about infrastructure development, roads in particular. 

Sir, in 2011, the Government undertook an extensive grading of our roads in Rufunsa District. Unfortunately, in the last two years, nothing has happened in that regard. Bridges are collapsing. A case in point is the bridge along Shikabika Road, which we have been complaining about, day in, day out, to the Provincial Administration, the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) and Road Development Agency (RDA), but nothing has been done. This takes me back to the point I made earlier, which is, if we complain to the relevant offices, but nothing is done, what else can we do? So far, this year, only Chipeketi Road has been graded. Roads like Shimubo, Chomba and others have not been worked on at all. So, I want to put it on record that the Provincial Administration must consider grading those roads because they are the roads on which our colleagues like Hon. P. Ngoma will be driving on to campaign during the elections.

Mr Chairperson, let me also talk about the supervision of Government projects. Again, I brought it to the attention of my colleagues that not much attention is paid to those who work on some Government projects like roads. Hence, you find situations in which materials are actually stolen. Clinics or schools that are supposed to be completed on schedule take very long to be completed because the materials are stolen. Why should this happen? I do not think that this was the case during the reign of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government. It is only now that I have seen such an increase in thieving. There is also the issue of delayed payment of contractors. Whenever we go to the constituency, we are bombarded with questions by the contractors who want to know mainly when they will be paid. As Members of Parliament, we have no answers. So, we come back to seek the answers from our colleagues, but we find that they do not have answer as well. What does that mean? Does it mean that the Government has no money? I want to ask the Leader of Government Business in the House to, please, help the contractors because delaying in paying them simply means that they will not do their job.

Mr Chairperson, let me talk about the connection of Rufunsa to the main Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) Grid. Yes, something is being done, but the people are very anxious to know when the project will be completed. It is very disappointing that, three years after the commissioning of the project, very little has been done. I saw the poles that were lined along the Great East Road catch fire, meaning that this project will be delayed further. So, it is my request that the Government expedites the connection of Rufunsa Constituency or the district in general to the national grid. 

The other point I wish to raise, Mr Chairperson, is that of our Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for 2013, which I have been talking about in this House repeatedly. We have not yet received the K1.3 million, which was stolen not in Rufunsa, but at the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Chipungu: Surely, if money is stolen at the ministry headquarters, should the constituency suffer the consequences? I think, that is very unfair. While the Government is punishing the culprits, we need to have the money as quickly as possible because we have a very urgent need for it. 

Mr Chairperson, moving on to the lack of drinking water, I would like to inform the House that Rufunsa District has no single river, meaning that, around this time in particular, drinking water is a problem. So, we have been asking for more boreholes, but none has been provided. For us to satisfy the demand for drinking water in the area, we need in excess of 500 boreholes. So, it is my earnest appeal that the Government considers drilling more boreholes in the district as quickly as possible. I do not know what the Government will be telling the people as it goes to campaign because it will be asked these questions. 

Mr Chairperson, the payment of farmers by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is another issue that the people in Rufunsa District have asked me to talk about. I must be very honest here. Out of 350 farmers, I think, only about twenty have been paid, meaning that, wherever one goes, the question asked is: When will we be paid? This is another question that people will be asked when they go on the campaign trail.

Rev. Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha: Are they voters?

Laughter

Mr Chipungu: Yes, most of them are voters.

Mr Mwanza: What do you tell them?

Mr Chipungu: The last point I wish to raise, Mr Chairperson, is on load-shedding in Lusaka. 

Sir, the hon. Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development has been on the Floor of this House assuring us that something has been done and that load-shedding would end. This issue is very serious because it has come back again. What is the problem? Why can we not solve this it once and for all? The PF is now in Government and must forget about us, the MMD. It is the party to resolve these issues. Hon. Jean Kapata, ...

Laughter

Ms Kapata: On a point of order, Mr Chairperson.

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Ms Kapata: Mr Chairperson, is Hon. Chipungu, who is not debating so well and seems to be confused because he keeps jumping from one topic to another, boring us in the process, in order to mention my name, when I am seated here trying to make sense of what he is saying?

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

The Chairperson: I am sure that those are some of the things that keep us awake.

Laughter

The Chairperson: So, no ruling. 

Continue, Hon. Chipungu.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chipungu: Mr Chairperson, I am sure that she is just inviting me tonight.

Laughter

The Chairperson: You are out of order.

Laughter

The Chairperson: You are definitely out of order.

Please, continue.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Chairperson, as I conclude, I want to emphasise on the issue of load-shedding in Lusaka, particularly where I live, in Chamba Valley, and Kaunda Square. It is terrible.

Ms Wina: On a point of order, Mr Chairperson.

Interruptions

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Ms Wina: Mr Chairperson, is the hon. Member on the Floor debating this very important Budget for the provinces in order to harass a female hon. Member of Parliament and promote gender-based violence (GBV) in the House?

Laughter

The Chairperson: I have already ruled him out of order.

Hon. Chipungu, you may continue.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Chairperson, you can see how popular I am.

Laughter

Mr Chipungu: I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Mr Chungu (Luanshya): Mr Chairperson, in contributing to the debate on the Budget for the Copperbelt, I will be very brief. 

Mr Chairperson, those who are dreaming that the late President died with his vision are totally misleading themselves.

Ms Kapata: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: We are simply going back to the people to remind them that there was some unfinished business left by that great man and we will usher in his successor on 20th January, 2015, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: … in the name of Hon. Edgar Lungu.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. PF Members: Bwekeshapo!

Mr Chungu: Mr Chairperson, coming from Luanshya and speaking on behalf of the people of the constituency, we are very happy with the development that has been achieved in that part of this country.

Sir, let me start with the roads. Currently, 20 km of township roads are being worked on. The contractors are on site. Further, six bridges, two police posts, eight health posts, three new markets and the first ever paediatrics hospital in Luanshya have been built. Five clinics were also built using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). All these projects were implemented in the three years of the late President’s rule. That vision and legacy still continues.

Sir, we have three new schools that are under construction in Luanshya, one secondary and two primary schools. In total, twenty-two primary schools are being built in districts across the Copperbelt. 

Mr Chairperson, the construction of roads is taking place in all the districts on the Copperbelt. In addition, we have new district hospitals. One is in Chililabombwe while the other is in Chimwemwe, Kitwe, and a ground-breaking ceremony will take place in Mufulira for the construction of another hospital.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: The people on the Copperbelt know what we are doing there and are just waiting for us to go and remind them that we need to continue with the vision that some people are dreaming died with the late President.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: The Copperbelt Province is also benefiting from the drilling of boreholes in all the districts. 

Mr Chairperson, three colleges in Luanshya, namely, Luanshya Trades and Business College (LTBC), Luanshya Technical and Vocational Training College (LTVTC) and In-Service Training and Education Centre (ISTEC) are currently being merged into a university and hostels are being built. This is all happening now because of what was set in motion by the late President, and we will continue with his legacy because we believed in him and will continue to believe in him, may his soul rest in peace.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, as the Member of Parliament for Luanshya, I am very happy to be part of this Government because things are happening.

Mr Kampyongo: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: The Luanshya/Masangano/Fisenge Road was worked on in the previous Government, but before it could be commissioned, it had already started getting damaged. However, this Government has re-advertised the contract for the road to be built anew. We will also build the Kafubu Block Road, which used to be a farming block before Independence. There will be a new road in that part of Luanshya. We will also construct the Masangano/Lamba/Lima Road. So, when people say that there is nothing that has been happening, I sit and wonder whether they have no eyes or have just decided to be blind for this election period.

Sir, I promised to be very brief and I think that the message has been heard by the people out there.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for the opportunity to debate. I have just returned from the Northern Province, where I had gone to check for myself the issues affecting our people. 

Sir, our people in Luwingu, Kasama, Mbala, Mpulungu and Kaputa districts of the Northern Province are farmers who have not been paid for supplying to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA). When you do not pay the farmers, you are basically confining them to perpetual poverty. 

Sir, the Patriotic Front Government was elected on the platform of being pro-poor. That is what its manifesto said. However, the reality on the ground is that the majority of our people, particularly in Luwingu in the Northern Province, still remain in perpetual poverty and the poverty levels, in some cases, are as high as 80 per cent. 

Sir, the major economic activity in the province is agriculture. Therefore, if you do not pay the farmers for the maize that they have supplied, you are basically saying that they must remain poor and they have remained poor because they have no money. They cannot even pay the down payments for the fertiliser that has been delivered. They also have no money to send their children to school. So, they are saying that they were misled, but they now have an opportunity, come 20th January, 2015, to make a new decision.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mucheleka: The people of the Northern Province are not tribalists.

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mr Mucheleka: If there is anyone who thinks that we are tribal, we are not.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mucheleka: If anything, the first political alliance in this country, in 1963, was between Tongas and Bembas. That was what brought about Independence. We all know that. The second political alliance was in 1968 when Mr Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe was elected Vice-President of the United National Independence Party (UNIP). The third alliance was the Choma Declaration. So, the issues that we are talking about are very serious. If you think …

Interruptions

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Chairperson, may I have your protection.

The Chairperson: Please, let him debate. 

However, for you to be protected, hon. Member, avoid debating controversial issues.

You may continue.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Chairperson, we have challenges in the Northern Province. The allocation for the Province is mostly for recurrent expenditure. We have no clear-cut budget for capital projects. As a result, there is no infrastructure. Whether you talk about roads, schools or anything else, the Northern Province has been put in either Phase III or whatever phase comes last. What will the PF tell the people of Kaputa over the Mporokoso/Kaputa Road, which they were promised, but is not there? The Kasama/Luwingu Road was built by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government.

Mr Pande: Hear, hear!

Mr Mucheleka: As for the Luwingu/Mansa Road, we have not seen anything on the Luwingu side. 

Mr Chairperson, the Northern Province overwhelmingly voted for the PF. However, when it comes to sharing of national resources, it has not got a fair share. There is no equity. I have no problem with Muchinga Province getting two universities. However, the Northern Province, which gave birth to two provinces, namely, Luapula and Muchinga, has none. Are you saying that the people of the Northern Province will be used for political expediency, but will not be able share in the national cake?

Hon. Member: Efyo chamoneka.

Mr Mucheleka: In any case, for those who talk about the Bemba-speaking people of the Northern Province, is it not under a Bemba-speaking President that our traditional leaders have really suffered and been ridiculed and insulted? What will you tell the people of Kasama? What will you tell the Bemba people?

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Sir.

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised. However, this will be the last point of order to be raised.

Mr Kampyongo: I thank you, Sir, for allowing me to rise on the very last point of order on the Floor of the House.

Mr Chairperson, I have been following the debate of the hon. Member currently on the Floor who, in his own wisdom, has nominated himself as a representative of all of us, Bembas, and made a one-man alliance with a political party in his mistaken belief that he will now change the political landscape of the Northern, Luapula and Muchinga provinces. However, my concern is whether he is he in order to be so controversial and draw our late President into his controversial debate? Is he also in order to do that when he knows that we respect our traditional leaders? Further, is he in order to start talking about the lack of development in Muchinga Province when, for the first time in twenty years, we have taken the development that this province lacked to it? 

Mr Chairperson, I seek your serious ruling.

The Chairperson: Obviously, that point of order is meant to give a counter argument to what has been said.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: Surely, you should know that you are not supposed to draw the Chair into those arguments.

You may continue, Hon. Mucheleka.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Chairperson, even as we go to the elections, we need unity in this country. The violence in the Ruling Party has to be checked. In Bemba, we say, “Umulembwe wa chipuba upwila muli, ‘Tumfwe’”.  Even if it is internal democracy, you cannot have a situation in which people in a political party start fighting for one position. You cannot have every Jim and Jack fighting for the presidency. What is it that they want to do in that position? Is it really about service delivery? 

Interruptions

The Chairperson: Order!

I want to protect you, and you can assist me do that by protecting yourself. I think that you should not talk too much about what is happening internally in political parties. Talk about the developmental issues that you see in the Northern Province.

You may continue.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Chairperson. I thank you for your guidance. 

Mr Chairperson, we need development in the Northern Province. We should be talking about unity and development. As we talk about development, we need to pay attention to serious issues like infrastructure development, for instance, linking trunk roads and feeder roads. As I said earlier, I do not know the phase under which the feeder roads in Mporokoso and Kaputa will be constructed. We have the Rural Roads Unit (RRU), but it is non-functional. Even if we have trunk roads in this country, the majority of our people live in the hinterlands of the districts. Therefore, during the rainy season, it is very difficult and expensive for them to transport their inputs to their homes because most of the roads are in a state of disrepair. The people also do not have money to buy those inputs because they have not yet been paid for their produce. Even with the little machinery that is functional, the RRU is not able to carry out any work due to late disbursement of funds. I do not even know whether the funds allocated to the RRU for roads in the 2014 Budget have been disbursed. I hope that the hon. Minister for the province, Hon. Sikazwe, can talk about that because these are serious issues. Farmers want the Government to support them by linking the feeder roads and the trunk roads. 

Mr Chairperson, apart from being denied a university, most of our schools in the Northern Province do not have sufficient teachers, as Hon. Simbao has stated. In the schools where we have the teachers, they work under very difficult conditions. Some of them are not even paid the Rural Hardship Allowance to date. The teacher-pupil ratio is very imbalanced in the province. We have situations in which primary schools are manned by only one or two teachers, who are failing to cope. Apart from that, our teachers do not have decent accommodation. Teachers may be sent to schools that have no houses for them. If you look at the 2014 Budget, you will see that only two teachers’ houses were budgeted for construction in Lubansenshi and Lupososhi constituencies, one in each constituency, yet many teachers are sent to the schools without decent accommodation. So, I passionately appeal to our hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, whom I have known to be very practical, to attend to this serious issue. He should also quickly replace the teachers who get transfers because the level of attrition is very high among teachers. Many teachers are either retiring or passing away, but the rate at which they are being replaced is very low, yet we have trained teachers who have not been recruited because of the recruitment freeze. Therefore, the hon. Minister should expedite their recruitment. We have such teachers in Luwingu District and Lubansenshi Constituency. 

Mr Chairperson, the other sector I need to talk about is health. 

Sir, the six clinics that were promised to my constituency and other areas have not been constructed. We were told that the contractors would move on site by November, 2014. However, the information I have about the situation on the ground is that the contractors are still not on site. Development is work in progress and we have a national development plan. The MMD Government left a very important document that guides our development. Therefore, the issue of continuing someone’s vision or legacy should not arise. Even if a new Government comes into power on 20th January, 2015, development will still take place, but that will be even more balanced, transparent and accountable. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mucheleka: No one will continue using development programmes as a means of siphoning money. The Auditor-General’s report has shown how money is being stolen and shared in the name of development, but you will not dupe the people much longer. They now know what is going on, and have a choice to make on 20th January, 2015.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! 

The Chairperson: Order!

Let us avoid using words which are obviously unParliamentary, such as ‘stealing’.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Chairperson, I withdraw the word.

Mr Mutelo (Lukulu West): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me the opportunity to debate.

Sir, I would like to talk about transport in the Western Province. From Mwandi, through the plains, to Lukulu and Mitete, and from Nkeyema, through Kaoma, to Kalabo, Liuwa, Sikongo, Shang’ombo and Mulobezi, one travels through sandy or muddy areas. If you use 20 litres of diesel or petrol to drive a given distance in Lusaka, you will use 50 litres in Liuwa for the same distance. You can burn 2 litres to 3 litres of gas when you are stuck in the sand. However, when it comes to allocating resources to the Western Province, the amount is the same as the other provinces. The situation in Botswana is what is obtaining in the Western Province. When you allocate K150,000 to all the provinces for a common project, you will find that the project in the Western Province will be the most difficult to complete, and we have many unfinished projects because of limited resources. If we buy materials in Lusaka, we have to transport them by truck to Mongu, then, use a boat from Mongu to Kalabo and use an ox-cart to the final destination. So, when the Government plans for the nation, particularly the Western Province, these things have to be taken into account. Otherwise, all our projects in the province will not be completed. This, however, is not to say that you should give the Western Province preferential treatment. 

Sir, some school projects left by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) are still hanging. The Patriotic Front (PF) started one or two projects, but even those are hanging. Some projects, such as King Lewanika University and the Mongu Stadium, have only been promissory. That is the reality. So, I appeal to the planners, the people who allocate funds, to seriously look at the Western Province. 

Sir, the entire Zambezi River passes through the Western Province, but the water we drink is pathetic. How many boreholes have been drilled in Lukulu and Mitete? 

Mr Chairperson, most of the time, we only see the funds for projects in the Yellow Book. Of the 650 clinics earmarked for construction countrywide, how many have been started in the Western Province? Has the ground-breaking ceremony even been held in Mitete? 

Hon. Government Member: Yes!

Mr Mutelo: If the answer is yes, then, where and when? 

Thank you very much, Sir, for protecting me in a special way. 

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: Mr Chairperson, with regard to the road network in the Western Province, the only road we hear about is the Mongu/Kalabo Road and, time and time again, we are told that the construction of the road is very expensive, a consequence of which is that the Katunda/Lukulu/Mumbezhi Road cannot be worked on. This is not the right way of doing things. You are failing to even routinely maintain the roads. The money that was left by the other Government …

Ms Kapata: Which Government and how much? 

Mr Mutelo: … for the Mongu/Kalabo Road, …

The Chairperson: Order!

Please, do not engage him. 

Laughter 

Mr Mutelo: Mr Chairperson, where is the money for the Mongu/ Kalabo Road? I believe that development should be continuous. Therefore, when you find works in progress, you should be magnanimous enough to admit it so that, if you leave projects behind as well, the new Government that will replace you can continue from where you leave off and not talk about the same things. Thank God, we will also be asking you, “Which money?” 

Laughter 

Mr Mutelo: Thank God, we are learning lessons on how to answer after 20th January, 2015. 

Laughter 

Mr Mutelo: You must acknowledge what other people have done so that, if at all there is something that you have done as well, other people can acknowledge your achievements, too.  Sometimes, this money ends up at the headquarters where it is very difficult for it to trickle down to the grassroots.  

Mr Chairperson, I want to thank this Government because, for the first time, there is a tower in Mitete. Thank you very much. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: So, stop doing what you are doing ... 

Laughter 

Mr Mutelo: … and listen. 

Hon. Government Member interjected. 

Mr Mutelo: When we say, “Thank you very …” 

The Chairperson: Order!

You see, I am the only one you have mandated to control the proceedings in this House. So, both sides of this House should do the honourable thing, which is to listen to the person who is debating. Let us not interject. 

Hon. Member for Lukulu West, you must also ignore the people who are interjecting. I believe, that way, they will stop interjecting. 

You may continue. 

Mr Mutelo: Today, Sir, I am moderate. However, if they …

The Chairperson: Aah, ah. 

You see, that is the problem. I tried to protect you, but you want to continue doing my work. Continue with your work, which is that of debating.

Mr Mutelo: Sir, I thank this Government because, for the very first time, there is a tower in Mitete. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: Mr Chairperson, when we say that something has been done, we are not telling jokes. We want to tell you the truth. Unfortunately, this tower is not working. When will you operationalise the tower, which only covers a radius of 25 km? The coverage of the tower cannot reach Washishi or Lupui. In the meantime, there are three big holes that were dug in Liuwa for the same towers but, to date, no tower has been erected.  

Mr Mukanga interjected.

The Chairperson: Order!

Mr Mutelo: Sir, …

The Chairperson: You know, you are really, for lack of a better term, trying my patience. 

Mr Nkombo: Punish them, Sir. 

The Chairperson: Do not tell me what to do. 

Laughter 

The Chairperson: I wanted to punish them, but I will not because you are directing me. Please, let us be sober. 

Hon. Member, you may continue. 

Mr Mutelo: I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chairperson, Mitete Secondary School is still at the slab level. Lukulu Boarding School has not opened to date, yet it was initiated by the MMD. Hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, the results for the Grade 7s came out very quickly, and we thank you. However, pretty soon, the results for the Grade 9s will come out, too. Where will we place the Grade 10s? I have heard of basic schools being upgraded to secondary schools, but not a single school has been mentioned in Mitete. 

Sir, the canals in the Western Province are a mode of transport. The Lwambimba River has thickets. The clearance of the river would literally mean cutting the trees, kupuma matoya, in order to open up the rivers and enable us to transport our materials regardless of whether  it is flooded or not. As long as there is still a thicket from the confluence between the Lwambimba and Lwanginga rivers, all way to where the Lwambimba ends in Washishi, there will be problems. You cannot say that you will just clear 10 km of the river. What we need is for you to clear entire rivers, such as the Kashizhi and Chinonwe rivers, the way it was done in the colonial days. If the people you called colonialists used to do these things for us, how can you fail to do them? The hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, when talking about decentralisation yesterday, alluded to a time when even the smallest amount of money had an impact on the lives of the people and was appreciated in the rural areas. Things that used to work in the past do not seem to work anymore.

Sir, yesterday, I struggled to debate an issue that should have taken me two minutes to debate. All I was trying to say is that the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education had said that more teachers would be sent to the rural areas. However, when you pick up a newspaper and look at the recruitment or replacement of teachers, you will see that no teachers have been sent to Mitete. Some places in the rural areas have no teachers while others only have two teachers teaching Grades 1 to Grade 9. When the Grade 9 class is writing examinations, the pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 7 have to go on a mini holiday and come back when the examinations are over. Further, when the time for the Grade 12 pupils to write their examinations comes, they have to be ferried from their schools to other schools in order for them to write. However, despite all of this, there is brilliance in the rural areas. People in the rural areas have to meet the same cut-off points to compete with those who have all the necessary facilities for places in colleges and universities. The majority of people who are successful today come from the rural setup. In the past, when you completed Form III, you had to leave the rural area and go to either David Kaunda or Hill Crest secondary schools. Today, those things are unheard of. Even the feeling of excitement that you felt when you passed your Grade 9 Examinations does not exist anymore. We used to say, “Mwanana upasize” or “Mwana apasa”, which means that a child has passed, but that morale is not there anymore. Sometimes, only one person in the whole area would qualify to Grade 8. Today, it seems, we just push our children through Grades 9 to 12 without teaching them much. When you ask a pupil who has passed to write an application, they will probably fail. That is the education we are providing today. The one we provided in the past and which made people what they are today no longer exists. I do not know what type of a nation we are building for tomorrow, especially for the Western Province and, most painfully, for Mitete.

Sir, it seems that the Link Zambia 8000 Project will be completed before we link the Katunda/Lukulu/Mumbezhi and Lukulu/Chitokoloki roads. Mitete is very near to Zambezi District, but I have to go to Lukulu and, then, Mumbezhi before I can reach Zambezi West. How is that linking Zambia? We need more money to be put into planning for the Western Province because it seems that we sometimes seem to be moving when we are, in fact, stuck. We spend 50 litre where we are supposed to spend 20 litre.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: Order!

__________

HOUSE RESUMED

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

(Progress reported 

__________

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, Chief Whip, and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mukanga): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

The House adjourned at 1233 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 9th December, 2014. 

WRITTEN REPLY TO QUESTION

CONSTRUCTION OF HEALTH POSTS IN MUCHINGA CONSTITUENCY

264. Mr Kunda (Muchinga) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health when the construction of the following health posts in Muchinga Parliamentary Constituency would commence:

(a)    Katela;

(b)    Sote; and

(c)    Mukopa.

The Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Mrs Kabanshi): Mr Speaker, the following activities were undertaken in respect of the proposed construction of three health posts in Muchinga Constituency, namely, Katela, Sote and Mukopa:

(a)    Identification of the sites; and

(b)    taking of the contractor, Angelic International Limited, to all the three sites. The contractor is currently mobilising to commence works before the end of this month.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.