Wednesday, 21st December, 2016

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Wednesday, 21st December, 2016

 

The House met at 0900 hours

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_________

 

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

CLASSROOMS AT LUMIMBA DAY SECONDARY SCHOOL

 

61. Mrs P. M. Jere (Lumezi) asked the Minister of General Education:

 

  1. when the construction of a 1 x 4 classroom block at Lumimba Day Secondary School in Lumezi Parliamentary Constituency would be completed;

 

  1. what the cause of the delay in completing the project was;

 

  1. what the total cost of the outstanding works on the project was; and

 

  1. what the timeframe for the remaining works was.

 

The Minister of General Education (Dr Wanchinga): Mr Speaker, this project was projected to cost about K480,000 and as at now, about K90,000 is outstanding to complete the project.

 

Sir, the cause of the delay is that the school is located in an area which is very difficult to access. So, many of the contractors working in the area were reluctant to work on the project. The Government decided to involve the local communities to transport the materials from a distance of about 60 km. The school is about 60 km from the centre of the district. Most of the money for the project went to the transportation of the stones and sand which were required in the construction of the school. We are hoping that in 2017, we will be able to release the remaining K90,000 to complete the project.

 

Mr Speaker, it is interesting to note that the hon. Member who has asked this question is a former District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) and a former Acting Provincial Education Officer (PEO) in the area ...

 

Hon. Members: Ah!

 

Dr Wanchinga: ... who understands this area.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mrs P. M. Jere: Mr Speaker, the 1 x 4 classroom ...

 

Mr Jamba: Mr Speaker, I rise on a serious note.

 

Sir, yesterday, I went to my constituency and found that the maize which was planted had germinated, but had been devastated by worms, green and black in colour. Therefore, food security in the country is at risk. Is the Government in order to stay quiet on such a serious issue?

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, all being equal, we are winding down our business today. So, if you expect for instance, that I will direct the hon. Minister to come back with a ministerial statement today, you should realise that is not feasible. However, given the nature of the problem, please, you may file in a question and we will process it.

 

Mrs P. M. Jere: Mr Speaker, since the 1 x 4 classroom block we are talking about is located within the proximity of another school called Lumimba Day Secondary School, which is run by the Catholic Church, is the new school going to be a stand-alone 1 x 4 classroom block for Grade 8 to Grade 12 pupils run by the Government?

Dr Wanchinga: Mr Speaker, the Government will continue to appreciate the role of the Church and faith based organisations in supplementing the Government’s efforts in providing education to the general populace. Therefore, the efforts that the Government is making in building that school cannot substitute what the Church is doing. In fact, we need to encourage the Church to supplement the Government’s effort in providing education to the general place of the area. So, these two institutions will work together.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

COMPLETION OF FEEDER ROAD IN KAPUTA DISTRICT

 

62. Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa) asked the Minister of Local Government:

 

  1. when the feeder road connecting Chitandala Village to Kawama Community in Kaputa District would be completed;

 

  1. who the contractor for the project was; and

 

  1. why the works on the project stalled after the contractor mobilised and marked the feeder road.

 

The Minister of Local Government (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, the construction of the feeder road from Chitandala Village to Kawama Community in Kaputa District was scheduled to be completed in January, 2017. However, due to budgetary constraints, works stalled and will only resume when funds are secured and it is hoped that completion will be twelve months after the contractor resumes work.

The Minister of Local Government (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, in response to the question raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Kaputa, I wish to inform this august House that the construction of the feeder road from Chitanda Village to Kawama community in Kaputa District was scheduled to be completed in January, 2017. However, due to budgetary constraints, works stalled and will only resume when funds are secured and it is hoped that completion will be twelve months after the contractor resumes work.

 

In response to part (b) of the question, I wish to inform the House that the contractor’s name is A Plus.

 

Lastly, in part (c) of the question, works have stalled because the contractor has not been paid.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing asking a follow up question…

 

Mr Mutelo: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to raise this point of order. Yesterday, the Government Chief Whip grabbed my Yellow Book and took it to the other side. Is it procedural for the Government Chief Whip to grab my Yellow Book making my job difficult?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mutelo: Normally, I go with my Yellow Book back home and go through it in preparation for the following day. However, the book has not been given back from yesterday to-date. Is the Government Chief Whip in order to take away my office and make my job so hard to execute. I seek your serious ruling, Mr Speaker.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that the ruling will stand reserved to enable me investigate the matter.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: So, I will only render my ruling after the investigation.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: May the hon. Member of Parliament for Kaputa continue.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Thank you, Mr Speaker, recently, the Minister of Finance, Hon. Mutati assured us that he has started dismantling the payments to the contractor in different areas. May I find out from the hon. Minister whether the contractor A Plus that has been assigned to do the road in Kaputa will be prioritised so that he can complete this work in due time.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, yes indeed, Government has been dismantling the debt that it owes to local and foreign contractors and I think the ministry is doing very well in that area. However, for this project, we are waiting for funds from the Ministry of Finance. We hope that when we receive we will do justice by paying immediate so that the works can resume.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, I am a little bit worried to hear that the works cannot be executed because of budgetary constraints. Yet today, we are considering another budget line, how is the Minister reconciling this? We approved the first budget and money has been released and we are now approving another budget. How certain is he that money will be released in the coming fiscal year?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, we are hopeful that the Minister of Finance is doing everything possible to find moneys for the old projects and also for the new projects. As you know, that is the job of the Ministry of Finance and they are doing very well so far.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

________

 

MOTION

 

REPORT OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

 

The Government Chief Whip (Mr Musukwa): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this House do adopt the Report of the Standing Orders Committee on the Revised National Assembly Standing Orders, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 20th December, 2016.

 

Mr Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

 

Mrs Jere (Lumezi): I beg to second the Motion.

 

Mr Musukwa: Sir, in accordance with its terms of reference, your Committee was mandated to consider all proposals for the amendment of the Standing Orders. This power is in accordance with the Standing Orders 150(2) which provides that:

 

“In addition to any other duties placed upon it by any standing or other orders of the Assembly, it shall be the duty of the Standing Orders Committee to consider all proposals for the amendment of Standing Orders …”

 

Mr Speaker, Standing Orders are rules for the conduct of parliamentary proceedings in the House or in its committees which endures through successive sessions until they are changed. As rules of procedure, the Standing Orders are designed to provide a procedural framework within which Business in the House is conducted. They are neither intended to limit the rights of Members in their performance of their roles in the House nor to restrict the privileges, immunities and powers of the Members. The Standing Orders must strive to provide for all foreseeable circumstances.

 

Sir, the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders were last revised in 2005. It is evident, Mr Speaker, that with the passage of time, technological advancements, procedures have evolved and therefore, it is necessary to align the Standing Orders with the current trends in order to modernise the work of this House.

 

In addition, as the House is aware, the Republican Constitution which was amended through the enactment of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016. This amendment, introduced several new provisions of the operations of the National Assembly, which are inconsistent with the current Standing Orders. In this regard, Mr Speaker, Section 13(5) of the Constitution of Zambia Act No. 1 of 2016 requires that the Standing Orders be revised. It states:

 

13(5)“The National Assembly shall, within such period as it shall determine, revise the Standing Orders of the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution as amended.”

 

Sir, it is, therefore, important that the Standing Orders be amended so that they are in line with the amended Constitution, the supreme law of the land.

 

Mr Speaker, it is my hope that hon. Members have had an opportunity to study the proposed amendments as well as the report of your Committee. Therefore, allow me to highlight only a few salient features in the revised Standing Orders.

 

  1. Address by the President to the National Assembly

 

In accordance with Article 86 of the Constitution, the Revised Standing Orders create a procedure to be followed whenever the President attends and addresses the Assembly, at least twice each year. A further provision has been inserted which will enable the Speaker in consultation with the House Business Committee to allow a visiting Head of State or a foreign visiting dignitary to address the House.

 

  1. Committee System

Mr Speaker, the Standing Orders have been amended by, firstly, increasing the number of portfolios and General Purposes Committees from the current fifteen to nineteen in accordance with Article 80 of the Constitution. It is envisaged that the increase in the number of committees will lead to strengthened performance of the Assembly’s oversight functions.

 

(c)     Establishment of the House Business Committee

 

Mr Speaker, a new committee called House Business Committee has been established in the Revised Standing Orders. This will be responsible for, among many other functions, determining the business to be considered by the House during each sitting.

 

Sir, with these few words, your Committee urges the House to adopt the report of the Committee on the Revised Standing Orders of the National Assembly of Zambia for the Twelfth National Assembly appointed on 4th October, 2016.

 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, your Committee wishes to thank the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to it in discharging the important national duty of considering the revised Standing Orders.

 

I beg to move, Sir.

 

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

 

Ms P. Jere (Lumezi): Now, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker, allow me to thank the mover of the Motion, the hon. Chief Whip, for ably moving this Motion and the manner in which he has highlighted the pertinent issues that are in your Committee’s Report and in the revised Standing Orders. Since the hon. Chief Whip has already brought out pertinent issues contained in your Committee’s Report, I will be very brief in seconding the Motion.

 

Sir, the mover has demonstrated the need for the House to revise the Standing Orders. He has also ably pointed out some of the salient clauses contained therein. I, therefore, only wish to comment on a few amended clauses which I think will strengthen the functioning of this House.

 

Mr Speaker, among the many amendments in the Standing Orders, one important amendment relates to the relaxation of the rules for any hon. Member to introduce Bills in the House. Procedure in the revised Standing Orders makes it easier for hon. Members to introduce Bills. Further, according to Article 64(2) the expenses of drafting and introducing a Private Member’s Bill in this House are charged to the consolidated fund.

 

Sir, another amendment that caught the attention of your Committee relates to the Vice-President’s Question Time on Fridays. It is worth noting that the 30 minutes allocated to the Vice-President’s Question Time is very short. His Excellency the President, in his speech to this House during the Official Opening of the First Session of the Twelve National Assembly, also noted that the period was short and proposed that it be increased to one hour. I am happy to report that your Committee took the President’s recommendation into account and has accordingly increased the time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

 

Ms. P. Jere: Mr Speaker, for a long time now, citizens have petitioned this House for several reasons. Unfortunately, most of the petitions have not been successful due to the failure by the petitioners to comply with prescribed rules of lodging petitions. Your Committee, in addressing this concern, has relaxed the procedure. Under the revised Standing Orders, a citizen may petition the House even by way of a letter to the hon. Speaker. It is the hope of your Committee that there will be more petitions lodged by citizens on various Governance issues including the enactment or amendment of legislation.

 

Sir, as I conclude, allow me to thank you for the manner in which you presided over proceedings of your Committee’s deliberations. Let me also thank the Clerk of the National Assembly for the invaluable support rendered to your Committee during its proceedings.

 

I thank, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, it is true that most of the Standing Orders have since become archaic with the dynamism of time, so, we agree and support the Motion. I want to reiterate the constitutional requirements that the Standing Orders have to be in tandem with, especially that which addresses the Bill of Rights, which has not changed for a very long time. The Bill of Rights, under the Constitution at Part 3, gives hon. Members of Parliament, like every other member of society, indivisible rights which are inherent and must be respected.

 

Sir, in the case where the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Ban Ki-moon, came to Zambia, we went out of the convention and allowed him to address this House in the Chamber, outside the Standing Orders. Eminent people must be allowed to come and address this assembly.

Mr Speaker, I am also concerned about the one question rule in the Standing Orders. Most times, when hon. Members generate questions, it has been a convention that once a follow-up question is asked, they cannot ask a further question. The alternative they have is to pass on any further queries to a willing hon. Member to follow up on that question’s trajectory. Half the time, we have found that hon. Members have remained dissatisfied because of this one question rule.

 

Sir, the use of technology, as the Government Chief Whip alluded to, is something that we now need to operationalise. We need to recognise that research is a continuous process. We are not permitted to use mobile phones and IPads although we have argued that we must shift from that convention to allow hon. Members to do research on their feet. For instance, if a Government hon. Minister does not give a satisfactory answer, whether by way of ducking from it, for lack of a better word, or simply not telling the truth, one can quickly go and confirm using an electronic device in execution of our duty to provide oversight. In many assemblies which we have visited, every hon. Member has a computer in front of them which they can make reference to anytime they wish to do so.

 

Mr Speaker, we have been to certain Parliaments where it is permissible to consult with the hon. Speaker. I can simply walk to your Chair and ask you a question. We are still living in an old colonial hegemonic establishment which basically puts a barrier between the hon. Members and the Chair. I know that in Uganda a hon. Member can simply walk up to the Speaker and consult.

 

Sir, I think that Her Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time is too short. I also wish the Standing Orders could have accommodated a provision for the President to come once in a while to the Assembly so that we can ask him questions directly.

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, obviously, that is not provided for but as we get along, I am sure that those who may come after us or those who may be fortunate to remain in this Assembly can still alter the Standing Orders to permit for not only the extension of the Vice-President’s Question Time but to also, compel the President to come here and answer questions because he is a member of the Assembly.

 

Mr Speaker, finally, in the Standing Orders, I think that we require that the wigs that you wear be done away with because I normally sympathise with you sometimes.

 

Hon. Livune: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Nkombo: I am speaking from my heart of hearts. It is a convention that we all found but as we get along, I am sure that it is something that can be done away with to make it much simpler for people to understand that behind the authority that you hold, there is a human being.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, just a bit of guidance about what is happening. The Standing Orders drafts were circulated and disappointingly, there were only two suggestions in response. Those are the only two that were considered. This document has come for adoption and this is when we have all these brilliant ideas …

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: … coming up.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: Of course, these ideas are for the future. These Standing Orders were last revised in 2005 and we are now in 2016. We should have seized this opportunity because I do not know when next we are going to revise this, of course. So, as we debate further, bear in mind that the sense of this exercise is to adopt what was adopted by the Standing Orders. Now, the whole House will have to adopt those two suggestions only.

 

Mr Kambwili (Roan): Mr Speaker, I take into account your guidance but I must indicate that when the Standing Orders were circulated, I was out fighting my election petition. I therefore, did not have an opportunity to submit.

 

Mr Speaker, I just want to buttress on what Hon. Gary Nkombo has stated in his discourse. This is to do with picking of names in advance for questions during the Vice-President’s Question Time. I feel that this practice is eluding members to ask proper follow up questions. Some of the questions that we want to ask come as a result of the answer that has been given.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambwili: Now, what usually happens is that when you pick the names in advance, there is no opportunity for members to ask questions based on the answer that has been given by the Vice-President. I would suggest that we go back to the old system where a member who wants to ask a question to the Vice-President is picked as and when the Vice-President answers the question and not giving a list in advance because certain things are left hanging, like it is a one question answer. To make a follow up question, it means you have to make a follow up question based on the answer that has been given. Those hon. Members who are picked in advance would have pre-questions and this does not give them an opportunity to make follow up questions on the answers that are given. I would urge the Standing Orders Committee to seriously consider this matter.

I thank you, Sir,

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Musukwa: Mr Speaker, I would like to sincerely thank all the people …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Musukwa: …for the support that they have given. I would like to thank Hon. Gary Nkombo for his support and the prepositions that he has put across. Like the Speaker has rightly guided, we circulated this and some of the concerns that we raised were as regards the use of tablets that have been addressed. What we are not going to allow is the use of phones in the Chamber. Obviously, members must understand that that will create a lot of confusion. Even for the use of tablets and other things, we will still wait for our Clerk to give us guidance so that we do not …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Mr Musukwa: … move into confusion. There is no question.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Chief Whip, please continue.

 

Mr Musukwa: What we are trying to create is order. The next item which Hon. Gary mentioned is to do with the supplementary question from the one question principle. That issue has been addressed and it was asked …

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Nkombo!

 

Mr Musukwa: Mr Speaker, I mean Hon. Gary Nkombo.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Musukwa: Mr Speaker, that issue has been addressed and I am sure if members read the report, they would see that that matter has been covered.

 

Mr Speaker, after receiving only those two proposals, I am surprised that hon. Members are still coming up with brilliant ideas. Indeed, we have moved the Vice-President’s Question Time to forty-five minutes. If this Assembly had suggested that my President should be coming to this Parliament to answer questions, that would have been done.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Musukwa: Mr Speaker, I consider Hon. Kambwili’s debate as an administrative issue which I am sure, the Speaker can manage. It does not fall in the purview of the Standing Orders in terms of corrections. That is a matter that can be rectified if he presents it to our office.

 

Mr Speaker, I would like to sincerely thank all members for the unanimous support over this matter.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

_______

 

RULING BY MR SPEAKER

 

RULING ON FIFTY-FOUR UPND HON. MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FOR BOYCOTTING THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE TWELFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT, MR EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU

 

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, before we progress, I have a ruling to render. This ruling is as a result of a complaint raised by Hon. Richard Musukwa, MP and Mr Emmanuel Chilekwa against fifty-eight hon. Members of Parliament of the United Party for National Development (UPND) for boycotting the Official Opening of the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu …

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: … on Friday 30th September, 2016.

 

Hon. Members, I wish to point out from the outset that the number of the United Party for National Development (UPND) hon. Members of Parliament who absented themselves from the sitting of the House, without permission, on 30th September, 2016, was fifty-four and not fifty-eight. This is because Mr Lufuma, MP, obtained permission to be absent on that day as he was attending to parliamentary business outside the country. In addition, as Hon. Jack J. Mwiimbu, MP, Mr Gary G. Nkombo, MP, and Mr Douglas Syakalima, MP, had not been sworn in and, therefore, could not attend the sitting. In this regard, the four hon. Members were disjoined from the matter.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: So, it affects the rest.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

I wish to inform the House that on Monday, 3rd October, 2016, my office received a letter of complaint from Mr Emmanuel Chilekwa against 58 UPND hon. Members of Parliament. In the letter, Mr Chilekwa alleged that by not attending the official opening of the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on Friday, 30th September, 2016, the hon. Members of Parliament had abrogated the Constitution. Mr Chilekwa submitted that this had rendered their offices vacant in accordance with Article 72 (2) (c) of the Constitution. He, in this regard, petitioned my office to declare their seats vacant.

 

In addition, on Tuesday, 4th October, 2016, …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chilanga!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: In addition, on Tuesday, 4th October, 2016, my office received a letter of complaint from Hon. R. Musukwa, MP, Chief Whip, on the same matter. Hon. Musukwa alleged that the absence of the UPND hon. Members of Parliament amounted to disrespect to the President, to whom they had sworn to bear true allegiance. Additionally, he alleged ...

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, can we have some order, please.

 

Additionally, he alleged that their conduct was a breach of the Constitution, which the hon. Members had sworn to preserve, protect and defend. Hon. Musukwa further contended that the hon. Members’ conduct contravened Standing Order 151 of the National Assembly Standing Orders, 2005, which requires an hon. Member to obtain permission from the Speaker or the Chief Whip to be absent from a sitting of the House.

 

He consequently urged my office not to permit the UPND hon. Members to participate in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Speech. He further requested that the matter be referred to the Committee on Privileges, Absences and Support Services.

Hon. Members, I, accordingly, referred the matter to the Committee on Privileges, Absences and Support Services for consideration.

 

In line with parliamentary practice and procedure and in accordance with the principles of natural justice, the Committee directed the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly to write to all the UPND hon. Members of Parliament requesting them to show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against them for being absent from the House without permission on 30th September, 2016.

 

The hon. Members of Parliament submitted a single response through their counsel, Messrs Keith Mweemba Advocates and PNP Advocates. In the response, the advocates stated that their absence from the House on Friday, 30th September, 2016, constituted a boycott in protest against the following:

 

(a)        the disputed and unresolved purported election victory by the Patriotic Front (PF), a matter that is still being contested in Court;

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

(b)        the continued harassment by State agencies, ...

 

Mr Livune: Hmmm

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Katombola, leave the House. We shall see you in February.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: I will repeat the second reason.

 

(b)        the continued harassment by State agencies, like the Zambia Police Service, of their party president Mr Hakainde Hichilema and Vice-President Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba;

 

(c)        the continued harassment by State agencies, like the Zambia Police Service, of sympathisers of the UPND such as Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba;

 

(d)        the continued incarceration on frivolous, vexatious, malicious, laughable and trumped up charges of some members of the UPND such as Mwaliteta and Matambo;

 

(e)        the brutalisation of supporters of the UPND as well as of ordinary citizens by the Zambia Police Service; and finally,

 

(f)        the systematic muzzling and harassment of media institutions perceived to be anti­-Government and/or the Patriotic Front (PF) Party including the unconstitutional conduct thereof by way of media blackout of Opposition political parties.

 

The hon. Members further stated that:

 

(a)        they were fully aware of their duty not only to their respective constituents, but also as hon. Members of the Legislature. They submitted that one such duty was to uphold and defend the Constitution;

 

(b)        while they were aware of the import of the Oath of Allegiance to the President, that oath was subservient to their oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution;

 

(c)        their decision not to seek permission from the Speaker or Chief Whip was not intended to demean the two offices, but was necessitated by the fact that their absence was a boycott and seeking permission for that purpose would have placed the Speaker or the Chief Whip in an awkward and embarrassing situation;

 

(d)        the requirement for them to seek permission was subordinate to their freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution;

 

(e)        the Speaker had ruled in the past that Parliamentarians had the right to protest;

 

(f)         the boycott was not intended to disrespect the President, but was a protest against breaches of the Constitution by the President, members of the Executive and the PF Party; and

 

(g)        the hon. Members did not overthrow the Constitution or attempt to do so, but rather were preserving, protecting and defending it.

 

The Committee, during its deliberations on the matter, interacted with both the complainants, and the lawyers of the UPND hon. Members who appeared before the Committee on their behalf. 

 

The Committee carefully analysed both the written and oral submissions of the parties. The Committee found that the issues of breach of the Oath of Allegiance and of the UPND hon. Members vacating their seats on the allegation that their absence from the House on the material day amounted to a breach of Article 72 (2) (c) were matters it could not determine, as they were outside the jurisdiction of the House. The Committee, therefore, found that the complaints raised the following issues, which, if established, may amount to breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House:

 

  1.  A Member Being Absent from a Sitting of the House Without Permission

 

As a general rule, every hon. Member is bound to attend the sittings of the House unless otherwise engaged in other parliamentary activities or functions or on public or official duty.

To this extent, Standing Order 151 (2) regulates the hon. Members’ attendance of the sittings of the House in the following terms:

 

“The Committee shall examine every case where a Member has been absent for any period from sittings of the House or any Sessional Committee without the permission of the Speaker, or the Chief Whip and report whether the absence should be condoned or circumstances of the case justify that the House should, by resolution, either direct the Speaker to reprimand such Member or suspend him or her from the services of the National Assembly for such a period as it may determine.”

 

Hon. Members, it is clear from the foregoing provision, that a Member who is unable to attend a sitting of the House must obtain prior permission from either the Speaker or the Chief Whip. It, in this regard, goes without saying that a Member who absents himself or herself from the House without obtaining the requisite permission is clearly in breach of Parliamentary Privileges.

 

  1. A Member Boycotting the President’s Address to the National Assembly

 

Renowned writers on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure, M. N. Kaul and S. L. Shakdher, in a book entitled, Practice and Procedure of Parliament, Sixth Edition, on pages 206 to 207, state that:

“The President’s Address to both Houses of Parliament assembled together is the most solemn and formal act under the Constitution. Utmost dignity and decorum befitting that occasion is maintained. Any action on the part of a Member, which mars the occasion of the President’s Address or creates disturbance, is punishable by the House to which he belongs. Where such an offence is committed, the House may constitute a committee to go into the matter and report, or where the offence is definite and specific it may punish the member/s in question without going through the process of a committee...

 

A few days before the address, Members are informed through Bulletin about the ceremonies and rules to be observed on that occasion.  They are also requested to take their seats five minutes before the President arrives in the Central Hall and remain on their seats till the President leaves the Central Hall after the conclusion of the address.”

 

In addition, hon. Members may wish to draw lessons from the following Indian cases reported in the same book, on pages 206 to 207.

“On the occasion of the President’s Address to both Houses of Parliament assembled together on 12th February 1968, two members of the Lok Sabha created obstruction. The incident was followed by a walk-out by about seventy or eighty members belonging to both Houses. On 28th February, having given an opportunity to the two members to explain their position, the Lok Sabha adopted a motion disapproving the conduct of the hon. Members and reprimanded them “for their undesirable, undignified and unbecoming behaviour.”

 

I wish to draw the attention of hon Members that even in this House a circular is always issued to hon. Members prior to the President’s Address. Thus, on 28th September 2016, the hon. Chief Whip, issued a circular to hon. Members of Parliament reminding them of the solemn nature of the Official Opening of Parliament and of the rules to be observed by hon. Members during the occasion.

 

From the foregoing authorities, it is clear that the Official Opening of Parliament by the President is an auspicious occasion that demands the attendance of all hon. Members, and requires hon. Members to behave their utmost in order to maintain the dignity, decorum and integrity of the House. Therefore, while I have previously ruled that a boycott or walk-out is a conventional means through which a hon. Member of Parliament can express his/her displeasure on a governance matter, the President’s Address is however a special event which calls for hon. Members to avoid all manner of misconduct or misbehaviour which lower the dignity, decorum and integrity of the House; including boycotts and walk-outs.

 

Hon. Members, after examining the evidence of the parties, the Committee established as follows:

 

(i)         that by being absent from the House without permission, the UPND Members had breached Standing Order 151 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2005 and were, in this regard, clearly in breach of Parliamentary Privilege; and

 

  1. that while boycotts are permissible, the Official Opening of Parliament is a solemn and auspicious occasion, which all hon. Members are expected to attend and be at their best behaviour. And therefore, the absence of the fifty-four UPND Members was not only a breach of the decorum of the House, but also a show of disrespectful to the President.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, in considering the punishment to be meted out to the hon. Members, the Committee took into account the fact that all the hon. Members were first offenders.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: In this regard, the Committee exercised leniency …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: … and resolved that the fifty-four UPND Members of Parliament be reprimanded in accordance with Section 151 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly, 2005 Edition.

 

I now proceed to reprimand the fifty-four United Party for National Development (UPND) Members as resolved by the Committee.

 

The House is extremely displeased with your conduct on 30th September, 2016, of boycotting the Official Opening of the National Assembly by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.  You are aware that the Official Opening of Parliament and, indeed, any other address by the Head of State to the House is an important and solemn occasion.  I am alive to the fact that I have ruled before that walkouts or boycotts are a permissible means of hon. Members exercising their freedom of expression. 

 

However, as illustrated clearly by the authorities I have cited above, the solemnity of the President’s Address, and the high esteem in which it is held by the public, imposes a higher standard of conduct on hon. Members of Parliament. The occasion, thus, calls for hon. Members of Parliament to not only be in attendance, but also to behave with utmost dignity and decorum throughout the proceedings.  It was, therefore, extremely unfortunate that you chose this most revered occasion, the occasion of the official opening of your House, to stay away en masse.  This did not only show disrespect to the Republican President, but also demeaned the dignity and decorum of this august House. Such conduct is unacceptable and unbefitting of your status as hon. Members.

 

I, therefore, urge you to all times abide by the rules of the House and desist from such misconduct in future. I warn you and indeed any other hon. Member of the House that a repetition of such conduct in future will not be condoned and will be met with a much stiffer penalty.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

___________

 

REPRIMAND BY MR SPEAKER

 

HON. UPND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, we have a lot of work this morning, afternoon and evening. Hon. Nkombo, take your position.

 

At this juncture, I now order Mr Garry G. Nkombo, Member of Parliament for Mazabuka Central Constituency and United Party for National Development (UPND) Whip, to stand behind the Bar. I also instruct the Sergeant-At-Arms to take The Speaker’s Mace and go and stand behind the hon. Member.

 

Mr Nkombo was escorted to the Bar by the Sergeant-At-Arms.

 

Mr Speaker: I further order the rest of the UPND Members, save for Hon. Jack J. Mwiimbu, Hon. Lufuma and Hon. Douglas Syakalima, to stand in place at their seats.

 

Hon. UPND Members rose.   

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Nkombo, you may proceed.

 

_____

 

PERSONAL STATEMENT

 

APOLOGY BY THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MAZABUKA CENTRAL, HON. G.G. NKOMBO ON BEHALF OF HON.UPND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, I have sought guidance from the Clerk and in rendering the apology, on behalf of the fifty-four Members of Parliament, I wish to indicate that this is a matter on which we are seeking judicial review so that it goes to court. 

 

However, for the purposes of proceedings, I oblige …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Member, can you expunge that portion and just proceed with the apology. Whatever action you take thereafter is neither here nor there. Continue.

 

Hon. Government Member interjected.

 

Nkombo: Mwaiche, allow the Hon. Mr Speaker …

 

Mr Speaker: Continue, hon. Member, without qualification. 

 

Mr Nkombo: The spirit is willing but the body is weak.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: Let the body act.

 

Laughter 

 

Mr Nkombo: I, Garry Nkombo, Member of Parliament for Mazabuka Central Parliamentary Constituency, on behalf of honourable colleagues who boycotted the sitting of the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on 30th September, 2016, which action I was a prime mover and so I die with them, carefully reflected on the action of the hon. Members and agree that it amounted to a breach of rules and procedures of this House. In addition, we have listened, very carefully, to your wise counsel and wish to assure you that in future, far or near, we will abide by the rules and procedures of this august House.

 

Mr Speaker, in recognising your authority and, on behalf of the UPND Members, I apologise.

 

I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker: You may take your seat, Sir. 

 

UNPD Members left the Assembly Chamber.

 

________

 

BILLS

 

HOUSE IN COMMITTEE

 

[THE FIRST CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

 

Chair]

 

THE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT LEVY BILL, 2016

 

Clauses 1, 2 and 3 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

CLAUSE 4 – (Charge of Levy)

 

The Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Clause 4, on page 4, line 10 by the insertion after the word “levy” of the words “at the rate of 0.5 percent”.

 

Amendment agreed to. Clause amended accordingly.

 

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

 

Clauses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE (Amendment) BILL, 2016

 

Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 ordered to stand part of the Estimates

 

CLAUSE 14 – (Amendment to the Ninth Schedule)

 

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move a new Clause 14 as follows:

 

  1. On page 8, after clause 14 by the insertion of the following new clause:

 

“General

Amendment                15.       The principal Act is amended by the deletion of the word “currency notes” wherever they appear and the substitution therefor of the word “currency”.”

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

New Clause 14 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

 

APPENDIX 1 – (Section 10)

 

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Appendix I, on page 24, by the deletion of paragraph 13.

 

Amendment agreed to. Appendix amended accordingly.

 

Appendix 1, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

APPENDIX 2 – (Section 12)

 

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment in Appendix II, on page 67, by the insertion immediately after heading 25.30 of the following heading and description:

 

26.03                                    Copper ores and concentrates

 

Madam Chairperson, the chairperson of the Committee on Estimates yesterday raised some concerns, in particular about the 7.5 per cent import duty on concentrates. The concerns were centred on:

 

  1. the negative impacts on value addition and the underutilisation of the excess capacity of 1.2 million tonnes; and

 

  1. the negative impact on investment and, consequently, job creation.

 

Madam Chairperson, consultations have been held, including a technical committee that was composed by the Government. The Government has listened and we have remained firm and yet reasonable because our key goal is stability and sustainability of the sector. We are also emphasising on motivating additional investment and, therefore, we have taken the decision that the 7.5 per cent be deleted. The consequential loss will be K500 million, but this will be compensated for by confirmed dividends that are going to come out from the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines – Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH).

 

So from the budget perspective there will be no reduction. In addition, the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development has reached an agreement with the mining sector with regard to exploration and development in order to wipe out the excess capacity.

I beg to move.

 

Amendment agreed to. Appendix amended accordingly.

 

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

 

Title agreed to.

 

____________ 

 

 

HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

The following Bills were reported to the House as having passed through Committee with amendments:

 

The Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2016

 

Report Stage on Wednesday, 21st December, 2016.

 

REPORT STAGE

 

The Skills Development Levy Bill, 2016

 

The Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2016

 

Report adopted.

 

Third Readings today.

 

THIRD READING

 

The following Bills were read the third time and passed:

 

The Skills Development Levy Bill, 2016

 

The Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2016

 

 

 

_________

 

MOTION

 

BUDGET 2017

(Debate resumed)

 

Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa): Madam Chairperson, ...

 

The First Chairperson: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1048 hours until 1103 hours.

 

[THE FIRST CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

Mr Ng’onga: Madam Chairperson, thank you for giving the people of Kaputa the opportunity to thank the hon. Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare, through me, for this important Vote. 

 

Madam Chairperson, considering the debates that went around, the people of Kaputa would like to say this is an important Vote which needs to be supported.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutale: Ema debate aya!

 

Mr Kasandwe (Bangweulu): Thank you, Madam Chairperson, first and foremost, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the progressive Policy Statement she delivered to this House. Just to follow suit, I simply want to say that the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare is an extremely important ministry when it comes to dismantling the poverty that is devastating our people.

 

I would also want to suggest that since Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are sitting in this ministry helping it in going forward, they should also be involved in the implementation of some of Government programmes. Otherwise, in other democracies, NGOs actually draw action plans from the policies of government to reduce poverty.

 

Therefore, I support the Vote and thank you.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Madam Chairperson, thank you very much, I would like to thank all the Members who have supported my Vote, that is, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare.

 

I would also like to thank the following hon. Members of Parliament, Hon. Muchima, Hon. Nkombo, Hon. Chaatila, Hon. Ng’onga and Hon. Kasandwe for their support.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: However, I would like to comment on a few issues that were touched on by the previous speakers who talked about the number of disabled people on streets, the street children as well as the value of Social Cash Transfer which was raised by Hon. Nkombo.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kabanshi: In response to these concerns, Madam Chairperson, I would like to inform this House that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is committed to reducing the poverty levels in Zambia. In addition, in 2015, I had launched a poverty mapping project on behalf of the Government through the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the World Bank aimed at creating poverty estimations up to the lowest administrative levels such as the wards. So, if Members of Parliament are interested in knowing the poverty levels in their constituencies or wards, we have the information in the ministry we will give it to them.

 

Madam, on the issue concerning the number of disabled people on the streets, I would like to state the Social Cash Transfer programme has brought dignity to these people. That is why you are seeing them on the streets as they come through to the ministry seeking to be put on this programme. In 2017, we intend to scale up the programme to all districts in Zambia and I think some of the problems being faced by the disabled people will be dealt with.

 

Madam Chairperson, child-streetism is no longer under my ministry it is now under the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development. However, I wish to inform this august House that my ministry is working in coordination with other ministries like the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development because the places of safety where they take the children are under our jurisdiction.

 

Lastly, Madam Chairperson, I would like to thank everybody who supported my Vote and just to let them know that PF is a very serious Government which has put a lot of investment in the people. Its intention is transforming the communities in the country.

 

With these few words, Madam, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Members, I have received two notes concerning the decision by Mr Speaker to send Hon. Livune out of this House. Two hon. Members have written to me complaining that he has come back. I would like to inform the House that yes, indeed, Hon. Livune has been allowed to come back to the House by Mr Speaker …

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

The First Chairperson: … because he has tendered an apology to Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutale: Ee nsasa isho!

 

Vote 45/01 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 45/02 – (Ministry of Community Development and Social WelfareDepartment of Social Welfare – K661,086,732)

 

The Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Madam Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment under Head 45/02 – Ministry of Community Development and Social Services – Department of Social Welfare:

 

  1. Under 01, Human Resource and Administration Unit, Programme 5040: Social Welfare Support, Activity 002 Social Cash Transfer (1), by the deletion of K552,000,000 and the substitution therefor, of K717,000,000;

 

  1. Under 01, Human Resource and Administration Unit, Programme 5040: Social Welfare Support, by the deletion of Programme Total of K612,000,000 and the substitution therefor, of K777,000,000;

 

  1. Under 01, Human Resource and Administration Unit, by the deletion of Unit Total of K661,086,732 and the substitution therefor, of K826,086,732;

 

  1. Under 01, Human Resource and Administration Unit, by the deletion of Departmental Total of K661,086,732 and the substitution therefor, of K826,086,732; and

 

  1. Under Head 45, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, by the deletion of Head Total of K907,953,373 and the substitution therefor, of K1,072,953,373.

Mr Mutelo: Thank you, Madam Chairperson …

 

The First Chairperson: Mr Mutelo, I see that you have found your Yellow Book …

 

Laughter

 

The First Chairperson: … but before you proceed, I have put the question on the amendment. Are you standing to object to the amendment?

 

Mr Mutelo: On the amendment.

 

The First Chairperson: On the amendment.

 

Mr Mutelo: I would like to have clarification on the amendment on the same Programme 5040 – Social Welfare Support, I have noticed that figures are changing and this time around, they are changing for the third time. May the hon. Minister explain why these figures have changed in that manner hence necessitating the amendment?

The First Chairperson: Hon. Minister of Finance, what has necessitated the amendment?

 

Mr Mutati: May I get the question again?

 

The First Chairperson: Would like to ask again, Mr Mutelo?

 

Mr Mutelo: May I have clarification on Programme 5040, Activity 001 – Social Cash Transfer (1) – K552,000,000, the amendment is on Social Cash Transfer (1) and the first figure was K302,000,000 then it went to K552,000,000 but now it is at K717,000,000. This is the third time the figure is changing. May I know the reason why this figures have changed since it will also affect the unit total, departmental total and I do not want to continue going down.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Nkombo: The Head Total and the Grand Total!

 

The First Chairperson: Your question is why is there an increase from K552,000,000?

 

Mr Mutelo: What is the reason for the amendment?

The First Chairperson: No, you cannot ask why there is an amendment. The amendment clearly is to increase the amount. What is your question? The hon. Minister has explained. First, he said ‘words as circulated’ relating to the amendments, which you have had sight of. The words are that, if you want me to read them for you, ‘by the deletion of K552 million and the substitution therefore of K717 million’. Clearly, the amendment is to increase the amount from K552 million to K717 million. Do you still need further clarification?

 

Mr Mutelo: Madam Chairperson, I need further clarification because it has some ramifications at the bottom. We have a unit total and also a head total, so could the hon. Minister tell me what has necessitated this amendment ...

 

The First Chairperson: The reason I put the question is to seek the agreement of the House. How it will affect the total at the bottom is not the issue here. The hon. Minister is moving an amendment bearing in mind that the head total will have to change and that is why he is seeking your agreement as the House.

 

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

 

Votes 45/02, 45/03, 45/05 and 45/06 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 20 – (Loans and Investments – Ministry of Local Government– K44,777,756) and Vote 29 – Ministry of Local Government – K1,160,259,115).

The Minister of Local Government (Mr Mwale): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for according me this opportunity to present a policy statement in support of the 2017 Budget Estimates under Head 20 and Head 29 for the Ministry of Local Government.

 

Madam Chairperson, the mandate of the Ministry of Local Government is to promote a decentralised and democratic Local Government system and facilitate the provision of efficient and effective delivery of quality infrastructure and social services for long term sustainable development.

 

Madam Chairperson, in 2017, the Ministry of Local Government will endeavour to accelerate the implementation of ongoing programmes and projects. It will also seek to add value to the principles of good local governance and infrastructure development and offer quality leadership to local authorities. The Ministry of Local Government has six sectors, namely:

 

  1. physical planning;

 

  1. rural and urban accessibility;

 

  1. market and bus stations;

 

  1. fire and rescue services;

 

  1. solid waste management; and

 

  1. local government administration.

 

Madam Chairperson, these sectors are central to the effective provision of municipal services and to the overall national agenda of sustainable socio-economic development and poverty alleviation. This is key to achieving the national vision of developing Zambia to a prosperous middle income nation by 2030.

 

Madam Chairperson, the enactment of the Urban and Regional Planning Act has been a great milestone for urban planning in Zambia. This Act provides the ministry with the legislation upon which effective spatial planning will be undertaken. In this regard, the Ministry of Local Government will ensure effective planning at a national level all the way to the sub-district levels through the development and implementation of the National Spatial Plan, regional plans, integrated plans and local area plans. To this effect, the ministry has allocated K1.5 million towards forward planning. This will facilitate broad based planning and identification of opportunities for growth and development so that land can be managed in the best interest of the public.

 

Urban Development Policy

 

Madam Chairperson, the National Urbanisation Policy currently under development will set out the vision and programmes aimed at meeting urban development challenges in the short to medium term. The Ministry of Local Government has therefore allocated K2.5 million towards policy development, planning and stakeholder consultation with regards to the National Urbanisation Policy.

 

Rural and Urban Accessibility

 

Madam Chairperson, a good road network is the backbone of sustainable development. The Ministry of Local Government, through local authorities, has embarked on the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of feeder and township roads to improve access and mobility in both rural and urban areas. In this regard, 782 km of urban roads in different districts across the country have been worked on since 2013, at a total value of K5.6 billion. So far, 320 km of roads have been completed. Furthermore, the Ministry of Local Government has been working on rehabilitating and improving of 700 km of feeder roads in different districts across the country since 2015, at total cost of K500 million. So far, 326 km have been worked on.

 

Madam Chairperson, in addition, under rural accessibility, the Ministry of Local Government, through local authorities, is constructing culverts and small bridges. In this regard, the ministry has allocated K7.7 million to facilitate the implementation of these programmes.

 

Markets and Bus Stations

 

Madam Chairperson, markets and bus station infrastructure are a prerequisite for poverty alleviation among urban and rural people in the country. To ensure accessibility to such critical municipal infrastructure, the Ministry of Local Government, in 2013, embarked on the construction of modern markers and bus stations in selected districts. The ministry has also continued constructing a multi-storey market and ultramodern bus station in Livingstone that commenced during the (UN) United Nationals World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in 2013.

 

Madam Chairperson, during the same year, the ministry also came up with a programme to look into the issues of street vending. The programme was conceived after extensive research on achievements made by Malaysia and Singapore in regulating and managing street vending. To achieve this, the ministry is constructing multi-storey markers in Lusaka, Kitwe, Solwezi and the multi-storey market in Livingstone. The ministry has allocated K15 million in the 2017 Budget to facilitate this.

 

Fire and Rescue Services

Madam Chairperson, you will agree with me that one of the municipal services that had almost collapsed in the recent past is a provision of effective fire and rescue services. The Patriotic Front (PF) Government, through the Ministry of Local Government, has embarked on revamping this vital sector. The ministry, in 2016, procured nineteen e-draulic rescue spreaders for local authority fire brigades to quickly extricate persons trapped in vehicles after road accidents.

 

Madam Chairperson, the frequency and magnitude of fires in the recent past has increased while the performance of local authorities and fire brigades has been unsatisfactory due to lack of fire fighting equipment.

 

The Government, through my ministry has procured forty-two fire tenders from Spain to be supplied in the first quarter of 2017. These are earmarked for distribution to different local authorities. The procurement of the new fire tenders is expected to greatly improve the effectiveness of the fire department in responding to emergencies.

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry has also started the procurement process for design and build of a state-of-the-art Fire and Rescue Services Training School in Kabwe as well as eleven provincial fire stations in the country. The process will be completed in the second quarter of 2017.

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry was provided for the formulation of National Fire and Rescue Services Policy, which will provide for the regulation of the fire rescue service in the country. In line with this, K8,298,760 has been allocated in the 2017 Budget.

 

National Solid Waste Management Programme

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry is encouraging partnership with private sector in infrastructure development and service provision. Through these interventions, some municipalities such as Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Livingstone, Chongwe and Kapiri-Mposhi have entered into franchise contracts with private operators to collect waste from residential areas. The policy document has been finalised. Procurement of equipment is in process and the Keep Zambia Clean Campaign has started. However, more funds are required for engagement of media houses and production of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials. In the 2017 Budget, K9,046,031 has been provided for solid waste management.

 

Legislative and Policy Planning

 

Madam Chairperson, His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s Speech on the Official Opening of Parliament alluded to the fact that the amended Constitution has entrenched our decentralised system of governance. Therefore, decentralisation by devolution promises a future of equitably shared prosperity for all.

 

Madam Chairperson, so far, field demonstrations that are exercised in all ten provinces are in the process of facilitating the establishment of ward development committees.

 

Madam Chairperson, to accelerate the process, the Government will conclude legal and regulatory framework to facilitate transfer of specified functions with matching human and financial resources to councils. To this effect, the Ministry of Local Government is in the process of repealing the Local Government Act, Chapter 281 of the Laws of Zambia to re-align the Act to the Constitution of Zambia and the National Decentralised Policy. Therefore, I will present on the Floor of the House the Local Government Bill, once it is cleared by cabinet and the Ministry of Justice.

 

Inter-Government Fiscal Architecture

 

Chairperson, similarly in the spirit of enhancing fiscal decentralisation and financial autonomy of councils, Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Local Government, working with stakeholders, have embarked on the development of the Inter-Governmental Fiscal Architecture (IFA) that will guide collection and flow of financial resources between Central Government and the Local Government. Consultations on the IFA are still on-going with various stakeholders. This House will be informed once consultations are concluded.

 

Madam Chairperson, in view of the urgency of this exercise, the Budget allocation of K271,088.00 has been made in the National Budget to facilitate the implementation of the legal framework.

 

Revision of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Guidelines

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry is ready to finalise the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) guidelines by January, 2017. However, the process has delayed because we are still waiting for the input by the hon. Members of Parliament.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me also seize this opportunity to encourage the hon. Members of Parliament to expeditiously attend to this matter so that we can have the new guidelines as we start the 2017 financial year. The revision of CDF guidelines is important as it will culminate in the formulation of the CDF regulations as guided by the amended Constitution. The CDF allocation for 2017 is K218,400,000.

 

Local Government Equalisation Fund

 

Madam Chairperson, the Treasury through my ministry provides budgetary support to all local authorities. In this regard, a total of K887,848,785 which is 5 per cent of income tax has been allocated in the  2017 Budget as Local Government Equalisation Fund. The allocation which was appropriated through this House has been increased from K717,013,167 which was allocated in 2016. The increase is an indication of Government’s commitment to improve service delivery through councils in 2017.

 

Property Rates Valuation

 

Madam Chairperson, the major programme under the Government Valuation Department is the National Rating Programme in accordance with the Rating Act of 1997 as amended under Section 3 and 8 (4). The major objective of the National Rating Programme is to update or prepare valuation rolls for local authorities in order for them to be used as a basis upon which to collect property rates from all ratable properties, thereby enhancing their revenue bases. Property rates have been recognised as a major source of revenue for councils and the department has recognised the need for local authorities to not only have sustainable sources of revenue but also, be able to administer these sources effectively and efficiently. The department’s emphasis is to assist in building capacity in local authorities to enable them administer their proper rate systems and obtain optimum revenues from rates. The K4.9 million Budget has been allocated in the 2017 Budget for this programme.

 

Local Government Capacity Development

 

Madam Chairperson, the Local Government Training Institute contributes to the ministry’s mission statement by facilitating human capacity building of local authorities for improved service delivery. In view of this, my ministry has engaged a contractor to rehabilitate the institute’s infrastructure with the financial support from the German Development Bank (KfW) amounting to 8 million euro in order to improve the environment for both the trainers and trainees at the institute.

 

Madam Chairperson, in line with the Government’s overall development agenda of equal opportunities for all, my ministry has ensured that the allocation of resources in the 2017 reflects the priority placed on programmes and activities with the greatest impact on the majority of the people and is indeed, pro-poor.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, members of this House will agree with me on the importance of infrastructure development and devolution of functions to local authorities as demonstrated in the 2017 National Budget. I appeal to this august House to support my ministry’s 2017 Budget Estimates under Heads 20 and 29, respectively.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Madam Chairperson, I want to thank the hon. Minister of Local Government for that policy statement. The Constitution of the Republic of Zambia (Amendment) Act, No. 2 of 2016 states that functions, responsibilities and resources will be transferred from the Provincial Administration to the Local Government. This is in realisation of schedule (c) that stipulates the functions of Local Government. We have a situation where the functions and the resources that are appropriated to the Local Government are at different levels.

 

The Government, through my ministry has procured forty-two fire tenders from Spain to be supplied in the first quarter of 2017. These are earmarked for distribution to different local authorities. The procurement of the new fire tenders is expected to greatly improve the effectiveness of the fire department in responding to emergencies.

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry has also started the procurement process for design and build of a state-of-the-art Fire and Rescue Services Training School in Kabwe as well as eleven provincial fire stations in the country. The process will be completed in the second quarter of 2017.

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry was provided for the formulation of National Fire and Rescue Services Policy, which will provide for the regulation of the fire rescue service in the country. In line with this, K8,298,760 has been allocated in the 2017 Budget.

 

National Solid Waste Management Programme

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry is encouraging partnership with private sector in infrastructure development and service provision. Through these interventions, some municipalities such as Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Livingstone, Chongwe and Kapiri-Mposhi have entered into franchise contracts with private operators to collect waste from residential areas. The policy document has been finalised. Procurement of equipment is in process and the Keep Zambia Clean Campaign has started. However, more funds are required for engagement of media houses and production of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials. In the 2017 Budget, K9,046,031 has been provided for solid waste management.

 

Legislative and Policy Planning

 

Madam Chairperson, His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s Speech on the Official Opening of Parliament alluded to the fact that the amended Constitution has entrenched our decentralised system of governance. Therefore, decentralisation by devolution promises a future of equitably shared prosperity for all.

 

Madam Chairperson, so far, field demonstrations that are exercised in all ten provinces are in the process of facilitating the establishment of ward development committees.

 

Madam Chairperson, to accelerate the process, the Government will conclude legal and regulatory framework to facilitate transfer of specified functions with matching human and financial resources to councils. To this effect, the Ministry of Local Government is in the process of repealing the Local Government Act, Chapter 281 of the Laws of Zambia to re-align the Act to the Constitution of Zambia and the National Decentralised Policy. Therefore, I will present on the Floor of the House the Local Government Bill, once it is cleared by cabinet and the Ministry of Justice.

 

Inter-Government Fiscal Architecture

 

Chairperson, similarly in the spirit of enhancing fiscal decentralisation and financial autonomy of councils, Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Local Government, working with stakeholders, have embarked on the development of the Inter-Governmental Fiscal Architecture (IFA) that will guide collection and flow of financial resources between Central Government and the Local Government. Consultations on the IFA are still on-going with various stakeholders. This House will be informed once consultations are concluded.

 

Madam Chairperson, in view of the urgency of this exercise, the Budget allocation of K271,088.00 has been made in the National Budget to facilitate the implementation of the legal framework.

 

Revision of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Guidelines

 

Madam Chairperson, my ministry is ready to finalise the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) guidelines by January, 2017. However, the process has delayed because we are still waiting for the input by the hon. Members of Parliament.

 

Madam Chairperson, let me also seize this opportunity to encourage the hon. Members of Parliament to expeditiously attend to this matter so that we can have the new guidelines as we start the 2017 financial year. The revision of CDF guidelines is important as it will culminate in the formulation of the CDF regulations as guided by the amended Constitution. The CDF allocation for 2017 is K218,400,000.

 

Local Government Equalisation Fund

 

Madam Chairperson, the Treasury through my ministry provides budgetary support to all local authorities. In this regard, a total of K887,848,785 which is 5 per cent of income tax has been allocated in the  2017 Budget as Local Government Equalisation Fund. The allocation which was appropriated through this House has been increased from K717,013,167 which was allocated in 2016. The increase is an indication of Government’s commitment to improve service delivery through councils in 2017.

 

Property Rates Valuation

 

Madam Chairperson, the major programme under the Government Valuation Department is the National Rating Programme in accordance with the Rating Act of 1997 as amended under Section 3 and 8 (4). The major objective of the National Rating Programme is to update or prepare valuation rolls for local authorities in order for them to be used as a basis upon which to collect property rates from all ratable properties, thereby enhancing their revenue bases. Property rates have been recognised as a major source of revenue for councils and the department has recognised the need for local authorities to not only have sustainable sources of revenue but also, be able to administer these sources effectively and efficiently. The department’s emphasis is to assist in building capacity in local authorities to enable them administer their proper rate systems and obtain optimum revenues from rates. The K4.9 million Budget has been allocated in the 2017 Budget for this programme.

 

Local Government Capacity Development

 

Madam Chairperson, the Local Government Training Institute contributes to the ministry’s mission statement by facilitating human capacity building of local authorities for improved service delivery. In view of this, my ministry has engaged a contractor to rehabilitate the institute’s infrastructure with the financial support from the German Development Bank (KfW) amounting to 8 million euro in order to improve the environment for both the trainers and trainees at the institute.

 

Madam Chairperson, in line with the Government’s overall development agenda of equal opportunities for all, my ministry has ensured that the allocation of resources in the 2017 reflects the priority placed on programmes and activities with the greatest impact on the majority of the people and is indeed, pro-poor.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, members of this House will agree with me on the importance of infrastructure development and devolution of functions to local authorities as demonstrated in the 2017 National Budget. I appeal to this august House to support my ministry’s 2017 Budget Estimates under Heads 20 and 29, respectively.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Madam Chairperson, I want to thank the hon. Minister of Local Government for that policy statement. The Constitution of the Republic of Zambia (Amendment) Act, No. 2 of 2016 states that functions, responsibilities and resources will be transferred from the Provincial Administration to the Local Government. This is in realisation of schedule (c) that stipulates the functions of Local Government. We have a situation where the functions and the resources that are appropriated to the Local Government are at different levels. It beats my thinking that when it come to emoluments, we want to leave the councillors out. We use the councillors so much in terms of exchange of information for development and service delivery. This issue of councillor’s emoluments has been dragging since 1996. I do not think it is right. I think it is time for us to think about councillors and appreciate what they do in terms of our link with them when send and source information to and from our constituencies.

 

Mr Kambita: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Samakayi: I am made to understand that there are 1624 councillors throughout the country. I think if a monthly allowance of K3000 could be given to each councillor that would go a long way in alleviating their plight and motivate them to work even harder. I do not think it is right to be selfish and forget about the people that we are working with.

 

Mr Lubinda: Ahula mali!

 

Mr Samakayi: I submit that the hon. Minister of Local Government must sit with the hon. Minister of Finance so that they look at the issue and bring the councillors in the loop of emoluments.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Mr Jere (Livingstone): Madam Chairperson, thank you for the opportunity to add my voice on this very unique and important ministry.

Madam Chairperson, I say that it is unique in the sense that the ministry has got both democratically elected officials and technocrats which makes it different from other ministries.

 

Madam Chairperson, the type of governance that we are using in this country was inherited from our colonial masters. Fifty-three years of independence we are still stuck, we do not seem to move forward. Decentralisation is the way to go but what we have done is that instead of devolving the functions and powers to the local authorities, we have returned it using the Local Government Service Commission.

 

Madam Chairperson, when you look at the confusion that is there between the office of the Mayor or Council Chairperson and the Town Clerk or the District Commissioner, there is need job descriptions of each of these officers so as to bring unity and coordination among them. When I was looking at the function of a Mayor, nothing much has changed from the usual business of chairing council meetings and that of ceremonial functions, that is, to kiss babies during Christmas time…

 

Laughter

 

Mr Jere: … and to give gifts. That is the function that these mayors have. Now, what is it that those that went round the country during the Mung’omba Constitutional Reform Commission gathered? It was that people wanted this office of Mayor or Council Chairperson to have executive functions. When I looked at the amended Constitution, the issue of these positions of Mayors and Council Chairpersons was really watered down and that people talked about standards. For example, the issue of the Grade 12 certificate was across the board from the President, Members of Parliament, Mayors and Council Chairperson and up to councillors so as to bring standards in the local government because we were ready for a decentralised type of governance system. So, we wanted everybody to understand policy unlike the previous governments where councillors were serving on voluntarily basis. This time around we thought was that things would change but they have not.

 

Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister in his policy statement did mention that councillors are part time officials. I am looking at councillors, Council Chairpersons and Mayors to be boards of directors of all local authorities and as such we were supposed to look at the conditions of service for all the councillors.

 

Madam Chairperson, allow me to quote Article 264, Clause 2 of the Constitution which states that:

 

“the emoluments of a state officer, councillor, Constitutional office holder and a judge shall be determined by the Emoluments Commission as prescriber.”

 

Madam Chairperson, I thought Article 264(2) was going to be the beginning. Before the emoluments for the Mayors and Council Chairpersons were announced they were supposed to consider the councillors so that they could be motivated bearing in mind that a councillor would only operate within their jurisdiction. A councillor can only work in one district.

 

Madam Chairperson, the gap between the technocrats and the councillors has widened because loyalty is to the Local Government Service Commission which employees, handles disciplinary cases and transfers, councillors are only given information. In the long run, councillors are unable to supervise the local government because the powers have been taken away from them.

 

Madam Chairperson, the issue of finances councils is very cardinal. When I look at the budget for the Ministry of Local Government, I feel it is not enough. Like what the previous speaker allude to that the Local Government Equalisation Fund states that 5 per cent of the tax collected in that financial year should be allocated to local government. Interestingly, it went further to state that in distributing these funds, the Minister responsible of local government shall consider two factors, population and secondly, the poverty levels. We understand that not all councils in this country are running at the same pace. Some have got a sound financial base while others do not have any source at all at. Even the rates that the hon. Minister alluded to, some councils do not have properties where they can charge rates from. As a result the Local Government Equalisation Fund was supposed to cushion these councils so that they are able to look at the affairs of the workers and also able to deliver quality service that people expect.

 

The hon. Minister talked about the plans of ensuring that this country attains a middle income status by 2020. This can only be achieved if we consider certain factors. However, there are no private investors in the newly created districts meaning there are only Government structures. The old council houses were sold and no new ones were built to supplement the councils’ income. They now operate on very limited resources and as such, they are not motivating.

 

Madam Chairperson, the issue of infrastructure is very important. The hon. Minister talked about the construction of a modern bus terminus and a modern market in Livingstone which commenced in 2012. An allocation of K15 million has been provided for infrastructure development in 2017. However, I feel it is not enough because the completion of the two structures in Livingstone will require more money. As such, more money should have been allocated to the ministry so that those structures can be completed and be functional.

 

Madam Chairperson, the roads in urban and rural areas are in a deplorable state. However, the councils do not have the capacity to work on these roads. They may have equipment such as graders and trucks, but the issue of fuel derails their programmes. Therefore, more funds should be allocated to the engineering services department in the local authorities so that they can work on the roads.

 

Madam Chairperson, the fire tenders in some councils are outdated. We need new fire tenders to improve efficiency in responding to emergencies. For example, in Livingstone, we usually request the officers from the airport to come to the aid of the council in the event of a fire. Therefore, when the new fire tenders arrive in the country, the Government should distribute them equitably in all the councils.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Chairperson, thank you for giving me an opportunity, as the representative of the people of Chama South, to debate on the Motion.

 

Madam Chairperson, firstly, I would like to express my concern on the hierarchy that has been established by the Ministry of Local Government as regards council chairpersons and hon. Members of Parliament. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government wrote a letter and in order of seniority, it was addressed to the council chairpersons and mayors, hon. Members of Parliament and District Commissioners (DC). The hon. Minister should clarify who takes a higher rank because the people of the Chama South know that I am a potential Minister, …

 

Laughter

                                                                                                    

Mr Mwila: A Potential President.

 

Mr Mung’andu: …Vice-President or President.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Before His Excellency the President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu became the President, he was the hon. Member of Parliament for Chawama.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, therefore, I would like to know the rationale hon. Members of Parliament are ranked second. The Back-Benchers are concerned about this issue because they are being undermined by the council chairpersons and do not forget that anyone is a potential Back-Bencher.

 

Hon. PF Backbenchers: Hear, hear!                                                                      

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, most of the challenges that the local authorities face have to do with resource mobilisation. As representative of the people of Chama South, I have observed that the major challenge is how the resources that are collected are utilised. For example, I have information of how much Lusaka Intercity Bus Terminus and Lusaka City Market make in a day, but one wonders who collects those resources.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, to some extent I agree and disagree with the perception that the country does not have resources. We should be cautious with the manner in which those resources collected are utilised and it should not be business as usual. I would like to congratulate the hon. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources because files in her ministry no longer go missing and we should take a leaf from that. If we instill discipline in the markets and stations, the councils will be able to pay the councillors who are not paid by the central Government.

 

Madam Chairperson, the second issue I would like to talk about relates to the rural roads. I come from Chama South which is extremely rural. When it rains, I have to use a motor bicycle to reach Chiefs’ Tembwe, Chikwa and Chifunda Chiefdoms. Our able Government commenced on the construction of roads, but most of the works have stalled. Institutional functions have been devolved and the portfolio function of the Road Development Agency (RDA) is now under the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development. If the hon. Minister in charge of this ministry does not become aggressive, a lion’s share of the ministry’s budget will go towards the construction of roads and not its activities.

 

I would, therefore, like to appeal to the hon. Minister of Finance to work closely with his counterpart in the Ministry of Local Government.

 

Madam Chairperson, most urban areas can be easily accessed. Right now, I can go to Kitwe or Kalomo without difficulties. However, rural areas like Chama South and part of Kanchibiya cannot easily be accessed. The only hope that we have is through your ministry, hon. Minister, which should be allocated enough funds. 

 

The idea of contracting certain rural roads under the Ministry of Local Government is excellent. If anything, it is part of devolving with regards to planning. It was thought that if councils planned, they would likely plan for priority areas.  In terms of road infrastructure, councilors in Chama South, for instance, know the critical roads that need to be worked on. This is why certain rural and district roads were put under the Ministry of Local Government to avoid creating white elephants. When we plan centrally, we are likely to plan for that which people do not want. So, to encourage this, please ensure that these rural roads are completed.

 

Madam Chairperson, there are lamentations with regards to district commissioners and council chairpersons. In my observation, the idea of making council chairpersons leaders of districts is viable. All hon. Members are aware that the Government has embarked on decentralisation. If the Government decentralises, councils will be at the centre of planning. In this regard, I am supporting the estimates for this Vote because I know that the people of Chama South will benefit greatly through decentralisation.

 

Another critical issue that the hon. Minister of Local Government should consider is the distribution of the Local Government Equalisation Fund. I know that needs are diverse, however, we must segregate. There are certain councils that are able to generate revenue but have decided not to. I want to give an example of the Livingstone City Council, Hon. Jere.

 

Mr Jere: Question!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, just last week, I buried my grandfather, Mr Edward Mvula, may his soul rest in peace. The Livingstone City Council charged us K25,000, just for showing us where to bury my grandfather.

 

Hon. Members: Ah!

 

Mr Ngulube: K25,000?

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mung’andu: They charged us K25,000, just for showing us a place where we would bury my grandfather. On top of this, we had to find our own people to dig the grave and do all the other necessary things.

 

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

 

Mr Mung’andu: When I inquired as to why this service was so exorbitant, the answer I got was that they were innovating and trying to raise revenue. Secondly, I was told that they were discouraging people from burying their loved ones in the old cemetery. 

 

Mr Jere: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Before you say “Hear, hear”, listen. I made further inquiries and discovered that the council was charging these exorbitant prices for political reasons.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Question!

 

Mr Mung’andu: This had to come to your attention, hon. Minister. The people at the council admitted that this was an anomaly.

 

Madam Chairperson, if the council had wanted to have a low and high cost cemetery, they could have simply segregated it in order to charge normal fees. However, they have deliberately left the new cemetery to be ordinary. Hon. Minister, I cannot hide this fact from you but I had a tough time convincing my relatives that paying K25,000, just to be shown a 6 feet deep, 1m wide plot, where to bury someone, was not the wish of the Government.

 

Hon. Minister, I want to urge you to closely check the policies that these councils, especially those that do not have representation, are making. They might just be making policies that are disadvantaging the ruling party and a good example is the Livingstone City Council.

 

Mr Jere: Question!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, …

 

The First Chairperson: Before you conclude, hon. Member, you have raised a very serious allegation against the Livingstone City Council. We will all die at some point and be buried. You have just told this House that the Livingstone City Council is charging K25,000, just to show people places where to bury their loved ones.

 

However, you have complicated this by adding that it is actually a political move. You need to clarify this so that the hon. Minister can make the necessary consultations and so that the hon. Members of this House can be well-informed.

 

You may continue.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, this is fact.

 

I have receipts indicating the amount of K25,000, which I paid just to be shown where to bury my grandfather. I had a chat with the acting town clerk whose name I will not mention because may be it is unparliamentary. He admitted that it was an anomaly. I interacted with more council officials and they mentioned that this decision was made by councillors.

I investigated further to see what could have led them to make such a decision. They could have simply opened a new cemetery and segregated it into high and low cost. Even here in Lusaka, paying K25,000, just to be shown a place where to bury a loved one is way too much.

 

As you righty put it, Madam Chairperson, we will all die. So, why should this service be so expensive?

 

Mr Ngulube: But not soon!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mung’andu: No, Hon. Ngulube.  We are all equal in this society. No person is more equal than the other. Even here in Lusaka, no one can afford to pay K25,000, just to be shown a place where to bury his or her loved one. 

 

If that cemetery is full, they should have closed it down and opened a new low and high cost cemetery within it. I was told that this decision was made by the Livingstone City Council and the people are protesting because they feel that they are not protected by the Government and, I think that this was the intention of the council. Let them give another reason as to why they are charging K25,000 for such a small service. This is the most expensive burial site.

 

Dr Chanda: In Zambia!

 

Mr Mung’andu: If not the world over.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, I want to conclude my debate by talking about the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) guidelines. It is against this background that I urge the hon. Minister to really scrutinise and work with the committee that has been set up on CDF guidelines to avoid such ideas. People can use CDF at times to make the Government look like it is not working. So, as hon. Members of Parliament, we are advocating for CDF to come to us. It will be a good thing. We want to be responsible for this fund. I will end here.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you. 

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Minister of Local Government, can you wind up debate before 1220 hours? Are you able to do that?

Mr Mwale: Yes, Madam Chairperson.

 

Madam Chairperson, I wish to thank hon. Samakayi for the support that he has given. He really said a lot of good things about decentralisation.  The Patriotic Front (PF) would like to deliver on its promise of devolving almost all of the functions to local authorities and make sure that people appreciate a good service delivery. 

 

Hon. Samakayi said the money that has been allocated towards the equalisation funds should be less than 5 per cent of the income Tax. I beg to disagree with him because if he went to page 47 of the Yellow Book, Roman Numeral 47, he will see the amount of money that the hon. Minister of Finance intends to raise is Income Tax. So, we have exactly 5 per cent of that money. I wish to advise the hon. Member to counter check with the Yellow Book. Nevertheless, I would like to thank him for all the support.

 

Madam Chairperson, hon. Members talked about the councillors emoluments. Yes, the Government agrees that we have to find a way of adjusting allowances that are paid to the councillors upwards. We have never at any time disagreed with that suggestion because even the Head of State is in support of that idea.

 

Madam, the debate that was raging in this country was whether or not councilors are full time and that they should be on a full-time pay. If they are put on full time pay, then, it will mean that they have to get other entitlements that other full-time salary employees get. I wish to state that we are settling this issue administration elsewhere. For the upwards adjustment of the allowances, I wish to affirm that we are committed to it. This might happen once we complete our consultations with Ministry of Finance.

 

Madam Chairperson, Hon. Jere referred to the issue of the councillors and their emoluments. As I said, I want to confirm that we are attending to those concerns. We will also look into how we can best distribute the Local Government Equalisation Fund, which I presume is really a source of concern. I want to assure hon. Members that the ministry will attend to it.

 

Madam, on the matter of the markets and the K15 million which was mentioned, I want to say that this amount only applies for Lusaka, Kitwe and Solwezi. It is not meant for the entire infrastructure programmes for the whole country, but just for those districts that I mentioned. We can aggregate everything for the infrastructure and avail the whole figure to you, hon. Member.

 

Madam Chairperson, again, I would like to thank Hon. Mung’andu for the support. The issue of seniority in terms of hon. Members of Parliament, District Commissioners (DCs) and mayors is not dealt with by the  of Local Government. I know the circular the hon. Member is talking about. Yes, it came from the Ministry of Local Government, but the instructions were issued by the Secretary to the Cabinet because they are the ones who are in charge with protocol matters and issues to do with public events. So, they are the ones that gave a circular to the Permanent Secretaries to be issue it on behalf of Cabinet Office. Nevertheless, we withdrew the circular from all the districts because we have some disagreements, but we understand that Cabinet Office has reissued the circular directly the districts. I, therefore, suggest that the matter will be effectively dealt by the Leader of Government Business in the House, whom we have forwarded the matter to. So, she will be to attend to that and it is my hope that necessary corrections will be made. The information is, therefore, not emanating from our ministry.

 

Madam, on the issue of bus stations and markets, I wish to state that we have heard the hon. Members’ advice. The Government is equally concerned of the leakages in the revenue which is coming from the bus stations and markets. We would want that money to go to the councils so that we can improve service delivery. We have heard your comments on the rural roads and we will be aggressive towards that matter as requested.

 

Madam, let me end my debate on the Constituency Development Fund CDF guidelines.

 

Two months ago, I came to this House and issued a ministerial statement on the CDF procedure. The intention of the statement was to ask hon. Members of Parliament to help us come up with the guidelines that are user friendly to hon. Members and that will also be in line in the wishes of hon. Member of Parliament.

 

Madam Chairperson, there was also a Motion that was moved on the Floor of this House that hon. Members should become integral part of the entire CDF process, but up to now, we have not received anything. We, therefore, hope that in the next one to two days, we will be able to get those good suggestions because we would like to complete the process of enacting the Local Government Act, which will include all the CDF matters in it by next year. We, therefore, hopeful that hon. Members of Parliament will respond to our call so that we can put this whole matter behind us and look forward to receiving the CDF and use it properly in our constituencies.

 

Madam Chairperson, I would like to thank you for the opportunity and all hon. Members of Parliament for supporting this vote.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The First Chairperson: Order!

 

Could the hon. Minister of Local Government may want to comment on the issue of the grave sites in Livingstone.

 

Mr Mwale: Madam Chairperson, I would like to thank you for the reminder.

 

We will investigate the matter of the local authority charging K25,000. I want to believe that there are different categories of graves. There are some people who can afford to pay a certain amount and are allowed to pay that, but the K25,000, is still on the higher side. We will investigate the matter, but it is a pity that we may not have time to come back and inform the House, but we can issue a statement. We will also make sure that the right amounts are charged to people. Indeed, we would encourage councils to be innovate so that they can find ways and means of raising funds and plough back into the communities so that they can improve service deliver, but the K25,000 maybe on the higher site. We will on check that.

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

 

The First Chairperson: Order!

 

Remember that we combined heads 20 and 29

 

Votes 20/02, 20/04, 20/06 and 20/07 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE  20/09 – (Loans and InvestmentLocal GovernmentDecentralisation SecretariatNil).

 

The First Chairperson: Order!

 

Could the hon. Minister of Local Government give an explanation why there is no allocation in the 2017 Budget for Vote 20/09 – Loans and Investment – Local Government – Decentralisation Secretariat – Nil.

 

Mr Mwale: Madam Chairperson, the secretariat for decentralisation has moved to Cabinet Office and all the funds have been transferred there.

 

I thank you, Madam.

 

Votes 29/01, 29/02, 29/03, 29/04, 29/05 and 29/06 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

Vote 29/07 – (Ministry of Local Government Government Valuation Department Nil).

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Minister, give an explanation as to why there is no allocation in 2017 for this department.

 

Mr Mwale: Madam, the department has moved to the Ministry of Works and Supply, although we have remained with some services which are still budgeted for under our ministry.

 

I thank you, Madam.

 

Vote 29/07 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 88 – (Muchinga Province  – K58,494,806), VOTE 90  – (Lusaka Province  – K70,199,334), VOTE 91  – (Copperbelt Province  – K79,568,405), VOTE 92  – (Central Province  – K75,522,328), VOTE 93  – (Northern Province  – K74,198,378), VOTE 94  – (Western Province  – K80,771,180), VOTE 95  – (Eastern Province  – K71,520,895), VOTE 96  – (Luapula Province  – K70,917,099), VOTE 97  – (North-Western Province  – K71,448,369) and VOTE 98  – (Southern Province  – K89,315,422).

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Madam Chairperson, it is my honour to present to this august House the policy statement in support of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Office of the President – Provincial Administration for 2017. This policy statement is for all the ten provinces of the country.

 

Madam Chairperson, provincial administration is an extension of the Central Government at the regional level. It is responsible for civil administration and for the effective and efficient coordination of the implementation of national policies and developmental programmes on behalf of the sector ministries in the provinces. Provincial administration draws its mandate from Article 150 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016 and the Government Gazette Notice No. 836 of 2016. To achieve its mandate, the provincial administration is guided by the following mission statement:

 

“To coordinate and administer implementation of national policies and programmes in the provinces in order to enhance service delivery and promote sustainable development.”

 

Madam Chairperson, in preparing the 2017 budget, the provinces were guided mainly by the Vision 2030 and the draft Seven National Development Plan (7th NDP), which runs from 2017 to 2021. The plan has a special focus and emphasises inclusive economic growth, job creation and economic diversification.

 

The 2017 budget is, therefore, aimed at providing the provincial administration with the requisite resources for the effective and efficient coordination of the implementation of developmental programmes. This is in our quest to promote sustainable development and ensure equitable provision of quality services to our people.

 

Madam Chairperson, in  2016, the provincial administration scored a number of successes in superintending over the implementation of government programmes in the core priority areas identified under the revised Sixth National Development Plan (6th NDP) which comes to an end this month. Notable progress has been posted in infrastructure development, poverty reduction, human development, environmental sustainability and decentralisation.

 

Infrastructure Development

 

It is not in dispute that good infrastructure remains the key driver in the attainment of sustainable socio-economic development. To this effect, we accelerated the construction of new and improving on some existing roads and other transport and communications infrastructure across the country. On average, there is significant progress in the construction of staff houses, district administration blocks, council office blocks, district hospitals, police stations and post offices in the newly created district across the country.

 

Poverty reduction

 

The incidence f poverty in the country still remains high and it is more acute in the rural areas. To this end, deliberate interventions to reduce the scourge were implemented through high impact sectors such as agriculture and other related sectors during the period under review. Based on each province’s dynamic comparative advantage, the agricultural sector was given the necessary attention by the Government through increased resource allocation to its subsectors. We up-scaled activities through the following interventions:

 

  1. Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP);

 

  1. construction of livestock service centres, provincial livestock laboratories and livestock breading centres across the country; and

 

  1. aquaculture and capture fisheries activities and interventions.

 

The unfavourable weather pattern experienced in the southern half of the country during the 2015/2016 agricultural season negatively impacted the sector’s productivity. Therefore, some districts such as Luangwa, Luano, Itezhi-tezhi, Chitambo, the whole of the Western Province, especially those districts on the Zambezi  west bank, Chama, Zambezi, Chavuma, Kazungula and the valley districts of the Southern Province will need food aid. However, the rest of the country received adequate rainfall. Coupled with good agricultural policies, we were able to produce a bumper harvest. This placed Zambia in an enviable position in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as it was the only country that managed to have surplus grain during the 2015/2016 agricultural season.

 

Madam Chairperson, in the livestock sub-sector, the interventions aimed at curbing livestock diseases that we have been implementing over the years have yielded dividends. In 2016, the country did not witness any major livestock disease outbreak.

 

Madam Chairperson, to accelerate human development, significant progress has been made in the construction and upgrading of social infrastructure outlay in the education and health sectors. During the period under review, a number of new facilities across the country have been completed while others are nearing completion. This has resulted in an appreciable number of health and education facilities some of which have been commissioned during the period under review.

 

Regarding the construction of the 650 health posts, significant progress has been made. A number of health posts across the country have been completed while works on the remaining facilities are progressing well. The slow progress on some health posts is attributed to the procurement procedures following the cancellation of the earlier tenders.

 

To increase the number of people with access to safe, clean drinking water, there has been an increase in the number of safe water points across the country in 2016.

 

In our quest to attain sustainable development, environmental sustainability is an indispensable ingredient. To stem environmental degradation, we implemented and escalated measures such as afforestation and reforestation across the county. These measures were complemented by other natural resources management interventions such as community based resource management programmes.

 

Madam Chairperson, the combined 2017 Budget Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Office of the President Provincial Administration stands at K810,159,440 from K639,695,976. This represents an increase of 13.1 per cent from the 2016 budget. Of the total 2017 annual budget, an average of 72.5 per cent will go towards personal emoluments. The remaining 27.5 per cent will be applied towards various programmes and development projects to be undertaken under the Poverty Reduction Programmes (PRPs), capital projects and some recurrent expenditure programmes.

 

Madam Chairperson, the disaggregated allocation to each province is as follows:

 

         Province                      2016                2017                % Increase

         Muchinga                    50,625,853      58,494,806      13.5

         Lusaka                         60,533,931      70,199,334      13.8

         Copperbelt                  68,773,031      79,570,000      13.6

         Central                        64,656,749      73,522,333      12.1

         Northern                      63,924,668      74,200,000      13.8

         Western                       69,401,741      80,771,180      14.1

         Eastern                        61,063,176      69,520,897      12.2

         Luapula                       60,771,071      70,917,099      14.3

         North-Western            59,303,719      71,448,369      17.0

         Southern                      80,642,037,     87,315,422      7.6

         Total                            639,695,976    810,159,440    13.1

 

Madam Chairperson, in 2017, Provincial Administration will continue to coordinate, plan, monitor, implement and evaluate developmental programmes aimed at attaining broad based economic growth that will ensure poverty reduction, employment creation and human development.

 

For the 2017/19 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) periods, some priority sectors with the greatest potential to stimulate development based on each region’s comparative advantage has been identified. The sectors identified are: agriculture; tourism; mining; and forestry. In keeping with the above strategic focus, the 2017 Budget has allocated money towards investment promotion in tourism, agriculture, agro-forestry and energy projects.

 

The strategic focus for Provincial Administration will remain: human developments; poverty reduction; energy, water and sanitation; and environmental sustainability.

 

Madam Chairperson, activities and measures aimed at raising awareness and strengthening the protection of our citizens’ right to education, health and other social economic rights shall be intensified in 2017. The budget has, therefore, been realigned to respond to the social challenges by tackling issues of employment creation and poverty reduction. This has been done by increasing allocation to empowerment programmes in the key socio-economic sectors namely; youth, child sports development, tourism, social welfare and community development. Additionally, the completions of many socio-infrastructure projects across the country have substantially increased the number of available school places from primary to tertiary levels.

 

Madam Chairperson, we will enhance the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections and malaria as well as other non-communicable diseases by up scaling preventive and curative interventions. Provincial Administration will also continue playing its superintendence role to ensure that the ongoing constructions of health infrastructure are completed. This will help increase the number of health facilities across the country and bring health facilities and services closer to the people.

 

It is an established fact that the majority of our population derives 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 as major priority areas in 2017. Therefore, efforts to diversify the sector from maize to other crops such as cassava, rice, soya beans as well as horticultural products like cashew nuts will be intensified.

 

With regard to environmental sustainability aforestation and reforestation activities shall be continued and further accelerated in 2017 in order to stem environmental degradation and enhance biological diversity. This will be augmented by citizens’ social awareness campaigns and education programmes.

 

Madam Chairperson, during this Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period, we will continue exploring our unique tourism endowments across the country as part of our economic diversification programme. This underscores our resolve to transform the country into a tourism destination of choice for both local and foreign tourists. We believe that a vibrant tourism sector will not only create employment for our youth, but will also contribute substantially to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The tourism sector can also help in reducing the high incidence of poverty in the provinces. The Provincial Administration, working in collaboration with other relevant organs will intensify marketing and promotional initiatives of the various tourism products across the country.

 

In terms of energy development, most provinces have benefited from the Rural Electrification Programme. It is also worth noting that there are some major energy related projects billed for some provinces. These, such as bio-energy hold very bright prospects and will ease the current energy crisis. Once operational, some of these projects will be producing ethanol and other by-products which will blended with petroleum products to produces bio-fuel.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, I urge the hon. Members of this august House to support the 2017 Budget Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Office of the President – Provincial Administration as presented to the House.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mukosa (Chinsali): Madam Chairperson, thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the Vote for Office of the President – Muchinga Province.

 

First of all, I want to appreciate and thank the Government for all the efforts that it is making to bring development to Muchinga Province.

 

Madam Chairperson, I have noted that my colleagues who have debated before me have talked about equitable allocation of resources so that each area of Zambia gets at least a reasonable allocation of the national cake. Most people have been complaining that in their areas they have not gotten reasonable fair of the allocation. However, if you search in the Yellow Book, you will notice that Muchinga Province has gotten the lowest share of what has been given to all provinces. The total moneys that have been allocated to the ten provinces of Zambia is almost K741 billion, which means, each province is supposed to get at least …

 

Mr Ngulube: Million!

 

Mr Mukosa: Billion Kwacha … meaning each province should get at least a minimum of about K71.4 billion which represents 10 per cent of the total allocation of K741 billion.

 

Now, Muchinga Province has been allocated the lowest. It has gotten about K58 billion which is far below the 10 per cent of K71.4 billion.

 

The First Chairperson: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1245 hours until 1430 hours.

 

[THE SECOND CHAIRPERSON in the

Chair]

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, before the break, I was saying that of the provisions that have been put in the Yellow Book, the total allocation for all ten provinces in Zambia is about K741 million. However, only K58,494,806 has been given to Muchinga Province which is far below the average ...

 

Mr Mung’andu: So low?

 

Mr Mukosa: ... amount that each province should receive. If you divide K741 million by ten provinces, each province is supposed to get at least K74.1 million. For instance, the Southern Province, received K89,315,422 which is about 31 per cent more than what Muchinga Province got.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, the population of the North-Western Province is almost the same size as that of Muchinga Province. As at 2014, the population of the North-Western Province was about 727,000 people while the population of Muchinga Province was about 711,000 people. When you divide the K71,448,369 that has been given to the North-Western Province by the number of people in the province, you will find that each person is getting about K98 from the Budget ...

 

Mr Kasonso: You have got two universities!

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Mr Mukosa: You should behave like an adult Hon. Kasonso!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, when you look at Muchinga Province ...

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Member, withdraw that statement.

 

Mr Mukosa: I withdraw the statement I made towards my elder brother Hon. Kasonso.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, Muchinga Province had 711,000 people in 2014. When you divide the number of people by K58,494,806, each person in Muchinga Province is getting about K82. When you compare, you will see that the people of the North-Western Province get about K16.21 per person more than Muchinga Province. The people of Muchinga Province also have a lot of developmental needs.

 

Mr Chairperson, since Muchinga Province is a new province, we expect a lot of money to be sent there.

 

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

Let me state that we will not allow points of order in order for us to make progress. I would also like to caution hon. Members who will follow Hon. Mukosa that we should concentrate on the topic at hand so that we do not attract points of order. We need to make progress.

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, Muchinga Province has a lot of developmental needs because it is a new province. Chinsali is a provincial headquarters, but most of the structures that are there are incomplete. We appreciate the efforts that the Government is making towards developing Muchinga Province, but we need those projects to be completed.

 

Mr Chairperson, we need the Mpika/Nakonde Road, which passes through Chinsali, to be rehabilitated. There are a lot of other road projects that need to be worked on. The road from Mbesuma to Kafumbi also needs to be upgraded to bituminous standard. Mafinga, Nakonde and Chinsali have no township roads. Chinsali is the provincial headquarters for Muchinga Province just like Kasama and Lusaka are, but it does not have township roads. That is why we are saying that Muchinga Province should receive a larger allocation so that those odd projects can be done.

 

Mr Chairperson, we have a lot of road projects that need to be done. For example, roads Chambeshi/Chinkobo Road in Kanchibiya under Chief Kabinga, Chalabesa/Munkunta Road, Chibundaponde road up to Muwele Village and Mwende Chabe Road need to be worked on. We also need a bridge at Mbesuma Pontoon and another bridge at Chunga. There is a bridge at Chunga which connects Chinsali to Nakonde. It is a very important bridge, but it is in a deplorable state.

 

Mr Chairperson, a lot of people believe that all national resources got to Muchinga, but that is not true. We need to correct this perception because people have the wrong notion that Muchinga Province is more developed than other provinces. When you compare Muchinga Province and the Southern Province, for instance, you will see that there is a very big difference.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mukosa: We want Muchinga Province to develop like the Southern Province and other provinces.

 

Mr Chabi interjected.

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, people complain that there are two universities in Muchinga Province, but there is nothing wrong with that. There is a lot of historical importance attached to Chinsali.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mukosa: Chinsali has produced Presidents, but there is not much development there. People complain that we have two universities in Chinsali, but I have not heard people complain about the two schools of higher learning that are in the Western Province. We have King Lewanika University as well as another college of science and mathematics which has been earmarked for construction in the Western Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, for those who not know, these two learning institutions are in Nalolo, but why is it that people do not complain?

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

 

Mr Sing’ombe: They are not there!

 

Mr Mukosa: They have been earmarked for construction in the Western Province.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, Paul Mushindo University has not yet been constructed ...

 

Interruptions

 

Hon. Opposition Member: In Nalolo?

 

Mr Mukosa: Yes, they are in Nalolo.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Hon. Member, you may not have the facts so stick to information that you know well. Move away from that.

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, what I am trying to say is that they have been earmarked for construction. Paul Mushindo University has also just been earmarked for construction in Chinsali, but it has not been constructed yet. That is what my point was.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Chairperson, I was glad when Her Honour the Vice-President said that the Government is going to prioritise the construction of health infrastructure because Muchinga Province is also yearning for development in the health sector. We need more rural health posts and other health infrastructure. We need the general hospital to be constructed in Chinsali so that the people of Muchinga Province can start benefitting from the health services that health infrastructure is going to provide.

 

Mr Chairperson, with regards to tourism, Muchinga Province should be supported because it is blessed with a lot of natural resources that can promote tourism in that area. In Muchinga Province, there are natural resources such as the South Luangwa National Park, Nansala Falls, Lwitikila Falls and Chipoma Falls and these can promote tourism in that area.

 

Mr Chairperson, in Muchinga, there are housing projects for various Government workers that were not completed. I therefore, urge this Government to complete those structures. We all know that Chinsali is a provincial headquarter but it has no office for the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA). There are a lot of many other various departmental offices that we need in Muchinga Province, particularly, in Chinsali. Therefore, I urge the Government to look into this matter urgently because the people are waiting for a lot of services in Muchinga Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, there is a problem of youth unemployment in Muchinga Province. We therefore, request for this Government to give us the Youth Empowerment Fund so that our youths can be empowered. We need more money to be allocated to this fund so that the issue of youth unemployment is tackled.

 

Mr Chairperson, in Chinsali, there is a water reticulation project which is going on and the people are very grateful for that. We therefore, urge the Government to complete that project. We are also requesting that the water reticulation project should be extended to other districts such as Chama and Mafinga.

 

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Members, let us bear in mind that we still have twenty-nine hon. Members of Parliament who are supposed to debate. If you multiply that number by fifteen minutes, you will be able to tell the time that we may conclude business today. Hon. Members, you will lose nothing if you share the fifteen minutes that you have. I am sure we can do it because I know some members are very good at summarising. We can do better than that. As you debate, please take that into consideration. Hon. Members, make sure that you do not debate other provinces where you do not belong. That is why we have allowed two hon. Members from each province to debate. You should talk about issues that affect you in your provinces so that you avoid attracting points of order. We need to make progress.

 

Mr Siwanzi (Nakonde): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me an opportunity to debate the Budget for Muchinga Province. I also wish to take this opportunity to inform the nation about the success of the Real Nakonde football team, which has qualified to the Zambia Premier League for the first time.  

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambwili: Well done!

 

Mr Siwanzi: Mr Chairperson, in my contribution to this Vote, I will concentrate on areas that I feel need development in Muchinga Province. Amongst the roads that the Government is going to work on in 2017 is the Great North Road. We all know that this road has economic benefits to this country but the stretch which is about 10 km away from Nakonde Border Post is in a very bad state. If we do not expand that road into a dual carriage way, we will fail to reach the intended purpose. When the President came to this House, he said that the Government will concentrate on roads that have economic benefits to this country. Therefore, the Great North Road is a very important road and must be worked on as soon as possible.  

 

Mr Chairperson, currently, the Government is losing a lot of revenue at the border because of the state of the road. Smugglers have taken advantage of the confusion that is at the border. That road must be expanded because right now, trucks are locked in traffic. Things become worse when the Tanzania/Zambia Mafuta Pipeline (TAZAMA) shuts down because this creates a lot of traffic at the border post. I therefore, urge the hon. Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development to consider expanding the stretch from the border up to Mbala turn-off into a dual carriage way so that we can have free flow of traffic at the border. This will also increase our revenue collection.

 

Mr Chairperson, I wish to commend the Government for coming up with the Matumbu/Chama Road project. The Government must therefore, pump in more funds so that this project can be completed in good time. The Matumbo/Chama and Lundazi/Chama road projects are important in that they supplement each other. If we just concentrate on one, we will not gain anything. Currently, you will find that if someone from Nakonde wants to go to Lundazi, he or she will have to pass through Lusaka.  If those road projects are completed, people will not find it difficult to move. It will even create a situation where people will have more money in their pockets because they will not spend much on transport.

 

Mr Chairperson, let me also talk about the Mpika/Nabwalya/Chipata Road. This is a very important road and I would urge the Government to expedite the works on this road. In the Link 8,000 km Road Project, it is one of the projects that I appreciate so much. When that road is completed, it will be very easy to travel from Muchinga Province to Eastern Province. This will also add more money in people’s pockets.

 

Mr Chairperson, in my constituency, feeder roads are in a bad state. In some areas, they are completely impassable. I am not complaining because the Government has come up with a project under the Road Development Agency (RDA) and the Zambia National Service (ZNS) which will maintain the feeder roads in the rural areas. Our farmers will also find it easy to transport their produce to the market. I therefore, urge the Government to ensure that this project is carried on in Muchinga Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, I have heard some hon. Members in this House saying that Muchinga Province is a heaven on earth. Sometimes I wonder which Muchinga Province they talk about because this province needs development. Just like the previous speaker stated, Muchinga Province is lugging behind in terms of development. Members may wish to know that ….

 

Mr Siwanzi: Like the previous speaker stated, we are lagging behind in development. Hon. Members may wish to know that there is so much resource that comes from Muchinga Province. When I talk about the expansion of the road network at Nakonde Border; I talk about a border which is the second highest revenue collector in this country. However, the infrastructure at Nakonde Border Post would make someone coming to Zambia for the first time from East Africa wonder if they would find the pleasure resorts in Livingstone. All you see in Nakonde are old structures. There is literally nothing to write home about.

 

Madam Chairperson, I wonder where the technocrats at provincial level get their information from for them to come up with the Budget. I am inclined to believe that Muchinga is the least funded province probably because our technocrats do not do a good job. Did they just apply an escalating formula to the figures in previous Budgets to come up with such a small Budget for Muchinga Province? If we talk about equitable distribution of wealth in this country, we should also look at needy provinces.

 

Mr Chabi: Finally!

 

Mr Siwanzi: Finally, ...

 

Laughter

 

Mr Chabi: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Siwanzi: I may wish to go on, but let me just appeal to the hon. Minister of Finance and state that easterners say that mwana ngati alilila bonzo, mupaseni bonzo. Osa mupasa nyama meaning that if a child cries for a bone, give it a bone and not steak.

 

Madam Chairperson when the Budget was presented in this House, I was shocked that a certain political party which dominates Western Province disputed a wonderful Cashew Nut project.

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Member, I guided the House. We can make progress if you are done with your points.

 

Mr Siwanzi: In conclusion, ...

 

Laughter

 

Mr Siwanzi: In conclusion, I would like to urge the Government to consider establishing an international airport at Nakonde Border Post. Nakonde is a very important town in Zambia.

 

Mr Sikazwe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Siwanzi: I will share with you that most of the businessmen that come to do business in Nakonde to clear cargo fly to Songwe in Tanzania and connect to Nakonde via Tunduma. We are losing revenue. If these businessmen were coming directly into Nakonde, we would also promote the hospitality industry.

 

If we are to bring this town closer to those that are doing business, it is important that we have an airport in Nakonde.

 

Mr Chairperson, let me end my few remarks by saying that I support the Budget Estimates for Muchinga Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

 

The Second Chairperson: Thank you. At least we have saved five minutes.

 

Mr Syakalima (Chirundu): Mr Chairperson, as a representative of Lusaka Province ...

 

Hon. PF Member: Imwe, ni mu Lusaka uyu? He is misplaced.

 

Mr Syakalima: ... I would like state that we have so many problems.

 

Hon. PF Member: Which Lusaka?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, we have a problem of flooding in urban Lusaka. Recently, we were told that a drainage system was going to be constructed. I do not know what name they gave it.

 

Hon. Member: Bombay Drainage.

 

Mr Syakalima: It is called the Bombay Drainage. We look forward to it, though we have not seen any movement at all. If you go into our compounds, homes are flooded. Sooner rather than later, we shall experience a very dangerous cholera. In our country, cholera has become perennial and yet it is a disease that is caused by the lack of hygiene. So, the Lusaka District Council (LCC) must work extra hard to collect garbage. Sometimes, our city looks too dirty. It is unacceptable for a city to look the way it does. If you go to Mahopo, you find people suffering.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Nkombo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Syakalima: Mr Chairperson, on a serious note, Lusaka requires a face lift. People who fly to this country may think that we are not serious when all they see around is garbage.

 

Mr Chairperson, this country is 752,612 sq. km with only 15 million inhabitants, but the city is so dirty. We must be ashamed of ourselves because this is unacceptable. We have vast land with only 15 million people and the population is concentrated in Lusaka.

 

 Mr Chairperson, Zambia is the third most urbanised country on the continent of Africa. Why is everything in this country in the negative? Half of the population lives along the line of rail and concentrated in Lusaka. Urbanisation is a result of the lack of social amenities in the countryside.

 

Madam, this now takes me to our rural areas and the recently established districts, where I come from. We must construct infrastructure in all the new districts. Chirundu is a border area and like my brother from Nakonde debated earlier, money is collected in border areas, but very little is done in the border areas. When you enter through Chirundu, you will find that the township roads are dilapidated. We must always learn to pay back to the people who collect money on our behalf so that they are also encouraged to do more for the country. It is quite important.

 

Mr Chairperson, the other point I want to raise is quite generic because it involves all Zambians. Her Honour the Vice-President said that we still have high poverty levels. Let me give another example of something that should shame us. With this land mass of 752, 612 sq. Km, we have 42 million hectares of arable land and only 6 per cent which is 2.5 million is cropped. Out of all that, only two percent is irrigated. Today, we are saying that we are poverty stricken. More recently, we were told that we are that third hungriest country on the continent. We are also the third most urbanised. We are compared to Chad and the war torn Central African Republic.

 

So, you can imagine being hungry with that back ground. Hunger is just one facet of poverty. It is unacceptable to be hungry. How can you be called the third hungriest country?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Syakalima: With all this arable land that you have, you only crop 6 per cent. There must be something wrong somewhere. We must go back to the drawing board. I would like to say to Her Honour the Vice-President that the high poverty levels that she talked about are unacceptable given the richness of this country.

We are even proud to say that 40 per cent of the water bodies are in Zambia. Yes, there is no water in our compounds in Lusaka.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to inform Her Honour Madam Vice-President that these poverty levels that she is talking about are unacceptable given the riches that this country has. The Government are even proud of themselves saying that 40 per cent of the water bodies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region are in Zambia yet, in our compounds, here in Lusaka there is no water.

 

Mr Chairperson, as though that was not enough, 64 billion cubic litres of surface water goes to waste every year in this country. Here we are hungry and yet the water goes to waste. 90 billion cubic litres of underground water remain unutilised in this country and yet we do not have water here in Lusaka.

 

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Mr Chairperson.

 

The Second Chairperson: No points of order are allowed in this segment.

 

Hon. Member, let us debate Lusaka Province.

 

Mr Syakalima: This is Lusaka, yes.

 

This why I said the points I will bring out may appear generic but the most hit place is Lusaka. Now, if the Government does not utilise underground water, what are they doing? Yet, we are called the hungriest country. That is unacceptable. I want us to get to somewhere and start rethinking because fifty-three years of independence and then we are called the hungriest human beings. 42 per cent of our children have stunted growth. By the time this that generation is gone, what are we going to have? Stuntedness also affects your cognition. What are going to have as a country?

 

Mr Nkombo: Kampyongo style!

 

Mr Syakalima: Stuntedness is about malnutrition. It is not right for our country.

 

Sir, at the end of the day, I doubt whether this budget both in Lusaka and the whole country will solve our problems. We will accept to support the budget but it does not bring hope for the people of Lusaka, like those in Mahopo…

 

Mr Lubinda: Ah!

 

Mr Syakalima: …Chawama, Chilanga, Chirundu, Rufunsa, and where the Government created another district which is shared between…

 

Mr Nkombo: Shibuyunji!

 

Mr Syakalima: Yes!

 

Shibuyunji, where the other boundary is in Central Province and the other one is in Lusaka, I speak on their behalf.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Syakalima: ... Lusaka Central and Munali. I support the budget to see wherever we shall go with the money which is there.

 

I thank you so much, Sir.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri (Kanyama): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to add to the debate on the Floor. I will start my debate with appreciating what the Government is doing and I will end with the challenges that the province is facing.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank the working Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Edgar Chagwa Lungu …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: … for the developments which are going on in the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, as you are aware that His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, declared Kafue as an iron and steel Multi-Facility Economic Zone, this is a step in the right direction. This declaration will attract investors and will result in creating employment in the province. In Kafue, there is also Kafue Youth Skills Development Centre being built and has reached an advanced stage. Once this project is completed, it will help the youths in the province acquire skills.

 

Mr Chairperson, in Lusaka District under the Lusaka 400 km Road Project (L400), most of the roads received tar. In Kanyama, we have benefited in the industrial area part of the constituency. As you are aware, Kanyama Constituency starts from Buseko up to Linda. A few roads where worked on in this area. I am happy to note that the Government has allocated funds to complete all the roads that are being upgraded to bituminous level in Lusaka Province.

 

Hon. Government Members: hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: Mr Chairperson, I want to inform this House that the working Government through Zambia National Service (ZNS) are in Kanyama Constituency working on roads as an intervention to the usual Kanyama floods.

 

Mr Nkombo: Bayamba kubelenga!

 

Mr Chairperson, I will be failing in my duties if I did not thank the Government on the good works they are going through Millennium Challenge which is constructing drainages in Lusaka District.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Mr Chairperson.

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

No points of order are allowed during this segment.

 

The hon. Member is just organising her notes. She is aware that we do not read when debating.

 

Laughter

 

The Second Chairperson: May the hon. Member debating, please continue.

 

Ms E. Phiri: These drainages will help in releasing water from the great city of Lusaka.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would also want to come out strongly on the concerns that we have in Lusaka, water and sanitation is not very good. Whenever it rains in Lusaka there is no area which is not flooded. People used to mock Kanyama because of floods but this time, floods are all over. We have seen in Munali…

 

Mr Sikazwe: Oh!

 

Ms E. Phiri: … water coming from tarred roads into houses. This entails that the workmanship on our roads was shoddy.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: I urge the hon. Minister in charge of Housing and Infrastructure Development that whenever they engage people to do any type of construction, they should ensure that they hire seasoned and qualified companies that will do a good job. Even if that project is a donation from co-operating partners, it has to be done in such a way that it is durable. My appeal to the hon. Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection is that Lusaka City is the dirtiest city.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: Hon. Minister, you have to be on top of things together with the hon. Minister of Local Government. Let us remove the garbage in Lusaka City because garbage has become the order of the day.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms E. Phiri: I house the most important market in my constituency which sells food to nearly all the residents of Lusaka. So, let us be on top of things and clear up that market. I know that the working Government is doing its best but …

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: …it is up to the hon. Ministers I mentioned and their officers to do their work. We need to improve the drainage system. Quite alright, we have the drainage being done under the Millennium Challenge but I do not think it has started drawing water yet because floods are still there in the city. So, we have to improve the drainage system and road network in the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, the money allocate to Lusaka Province is not adequate looking at the number of districts that have been created in Lusaka Province like Feira, the border district is what?

 

Mr Syakalima: Chirundu!

 

Ms E. Phiri: Chirundu and Sibuyunji.

 

Mr Lubinda: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: These new districts will need feeder roads, Ventilated Pit Latrines (VIP) toilets, gravelling of roads and improvement and construction of dams. The budget in Lusaka Province I do not think will be able to cater for all these things that need to be done in the new districts. Like in Kanyama Constituency, we do not have roads and drainages; it is as good as we are in a rural area.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: Therefore, we need roads and hospitals in Kanyama. There is only one health centre, yet there is a big population in Kanyama. I think the money that has been allocated to Lusaka Province is not enough. 

 

Mr Chairperson, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is a listening Government and I would like to inform the House that Chawama, Mandevu and Matero Health Centres have been upgraded to second level hospitals.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: Sir, on the issue of garbage, we are happy that the Government has engaged the Chinese on the Waste Management Plant Project because this will reduce garbage in our city.

 

Mr Chairperson, I will be failing in my duties if I do not thank you, the hon. Speaker, Leader of Government Business in the House, Her Honour the Vice-President, First Deputy Speaker, Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff who have greatly contributed to the success of the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms E. Phiri: With these few words, I support the Budget.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiteme (Nkana): Mr Chairperson, I would like to congratulate Her Honour the Vice-President for the policy statement.  I also want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the budget for Copperbelt Province.

 

Ms Kalima: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiteme: Mr Chairperson, I want to talk about the mines. The Copperbelt has been reduced to a shadow of its former self because of the challenges in the copper price. A number of people have been laid off from the mines, but with the increase in the copper price, we hope to regain those jobs.  In view of the value chain audit that is currently being done in the mines, I would like to urge the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to concentrate on the cost of production of copper which has eluded the Zambian Government and its people for many years, therefore, denying them the much needed mining tax revenue.

 

Sir, I want to commend the Government for the Copperbelt 400 (C400) Road Project and other projects they intend to commence on the Copperbelt. Allow me to talk about the state of the roads on the Copperbelt. Today, the province is a dungeon. The roads are in a terrible state and there are no feeder roads. The roads need to be repaired and, time and again, we have been promised that the C400 Road Project will be undertaken.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiteme: However, we are comforted that this Project will commence in April next year. These are the signs of a good and working Government, but we hope that the Chibuluma Road will soon be repaired.

 

Mr Chairperson, I want to commend the Government for the Chifubu Water Project it will undertake on the Copperbelt because there are water challenges in Kitwe and Ndola, and particularly in Mindolo, Kamfinsa and Kabushi. Therefore, when this project is completed, our water blues will be a thing of the past.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiteme: Mr Chairperson, I also want to commend the working Government for the new airport project it will undertake in Ndola. This will create a lot of jobs on the Copperbelt and there will be sanity in Ndola.

 

Sir, allow me to comment on the statement by the hon. Minister of Finance regarding the companies that are likely to be shed off. The Tanzania Zambia Mafuta Pipeline (TAZAMA) Ltd, Zambia Telecommunications Company Ltd (ZAMTEL) and Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) are major employers on the Copperbelt. With the current state of the mines and number of people that have been laid off in the mines, these companies add life on the Copperbelt.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiteme: I urge the listening Government to re-consider its decision to shed off these companies.

 

Mr Chairperson, allow me to add my voice on the forestry department. In the Budget, an allocation of only K22,000 has been provided for the nursery at the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) on the Copperbelt. I feel this is insufficient considering that we have the global warming challenge. If we do not plant more trees, then we are destroying our country.

 

Sir, I also want to talk about the Black Mountain …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiteme: … which is a challenge for the youths in Kitwe. The other day, some people were arrested concerning this contentious issue. The Government should intervene so that the issue of who owns the Black Mountain is sorted out once and for all and we can continue with the usual business on the Copperbelt. Time and again, we are disturbed by the riotous behaviour of the famous Jerabos who continue to terrorise the people of the Copperbelt in regard to the Black Mountain. Lastly, I would like to commend the Government for the construction of the Ndola/Kitwe and Kitwe/Chingola Dual Carriageway Roads.

 

With these few remarks, I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

The Second Chairperson: At least we have saved eight minutes.

 

Mr A. C. Mumba (Kantanshi): Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank …

 

I to grow and culminated into us improving on a lot of projects in the province. In this regard, we are urging the Government that as they facilitate the L-400 and the C-400 Road Projects for Lusaka and the Copperbelt, they also consider the Central Province, which is actually centrally situated.

 

Furthermore, we ask that the Serenje township roads, under the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project, be completed because it has made the cost of doing business much easier. We are appealing to this good Government to include the feeder roads around Serenje Township.

 

Mr Chairperson, the construction of Serenje Hospital is another milestone that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has scored. However, we are asking for a mothers’ shelter and a cadaver unit to supplement the hospital because currently, we are depending on a cadaver unit that is situated at the old hospital.

 

We also wish to ask our Government to complete construction of the police houses, which is on course, as well as a modern police station, which is also under construction. It is anticipated that with this budget, these works will actually be completed.

 

Sir, lastly, but not the least, I am also glad to learn that actually, the e-Voucher System has been rolled out in Serenje. I receive a call yesterday that the e-Voucher System is active is working very well in Serenje.

 

Mr Chairperson, we are also appealing to improve the staffing levels in most Government institutions. I also want to urge the Government to find the counterpart partners for the Nansanga Farm Block, which has been stagnant for some time.

nterruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Mr A. C. Mumba: … Her Honour the Vice-President for the policy statement she presented to this House. My debate will be from the business point of view as well as on the projects that the Government intends to execute on the Copperbelt for the benefit of the people.

 

Mr Chairperson, you will agree with me that the Copperbelt Province was and, is still known for its mining activities. I would like to thank the hon. Minister of Finance for announcing that his Budget will contain policies that are going to remain stable so that we can see more jobs created and a better contribution from the mining sector towards our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 

In the same vein, the people of the Copperbelt Province lack support from the Government, in as far as doing business with the mines is concerned. The budget that we have right now will give the Government a clear picture of the fact that, for so long, it has denied the Zambian people the opportunity to do business in their own country. The number 1 pillar, as proposed by the hon. Minister of Finance is to broaden the tax base and we have passed a number of Bills in this House to try and collect taxes from Zambian companies.

 

Mr Chairperson, you must understand that we are competing with companies that borrow money at an interest rate of as low as 2 percent against 40 percent. For example, if the hon. Minister wants paper and floats a tender, by the time I borrow money from First National Bank (FNB) at 40 percent, plus profit and cost of borrowing, my counterpart from Indian, who has borrowed at 1 percent, would have won the tender. The irony of the matter is that his company is registered in India so the hon. Minister of Finance will not get a ngwee.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr A. C. Mumba: So, it is important that the hon. Minister of Finance looks at this critically. I am happy because this budget will expose the arguments that we have been putting across to the Government in requesting it to support the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It is not good enough to say that we have money under the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) or the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC).

 

Right now there are challenges on the Copperbelt due to job losses. If I can take you back, you will find that from 1991, every five years, there have been job losses. From 2001 to 2016, there have been about four job losses. Therefore, it is an opportunity that even when these job losses take place and as the Government puts in various strategies, it considers the fact that people can do other things other than just work for the mines.

 

Mrs Simukoko: Hear, hear!

 

Mr A. C. Mumba: Mr Chairperson, I am happy that this budget will give an opportunity to the hon. Minister of Finance to re-look at all the projects in this country and ensure that Zambians are put first.

 

We have a number of projects on the Copperbelt which can comfortably create jobs and make people’s lives much better than they are right now. For example, we have the famous Ndola/Mufulira/Mukambo Road. I know that the hon. Minister of Finance has released money and as long as we can localise these projects to the people on the Copperbelt and ensure that these projects and sub-contracts are for people on the Copperbelt, we will see life changing for these people for the better. This way, they will become more appreciative.

 

Mr Chairperson, I want to comment on water and sanitation. The President brought in a concessional loan from the French Government to a tune of 50 million Euros. To-date, we are still talking feasibility studies and yet Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company are still charging for pipes which have not dropped a single drop of water for a long time. This has to be looked at seriously for us to ensure that we take advantage of this money because very soon, we will discover that 50 percent of this money has been used for trips, seminars and feasibility studies and we will be at a loss.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to urge the leadership on the Copperbelt to look at Title Deeds for ex-miners and many other people that have acquired property but to-date have not been availed Title Deeds. This does not give them any form of wealth. As you know, one can use these fixed properties to leverage at the bank in order to get money or even pay for tuition fees for the school going children. Up to now, however, ten to fifteen years on, we are still facing the same problem. 

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to end by encouraging the hon. Minister for the Copperbelt to remain resilient and to ensure that the few resources that he will be given and, opportunities that are there on the Copperbelt, are earnestly used to change the lives of the people on the Copperbelt. He should take every opportunity that is being given by the Government for the betterment of the people. He has to ensure that projects are completed on time. Excuses such as the contractor was lazing around or was involved in corrupt activities should be a thing of the past. 

 

We want this budget to be the starting point of a new leaf. We do not want to see monies from this budget lost through misappropriation by permanent secretaries or whichever controlling officers are there. The loss of money that we have had in the last three years is totally unacceptable. Almost K1.7 billion has been misappropriated and yet we are talking about growing our economy. This should not be allowed, by the Copperbelt leadership, at all.

 

Mr Chairperson, you will find that when it is time to pay workers at the month-end, the dollar stabilises. I would like to urge the hon. Minister of Finance to go further and ask them to keep this money that they make from copper sales in our economy even for a month or two. I think that he will note the difference in the exchange rate. We have seen a similar drop in our inflation rate and we are also expecting our interest rate to decline as well in order to promote more business activities in the company. I wish to end with these few words.

 

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kabanda (Serenje): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to debate the Vote for the Central Province. First and foremost, I would like to commend the Provincial Minister for providing guidance and proper leadership …

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kabanda: …in that we have always been engaging each other with regards to the direction that the province should take. I think that some of my colleagues in the Opposition have also benefited from his guidance.

 

Mr Syakalima: But you are also in the Opposition!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kabanda: Did I say that I am not part of the Opposition?

 

The Second Chairperson: Continue debating, hon. Member.

 

Mr Kabanda: Mr Chairperson, this relationship has continued

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

The Second Chairperson: That is commendable. We have served eleven minutes.

 

Before I call upon Mr Chiyalika to debate, I wish to guide that those who are indicating to debate must bear in mind that they are representing their provinces because not everyone will stand to debate his/her constituency. Therefore, when you are picked, let us remember to debate the province and not only the constituency.

 

Mr Chiyalika (Lufubu): Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the Central Province Budget.

 

Sir, first and foremost, I would like to thank His Excellency for appointing Hon. Sydney Mushanga as our provincial Minister.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chayalika: The man has really provided the much needed leadership. He has an open door policy in the sense that he does not actually segregate, which political party one belongs to. We are really grateful to the His Excellency the President.

 

Mr Chairperson, in the same vein, I also wish to thank the Government for the unprecedented development in terms of education. Under education, we have seen the building of university infrastructures, trades training, primary and secondary school being constructed in the province. Under health, the province has benefited sixty-eight health posts from the 650 that were earmarked for construction countrywide.

 

Sir, we have also seen the building of district hospitals and also the trauma centre at Kabwe General Hospital. In terms of transport, we have received a number of ambulances that have been donated to the province. Under road network, we have also witnessed various new roads being tired in the province.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chiyalika: Sir, on that score, we are also happy that as a province, we have seen an increase of 12 per cent in the budgetary allocation for 2017 compared to the 2016 Budget. However, as a provincial, we have various challenges. The first one is the untimely release of funds to the infrastructure projects. We wish to appeal to the hon. Minister of Finance to ensure that the funds intended for these projects are released on time to make sure projects are completed on schedule.

 

Mr Chairperson, the other challenge that we have in Ngabwe is that we need a district hospital to be constructed in the new district and Central Provincial in particular. The people of Ngabwe are waiting to see a new district hospital being constructed for them to reduce the long distances which they cover to seek medical attention. In the Same vein, we are also waiting for the construction of a bridge at Lufubu River in the constituency.

 

Sir, the other challenge which the province is facing is non-exploitation of various mineral resources in the province. I will give an example of Ngabwe and Chitambo, where we are endowed with various minerals, but suffice to say that the minerals have not been exploited by the Government.

 

Mr Chairperson, the other challenge that we face as a province is massive deforestation. This is happening because as a province, we are still using the old farming methods. We would like appeal to the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture in particular to come and sensitise to our people to start using modern farming methods. In summary, I wish to state that the Central Province is under developed.

 

With these few words, I wish to support this budget.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa): Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the vote for the Northern Province. I also wish to thank my Northern Province hon. Members of Parliament for the rare opportunity that they have given to me to debate on the vote of the province.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ng’onga: Mr Chairperson, I wish to support this vote and also to acknowledge that the 13 per cent increase in the 2017 Budget is welcome. However, as province, our desire and our call is that more funding should be given to this province. Apart from that, it is bigger in size and there are also many issues that need to be attended to going forward.

 

Sir, definitely, I will discuss a few issues. The first of which is the agriculture sector.

 

Mr Chairperson, like any other part of the northern Zambia, Northern Province is endowed with several natural resources, which puts it in very position to be a leading province in terms of food production. However, historically and the policies that were made in the past neglected, the province from taking its rightful position. For those that were in leadership long time ago, some areas in the province isolated some area from the growing of crops because they thought there were highly acidic soils and high rainfall areas and for a long time, this impacted negatively for the people of Northern Province to prove that they would be able to economically contribute to this country.

 

Sir, as I speak now, Northern Province was the highest producer in terms of the maize growing that was sold to the FRA during the last season. The records are there to show. So, if we put the Northern Province where it belongs, I know for sure that the rest of Zambia can reliably be assured that they will be assured that they will be fed because we are One Zambia, One Nation. Therefore, one portion of the country would produce the food and the other portion will produce beef products and in the long run, the whole nation will have something sell even to the other outside world. So, we would like to urge the Government to start interrogating this policy direction so that additional resources are put where we have the comparable or what the economists may refer to as economic advantage for the production of our food crops to area which receive enough rains for the production of beef, where the condition suit to be favourable.

 

Mr Chairperson, we are very grateful to the hon. Minister of Agriculture for the amount of fertilizer and the seed that she may have planned to send to the Northern Province except to say that, the rains start as early as October 24th each year or at least by the beginning of November. So, the budget for Northern Province in terms of inputs must be positioned in the province before the beginning of November. Then, you will see that the northerners are able to feed this nation.

 

Sir, in terms of tourism development, again, the province is endowed as a province. I will just mention, but a few of the products that we have in Northern Province like the Kalambo Water Falls. Apart from the Kalambo Water Falls, we also have a number of waterfalls that are in the province like the Chishimba, Lumango, Kunda Bwika, Chika and Mwewa falls. All these are in the Northern Province.

 

So if we were to properly organise our tourism products in the province, including Kasaba Bay and the wildlife in the Nsumbu National Park and other parks, the nation would greatly benefit from developing the Northern Tourism Circuit. There are key areas that require investment. Some of them are definitely the Kasaba Bay International Airport and the road that links Mbala to Nsumbu via the national park. These are extremely critical areas and monies must be found in order to develop the Northern Tourism Circuit.

 

Mr Chairperson, energy challenges have already dogged the Northern Province. For many years, the province could not attracted big industries because of the power deficit. However, we are grateful to the Government for the Pensulo-Kasama Power Project. This has brought quite a dramatic change in the Northern Province in terms of power. In this regard, we expect to see a lot of investors coming to the Northern Province. Nonetheless, we also want the Government to initiate and attract investment in hydro-power and other sources in the energy mix so that the Northern Province can be fully equipped to deal with the developmental programmes that will be coming.

 

Mr Chairperson, this takes me to acknowledging what one of our great leaders in the Northern Province indicated that we must blame ourselves as northerners for lack of development in certain sectors of our province because we have always looked to our friends from Lusaka or other areas to come and development the Northern Province for us. We have what it takes such as natural resources and manpower and what we need is for the Northern Province to take its rightful position so that we can contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country.

 

Mr Chairperson, allow me to also comment on road infrastructure. We have seen some development in road infrastructure under the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project. I can mention the Mbala/Nakonde and Mansa/Luwingu Roads. I think these are the major roads that we have seen done in the province in the last five years. The Kasama/Mporokoso Road is not yet finished and we are looking forward to its completion.

 

However, there are still many roads in the Northern Province that we would want the hon. Provincial Minister to ensure the Government works on in order to improve the overall road infrastructure in the province. Some of these roads are in the area between Luwingu and Chilubi. Chilubi and Kaputa can probably be regarded as two sister towns in opposite directions. If you go to Chilubi, you will find that the road infrastructure there is nothing to write home about. My colleagues that have travelled to Kaputa know that sometimes you tend to wonder whether this particular area is part of Zambia. However, these are areas that have potential of being economically viable. If the road infrastructure in these particular areas can be looked at, we will greatly contribute to the entire economic system of this country.

 

Mr Chairperson, the feeder roads in the Northern Province also need to be worked on so that the agricultural sector in the area, which I talked about earlier, can be part of the national economy. We are grateful to the Government for doing a great job through the Zambia National Service (ZNS) by trying to work on some of the feeder roads, but we need more resources to be allocated for this exercise so that the entire feeder road network in Northern Province can be opened up. As some might be aware, Luwingu and Mporokoso are huge producers of beans. If you go into Chambeshi and Kaputa, you will find a lot of rice. All these areas need to be linked to market centres and that is why feeder roads are extremely important.

 

Mr Chairperson, the people of Kaputa would probably not spare me if I did not briefly talk about what affects us so much. In this regard, I am referring to their livelihood around Lake Mweru Wantipa. This is a lake that is inland within the Kaputa area. However, the climatic changes have not spared this lake. It has been drying up at a very fast rate. The lake has populations on the Kaputa and Nsama or Chimbamilonga sides. It has also got some people that have come from Luapula in Chief Mununga’s area. There are also some people from Mpulungu who are in the Kalaba, Nsumbu area. So there is a lot of livelihood around Lake Mweru Wantipa.

 

All that the lake needs are basically resources to open up the intake rivers. There is the Kalungwishi River on one side and Luapula River on the other side. There is another river, which I have just forgotten, that feeds into Lake Mweru. The opening up of these rivers would not even require so many resources. This particular work can be done within a year and the people around Lake Mweru Wantipa would be saved from poverty. This would also boost the activities that enable them to educate their children and have a better life.

 

Therefore, the hon. Minister for the Northern Province has a huge challenge ahead of him. He has to look into the plight of the people around the three areas I have mentioned, including those in Mporokoso because I know they also depend on Lake Mweru Wantipa for their livelihood. So these are some of the issues I would want to leave with the hon. Minister as we go forward.

 

With these very few words, Mr Chairperson, I wish to thank you.

 

Mr Sampa (Kasama Central): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate on this very pertinent topic, particularly that I come from the Northern Province. I recognise the fact that in the 2017 Budget, the Northern Province has been allocated K74 billion.

 

Hon. Members: Million.

 

Mr Sampa: Oh, it is K74 million. However, I would appreciate it if these resources would be disbursed on time in order for our provincial Permanent Secretary (PS) and his administration to execute most of the works that need to be done. I would love to appreciate my Government for bringing in the power circuit into the Northern Province and to Kasama in particular. The 330 KV Pensulo-Kasama power line has put Kasama on the national grid for the first time in fifty-two years of this country’s independence. This is has been brought about because of the able leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sampa: In addition to most of the developments that are happening in Kasama and Northern Province as a whole, completion of the airport in the area would open up quite a number of activities in the region. We know for a fact that Kasama right now has attracted a number of investors, not only in agriculture, but also in the hydro-power sector, as the hon. Member of Parliament for Kaputa earlier stated. The construction of the Mbala/Nakonde and Luwingu/Mansa Roads has not only improved the traffic into Kasama, but has also opened up the whole Northern Circuit and now we even have a deficit of filling stations in Northern Province. I am looking forward to my Government hastening the construction of the filling stations in Luwingu and Mporokoso.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sampa: Two filling stations are also coming up in Kasama to cushion the fuel deficit in the Northern Province. However, I wish to appeal to my Government to put up a weighbridge and tolling gate on the Luwingu/Kasama Road, in particular at the junction on the Luwingu/Mporokoso Road because ever since the opening up of the Mbala/Nakonde Road, we have had immense traffic flowing in and out of the northern region. Due to the fact that we do not have a weighbridge, a lot of heavily loaded vehicles are now damaging our roads. The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) is equally losing out on the revenue it could be collecting from these heavily loaded trucks that are using our roads.

 

Opening up Senga Hill to Mporokoso will excite our farmers. We can say that the northern region has greatly improved in agriculture, but our roads are not yet up to the level where our farmers can quicken the delivery of their goods to the nearest selling point of their products. In the next budget, feeder roads should be catered for. We should open up the most remote parts of the Northern Province such as Kaputa and Chilubi.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sampa: The Government has managed to put up the Kalabo/Mongu Road which has passed through the flood plains, why can it not do the same for Chilubi?

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sampa: Mr Chairperson, I know that Kasama and the Northern Province in general has lagged behind in human development. I want to see a university being erected in the Northern Province so as to empower our people from the northern part. Yes, we have plenty of rainfall and abundant land, but most of our people are not that educated or aware that they can use their own mental resources to develop the Northern Province. A university would not only empower the Northern Province, but even the neighbouring countries as well. Neighbouring countries would use the university for the benefit of the economic status of the Northern Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, the Mpika/Kasama Road is an eyesore. This road was constructed in the United National Independence Party (UNIP) era. To date, this road keeps reducing in size and it has become a dangerous road to use.  I use it every now and then. It should be part and parcel of the Link 8,000 km Road Project ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sampa: ... for the sake of our people who have perished on this road. We do not want any more deaths. We want people to enjoy when they come to Kasama and say yes, indeed, it is the hub which will be a gateway to East African countries like Burundi. Mpulungu is also another place which can generate revenue if well harnessed.

 

Mr Chairperson, coming from a humble background, I know that the Northern Province does not have a youth sports facility. In as much as people are crying to have a stadium in the Northern Province, I think we should start on a smaller level such as replicating the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) in the Northern Province for the sake of our young energetic youths so that they can exert their energy into sports recreation facilities. Fifty-two years after independence, we cannot produce proper football strikers from the Northern Province because certain amenities are missing.

 

Mr Chairperson, I wish to thank the Government for upgrading the Chishimba Falls hydro power station from producing 5 MW to 15 MW. I also want to thank the Government for its great initiative of completing the rehabilitation of the Kasama General Hospital. It had never been rehabilitated ever since it was constructed in 1974, two years after I was born. I also with to thank my Government for putting up a Computerised Tomography (CT) scan in Kasama for the first time. Next year, we should equally have enough doctors to handle most of the health issues from Kasama.

 

Mr Chairperson, in conclusion, I support this budget.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

VOTE 94 – (Western Province – K80,771,180).

 

Mr Kufakwandi (Sesheke Central): Mr Chairperson, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to debate the budget for the Western Province.

 

I want to start by appreciating the policy direction that Her Honour the Vice-President has given for the provinces, which was centred on rural development, poverty reduction, and environmental protection. These fit very well with the challenges that the Western Province is facing.

 

Mr Chairperson, in 1964, when we became independent, the Western Province was the fourth most developed region of this country. It was fourth from Lusaka, Copperbelt and the Southern Province. Today, the Western Province lies on the tenth position and the question is: What happened? How did we fall down from that position to the tenth position? The answers are very simple. First, the Western Province lacks infrastructure. Of course, we have the Mongu/Kalabo Road, which definitely has opened opportunities for the people of the Western Province, but the two main roads which join the Western Province to the rest of the country are in a deplorable state, that is, the Mongu/Lusaka Road and the Sesheke/Livingstone Road. The Sesheke/Livingstone Road is the major export and input trunk way for the country. These two roads require immediate attention. I want to also mention that we have a lot of potential which has not been realised. In the Western Province, 50 per cent of the schools, hospitals and clinics are not in a normal functioning state. They need rehabilitation in various stages. As for the schools, 50 per cent of them are thatched with leaking roofs. Children escape from the classrooms when it rains. 

 

Mr Chairperson, the same applies to medical facilities which are few and far apart. During the discussion of the 2017 Budget, I was interested in hearing the Government explain how this distance of five kilometers between schools and clinics was going to be tackled in Western Province on average from one clinic to the other except the clinics in the Bomas. In the rural areas, the distances are not less than 50 kilometres. Therefore, our people are not getting the services they require.

 

Mr Chairperson, the issue of clean water is another amazing story. The Zambezi River passes close to Mongu, Senenga, Sioma, Sesheke and Lukulu but, in all these Bomas water is a big challenge. So, there is urgent need to address the water issue.

 

Sir, allow me to talk about the natural resources we have. Many people have lamented that Western Province is poor but I am saying that it is not poor. In terms of natural resources, Western Province is the largest land mass, perhaps after the creation of Muchinga in the Northern Province. We have three to five square kilometers per person and so, we have a lot of land which we can talk about.

 

Besides the land, we have large tracks of forests. The House may wish to know that the railway line from Cape Town to Chililabombwe was constructed using Zambian Teak from the forests in Sesheke, Sioma and Kalomo.

 

We have, as you know, large stocks of livestock in terms of cattle. However, we need to improve the breed so that our people, the small scale farmers can fetch more money for the animals that they sell.

 

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Kufakwandi: We also have the Barotse Plain. The Barotse Plain is a gold mine in the sense that with good planning and proper programmes to utilise its water resources, and he alluvial soils which are deposited there year in year out by the Zambezi.

 

So, there is also potential for irrigation. If you had to construct one big dam just after Mongu, and another big dam just after Senanga, there would be no need whatsoever to talk about climate change in terms of water supplies, because we would be able to irrigate a very large area of the Barotse Plain and produce a lot of food.

 

Mr Chairperson, as I said, infrastructure is missing, we need energy. In order to value, you need, credit, transport and energy these are very important in addition to skills. We need to open up the Western Province, not only with roads but with electricity as well in the rural areas, so that our people would be able to utilise the potential they have.

 

On the issue of agro processing, as we speak now, thousands of tonnes of mangoes are rotting in Mongu for lack of processing facilities. Why do we not have a juice processing plant in Mongu? There is no reason! Kaunda left one. It was sold and its equipment was removed.

 

Now, we recognise that this budget has made provisions to improve the lives of our people. We appreciate the cashew nut project, which will bring in nearly fifty million dollars to the province. We realise that cashew nuts are fetching a much higher price on the international market than copper as of today. However, our appeal is that this project should be properly organised. There have been similar projects in the past which failed but we have been assured by the Minister of Agriculture that the lessons learnt will be used to run a much better project than had been the case in the past.

 

Mr Chairperson, with regards to the cordon line, I would state that we have debated here and I remember that some people might think that we do not value the cordon line but we think that this has been done before.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kufakwandi: It never worked it failed. We propose strongly that the allocation to this particular cordon line be utilised with the establishment of building centres …

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kufakwandi: … so that the quality of our livestock can improve.

 

Sir, we are also concerned that the farming blocks which have been mentioned it appears there is none for Western Province. There are old farming blocks which had been identified in Western Province such as Londelonde, Kalunonge and Sesheke which needs to be followed up by the Government.

 

Now, my colleague will add on what I have said. In summary, Western Province has been left behind. It needs an affirmative budget …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kufakwandi: … an affirmative action plan to hold the hands of our people so that they come closer to where their fellow citizens are, in terms of quality and standard of living.

 

Western Province borders two countries it has, therefore, a big potential for trade in terms of export especially of agricultural products. We are bordering two countries which were involved in wars for a long time, and they will not be able to come back to full production agriculture wise maybe until after twenty years.

 

So the potential is there, we believe also that forestry must be given a lot of attention in Western Province. In the budget we note that the allocations for each district are only K10,000. K10,000 is pocket change. It cannot seriously address the issues of forestry protection and management in the Western Province.

 

We also note that the new districts, in particular Nkeyema and Sioma have no infrastructure so the people are working in the councils and are having a lot of problems. They cannot deliver the services to the people. Otherwise I support the budget.

 

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Members, let us keep time.

 

Ms Subulwa (Sioma): Thank you, Mr Chairperson. In the first place, I would like to thank you and also thank the Provincial Minister for Western Province.

 

I would like to make mention that the budget process itself is a tool for socio-economic development.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Subulwa: I would also want to make mention that Western Province has potential in agriculture, livestock and fisheries …

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

 

Ms Subulwa: Sorry, I will continue. Tourism …

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Continue hon. Member.

 

Ms Subulwa: I will continue but the hon. Member is confusing me.

 

Laughter

 

 

Ms Subulwa: Mr Chairperson, what I was trying to say is that the Western Province has potential in tourism, agriculture, livestock and fisheries. I also strongly believe that by virtue of sharing boundaries with countries that have oil and minerals, we also have potential to find minerals. We need to exploit those areas.

 

Mr Chairperson, we need to improve the road networks in our province if we are develop. First of all, I would like to thank the Government for constructing Kalabo Road.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Subulwa: However, I would like to believe that the Government can do more. The Government should consider working on the Senanga/Kalabo road via Sioma and Nalolo, the Katunda/Lukulu road, the Mongu/Lusaka road, the Kalabo/Sikongo road and the Livingstone/Sesheke road. I believe these are economic roads that can enhance Zambia’s trade with Angola and Namibia. The Sioma/Imusho road, if worked on, can connect Zambia to Namibia. For example, if we grow tomatoes we would be able to export them to Namibia using this road in order to gain foreign exchange.

 

Mr Chairperson, there is also need for us to promote tourism in my area. We have the Liuwa National Park, the Sioma Ngweze National Park as well as the beautiful Ngonye Falls which are tourist attractions. All that is lacking are good road networks. If we have good road networks ...

 

Mrs Simukoko crossed the Floor.

 

Hon. Members: Order!

Ms Subulwa: If we have good road networks and carryout publicity, we will increase the number of foreign and domestic tourists which will create jobs for youth in the province. It will also reduce poaching in the national parks in my area like the Sioma Ngweze National Park. Further, it will stop the wildlife officers in my area from brutalising my people. We have had people get crippled, lose pregnancies and die at the hands of these officers. I would also want to request that there be a provision in the Budget to reorient these wildlife officers so that they are made aware of human rights in the execution of their duties.

 

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chairperson, there should also be an allocation in the Budget for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in our province. Further, the Government should provide us with better pontoons in Ligwevu, which is in Lukulu, and Kalongola, respectively.

 

Mr Chairperson, there is also need for the Government to support the agriculture sector. I am aware that we have been given a substantial amount, but I believe we can do more for the agricultural sector so that our farmers can have disposable income. This disposable income will sustain them ...

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

 

[THE SECOND CHAIRPERSON in the

Chair]

 

Ms Subulwa: Mr Chairperson, before we went for the tea break, I was talking about the need for us to exploit the agricultural sector. Since we have been talking about economic diversification as a nation, I feel we should also be talk about crop diversification. I gave an example of tomatoes. If we empower our farmers they will be in a position to have disposal income that will enable them to take their children to school, access quality healthcare, build decent houses and, like the hon. Minister of Agriculture put it, afford to dress well.

 

Mr Chairperson, Western Province has a lot of potential in livestock farming. I therefore, urge this Government to introduce more improved livestock management systems that will help our farmers rear their animals well. The Government should also make sure that the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) in Western Province benefits all the rural areas. Due to the power deficit that we have countrywide, people should also be sensitised on how to use solar energy. This will help our people, especially those in the rural areas.

 

Mr Chairperson, with regards to health, I wish to state that in Western Province, there is no third level hospital. I therefore, urge the Government to provide a third level hospital in Western Province. I also want to suggest that first and second level hospitals be provided in all constituencies so that patients are not referred to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Subulwa: Mr Chairperson, in the education sector, there is need for the Government to consider completing abandoned projects in Western Province. There are so many schools that have been abandoned and I can cite a few. We have Libonda, Mutomena, Sikongo and Lukulu Secondary Schools, together with Liwandamo Primary School. I still have faith that the Government will complete the unfinished projects in these schools.

 

Lastly but not the least, there is need for this Government to create an enabling environment for our civil servants in rural areas. The civil servants in Western Province would like to have same living conditions as those in the urban areas. Our civil servants in rural areas have been abandoned in that they do not have proper accommodation. In urban areas, there is a lot of construction that is going on and it is very easy for people to find houses for rent. In the rural areas, it is different. Therefore, the Government should consider constructing housing units for civil servants in rural areas. This will motivate them and they will not complain. That is the only way these people can have a fair share of the national cake. The Government must seriously consider the issue of accommodation for civil servants in rural areas.

 

Mr Chairperson, I therefore, support the Budget for Western Province. 

 

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Miti (Vubwi): Mr Chairperson, I would like to join my colleagues in congratulating Her Honour the Vice-President for a policy statement on the Budget for provinces. In 2016, Eastern Province had a Budget of K61,063,176 and now, it has been increased to K71,520,895. For the people of Eastern Province, that is a plus. We therefore, commend the Government for increasing that amount. This shows that Eastern Province is considered by this Government.

 

Mr Chairperson, we all know that Eastern Province has benefited from the national cake. In my language, we say, “Amene siayamika ni mwana wa mfwiti.”

 

Hon. Government Members: hear, hear!

 

Ms Miti: Mr Chairperson, a person who does not appreciate is a child of a witch.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Miti: Mr Chairperson, in Eastern Province, we have our own challenges but it will be unfair if we do not appreciate what this Government has done for us.

 

Sir, with regards to water and sanitation, I have noticed that there is no allocation for that in the Yellow Book but I know that this Government has a lot of ideas in terms of developing every corner of this country. I know that this particular item will be catered for when the Government partners with other sectors.

 

Mr Chairperson, in Eastern Province, we have Nyimba District which has its own challenges. The hon. Member for Nyimba complained that there is no sewerage system in the district. The hon. Minister responsible for that stated that the Government has plans to look into that issue.

 

Sir, I have seen that the Government has made an allocation towards rehabilitation and construction of dams in the Province. Funds have been allocated for the rehabilitation and construction of dams in Lundazi, Sinda, Chadiza and Chipata. I know that these dams may not be enough because the province has no dams in most of the districts. For example, in Vubwi, there is no single dam. I know of many other districts that do not have dams. The Government should find means and ways of constructing dams in almost all the districts.

 

Mr Chairperson, with regards to health posts, Eastern Province has benefited a lot and I wish to commend the Government for that effort. We have got health posts which have been constructed in our districts and most of them are operational. We also have Chipata Central Hospital that is being constructed. Once this hospital is completed, it is going to decongest Chipata General Hospital. The only challenge that we have is that these health facilities do not have equipment.  Therefore, I urge this Government to make sure that medical equipment and staff are provided in these health posts.  Nyimba District Hospital has been completed but it needs to be electrified.

 

Mr Chairperson, Eastern Province has a lot of tourist resorts. In Lumezi Constituency, there is a national park. This national part can be a very good source of revenue to this country. The revenue collection is hampered by the fact that this area is not electrified. I therefore, request the Government to ensure that REP is extended to most of the rural areas in the province. Vubwi is a beneficiary of REP and I stand here very proud today. I therefore, commend the Government for that because in the past, Vubwi was a dark place. The fact that Vubwi has benefited, I would request the Government to extend this facility to other rural areas such as Lumezi …

 

Mrs Jere: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Miti: … so that tourists can be attracted.

 

Sir, let me also talk about tower connectivity in Eastern Province. We have all seen a circular from the hon. Minister of Transport and Communication.

 

We have seen the circular that has been sent by the hon. Minister of Transport and Communication. I would like to request him to implement this project quickly because most rural areas in our province are not connected. The towers have been given to us, but I urge the hon. Minister to ensure that they are placed in the respective sites so that our rural areas can be connected. I wish to commend the Government for the good thought to cater for rural areas. 

 

Mr Chairperson, I wish to commend the Government for allocating funds towards the completion of office blocks. As you know, rural areas have had no descent places for civil servants to operate. I have seen a good allocation in the Budget towards the completion of office blocks in Chadiza, Vubwi and Nyimba. This shows that the Government is committed to completing programmes that were started.

 

 Mr Chairperson, when some people say that the Government is not working, I wonder what they talk about. As the hon. Member of Parliament for Roan said, if you throw a stone anywhere, it is sure to land on a project that this Government has done.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Miti: For us in Eastern Province, maybe, it even explains why we were able to do very well during the last general election.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Miti: Mr Chairperson, where ever you step a foot, there is a project that can be pointed at as having been done by the PF Government. These projects are spread countrywide. There is no single province where there is not a single project that this Government has done within a short period of time.

 

Mr Chairperson, it is not possible to share the cake with everyone at the same time. Even in our homes, when a child asks for clothes, you buy a short today, a shirt the next and then a vest. The child cannot complain that the parent is not looking after it. So, it is important to appreciate what the Government is doing. After all, the PF has only been in the Government for a very short period of time.

 

Mr Chairperson, in conclusion, I just want to commend the Government and say thank you for what it has done for the province.  I know that it can still do more.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would take this opportunity to wish this House a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2017 with more productive debates in the year to come.

 

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr P. Phiri (Mkaika): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the debate for the Budget Estimates for Eastern Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, I want to say that I support the Budget. However, with matters of finance, there is no satisfaction. How we wish we were given some more so that most of our projects in Eastern Province could be done.

 

Mr Chairperson, allow me to highlight some of the projects which I think the Government should do under the same Budget. Let me start with the university. I remember that when I came to Parliament in 2013, the Government mentioned that Eastern Province had been allocated a university to be situated in Katete. Unfortunately, to date, there is no work that has been done.

 

Mr Chairperson, we are appealing to the Government to start this project because people are expectant. Once this project starts, it will not only benefit the people of Eastern province, but the whole country. The site has already been identified.

 

Mr Chairperson, I also want to talk about roads. Most of the roads are in a deplorable state. I want to start with the Great East Road. The Government has done a lot on the Great East Road which it has resurfaced save for a small portion between Sinda and Petauke which is not done, but will be done shortly. We are enjoying and accidents have reduced because the road is now good and we appreciate it.

 

Mr Chairperson, most feeder roads in the rural areas are not in good state. We appeal to the Government to work on the roads like Chadiza/Katete, Chadiza/Chipata, Chadiza/Chanida, Lundazi/Chama. There is also Mutetezi/Chipata which cuts across four constituencies including Mkaika, Mambwe, Kasenengwa and Chipata. With the rains which we have seen this season, these roads might become impassable.

 

Hon. Member: Finally!

 

Mr P. Phiri: Let me also talk about schools. Most areas, like the newly created Kaumbwe Constituency in Sinda, have few secondary schools. I think that there is need to construct secondary schools there.

 

Mr L. N. Tembo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr P. Phiri: There is a school in Chikando, Luangeni Constituency which was started five years ago, but has not been incomplete. We appeal to the working PF Government to complete it. We have already seen that it has proved its hard work. We appeal for secondary schools. Otherwise, our children will not finish their education.

 

Mr Chairperson, there is need to rehabilitate or construct new dams. As you know in the Eastern Province 80 per cent of the people are farmers and they keep cattle. We had a challenge especially this year with the availability of water for the animals and people. We need a lot of boreholes. We have rivers but they a now dry. It is not like our colleagues from Luapula and Northern Provinces who are blessed with lakes and rivers. We are asking the Government to remember to construct or rehabilitate dams so that we can have water throughout the year.

 

Mr Chairperson, as I conclude, I am appealing to the PF Government to also look at David Kaunda Stadium in Chipata. This time around, we have teams that a participating in lucrative leagues who should be using that stadium. I heard that funds were allocated to this facility but how I wish works could be expedited so that we can be using that facility.

 

Mr Chairperson, with these few words, I thank you.

 

The Second Chairperson: That is better

 

Mr Kasandwe (Bangweulu): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for the opportunity to debate on behalf of the good people of Luapula Province.

 

Mr Mbulakulima: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: Luapula! What a beautiful place we have.

 

Ms Katuka: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: In supporting the budget, I would like to highlight the ideal Luapula that the people are dreaming to have. As you may be aware, Luapula Province unfortunately is the poorest province in this country…

 

Mr Livune: North-Western has also said that.

 

Mr Kasandwe: … despite so many natural endowments that if exploited can reduce poverty among our people. This poverty can be attributed mainly to two things. I will it breakdown into types of poverty. There is what we call income poverty which is arising from the fact that most of the water bodies have been depleted of fish. The depletion has come about because we do not have any industries to talk about where people can be employed so most the people are engaged in fishing. Meaning the fish levels are going down and the fishermen, the ones that are doing the fishing, are increasing.

 

Mr C. Zulu: Do not worry muzayamba kudya mbeba!

 

Mr Kasandwe: What we need is to take advantage of our comparative advantage, like my brother who just spoke, was lamenting about lack of water; Luapula Province has got 50 per cent of the water in this country. If we have to reduce poverty, the Government has to come up with strategies to invest in fisheries. In the past, the Government has been trying to dig some fish ponds here and there but we are naturally endowed with water. All that the Government needs to do is to think of creating mortgages that can be put there so that fish production can go up.

 

Mr Chairperson, the poverty is also as a result of lack of infrastructure. In the past few years, we have been talking about main roads that can bring about economic activities and improve the living conditions of our people. We are talking about Kashikishi/Lunchinda road. The people of Luapula have been singing about this road for a long time.

 

Ms Katuka: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: That is why we are urging the Government to seriously consider the completion of the works on the Kashikishi/Lunchinda road.

 

Ms Katuka: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: Another important road is Kasanka/Milenge/Kapalala/Sakanya Road.

 

Mr Mbulakulima: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: For your own information, from Milenge to Sakanya in Ndola, it is only 140 km. A lot of money has been invested in the Congo/Chembe road which is also an important road. It is only 140 km from Ndola to Kapalala; in fact, it is a short cut from the Copperbelt to Luapula and Central provinces, only if the Government can seriously think of investing money into the construction of these road projects then poverty will be reduced. Another important road for us is the one that connects Musaila/Lubwe/Luwingu…

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: This road also connects Luapula Province to the Northern Tourism circuit.

 

Mr Mwamba: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: It is a short cut. Another road of economic value is the Samfya/Kapata/Lunga Road. You know, there are two districts that are not yet connected with tarred roads; these are Milenge and Lunga districts. These two roads are also important to ensure that once they are done they will add value to the economic activities of the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, another important sector that can significantly contribute to the reduction of poverty in the province is tourism. As people of Luapula, we are urging this Government to make Luapula Province the northern tourist station in the northern circuit. We have beautiful natural beaches, a number of waterfalls and other things that that we can tap into in order to attract investment in tourism.

 

Mr Chairperson, another issue I would like to bring to the attention of this House is the health infrastructure. For any economy to grow, you need healthy people to work.

 

Ms Katuka: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: Sometimes we do things vice versa, we invest so much in curative services of health and we forget about primary health care which is cheaper. So, I am urging the Government to invest more in primary health care so that people are prevented from getting sick. That is how you reduce the cost in the health sector.

 

Mr Chairperson, I have spoken about the different kinds of poverty, all these types of poverty that I have spoken about will lead to what we call food poverty because people have not capacity to buy food. This means that malnutrition levels will go up. Many people will need to be assisted so that we continue to promote these issues in order to improve conditions of the people.

 

Mr Chairperson, I want to talk about the unemployment among the youth. There are some young people and women in the province that are unemployed. The reason is because of the energy deficit in the province thus there is no significant investment. Without energy there can never be industries. You know, Luapula Province is connected to the national electricity grid through Muchinga and the Northern Provinces. One would have thought that just from Pensulo at Mukambo junction, you can tap electricity from there straight into Luapula Province. We would like to say thank you to this Government for they have invested some significant money into upgrading of the Musonda Falls Hydro Power Generation Project. Once the project is completed, it is our sincere hope that the people of Luapula, having received energy, will attract some investment so that the employment deficit among the youths is dealt with.

 

Mr Mwamba: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasandwe: Mr Chairperson, I want to talk about empowerment in terms of skills training. As I have always said, I am a proponent of skills training or artisanship for it is important for the young people in Zambia. The Government cannot create employment for everyone but an environment can be created so that institutions of skills training and vocational training are supported and promoted in the province. If you go into most of the colleges now, including Mansa Trades School, people are moving away from vocational skills training to business courses. So, we are urging the Government to begin to drifting back by inculcating and ensure that skills’ training among the youths is promoted because then the youths can employ themselves.

 

Mr Chairperson, we are talking about putting in place deliberate policies, I always think about the young people, for instance, if a young girl drops out of school at Grade 7, what next? If a young boy drops out of school at Grade 9, then what will he do next? So, this is when skills training investment becomes cardinal in poverty alleviation.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would also like to thank the Government for the projects they have been putting up in the province to ensure that poverty levels are reduced.

 

Mr Chairperson, with these few words I support the budget and thank you.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr A. B. Malama (Nchelenge): Mr Chairperson, firstly, I would like to thank His Excellency the President for appointing our Provincial hon. Minister, who is also the PF Provincial Chairman. Secondly, I would like to thank Her Honour the Vice-President for the policy statement that she has given for the provinces.

 

Sir, my colleague has already talked about the necessary development projects that we require.

Mr Ngulube: Question!        

 

Mr A. B. Malama: However, I would like to urge our Provincial hon. Minister to ensure that these development projects are realised in the province. Luapula Province is the least developed in the country and its people are highly expectant of development from the PF Government because they fully supported it and His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on 11th August, 2016. Therefore, the hon. Minister should ensure that development gets to our people …

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Mr A. B. Malama: … because they will not spare us if we fail to deliver that development as my colleague alluded to. I would also like to urge him to ensure that the misappropriation of funds in the province is stopped. This is a serious challenge and all the civil servants in the provincial administration who are in charge of funds should be serious.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr A. B. Malama: They should work and support the Government of the day to deliver the needed development to our people.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr A. B. Malama: As hon. Members of Parliament from Luapula Province, we will always knock on their door if things do not go as planned. The Yellow Book has more than 1,000 pages and no civil servant in the province should disturb the flow of funds as they have been presented.

 

Mr Ngulube: Ema warning!

 

Mr A. B. Malama: Mr Chairperson, furthermore, I would like to urge the Provincial hon. Minister to ensure that funds are equitably shared in all districts in the province like my colleague alluded to. I have noted that in the Yellow Book, most of the funds that have been provided for infrastructure are centred on Lunga and Mansa Districts. Therefore, I would like to request the Provincial hon. Minister and Permanent Secretary to scrutinise the funds and if possible make variations so that some of them are allocated to other districts with huge populations in the province.

 

Ms Katuta: Hear, hear!

 

Mr A. B. Malama: Mr Chairperson, I do not want to spend much time. Lastly, I would like to thank all hon. Members of Parliament from Luapula Province, who were elected on 11th August, 2016, and I urge them to work as a team. We should not quarrel on the funds that have been budgeted for, but we should ensure that the provincial administration fulfils its mandate of delivering the needed services to the people of Luapula.

 

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Interruptions

 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Chairperson, thank you for according me this chance to speak on behalf of the people of the North-Western Province. Firstly, I would like to congratulate my brother, Hon. Kapita, for being appointed the Provincial Minister.

.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: I know him very well and we will not blame anyone when the North-Western Province remains underdeveloped. The Provincial hon. Minister and Permanent Secretary are from the North-Western Province so we need to work together to develop the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, one would not know that there is a mine in Solwezi because the township looks like a ka village …

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: … yet Copperbelt Province was developed with the money from the mines. Firstly, the hon. Minister should ensure that the bus station and market at the town centre are relocated. Secondly, all the unfinished projects in the province should be completed. The construction of a boarding school in Mufumbwa started in 2010, but to date it has not been completed. In Ikeleng’i, grass has even over grown on all the incomplete buildings.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

 

Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, during the rainy season the Chingola/Solwezi Road is in a terrible state. We can use alternative routes from Mumbwa to Kasempa and Kaoma to Kabompo. However, every year, we talk about the construction of roads, but nothing happens. To-date, nothing has happened. All we are given are stories and we are not interested in stories. We want projects that are a stone throw away so that we can relate to Hon. Elizabeth Phiri.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: For us in the North-Western Province, if you throw a stone, it will land on nothing.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, there was a grant given for a university college for young men and women to study mathematics and sciences so that they could be employed in the mines. Our first choice for the university college location was Kabompo, but the late President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, shifted the location to Solwezi.

 

Mr Chairperson, I bet that if I threw a stone, it will not land on this university college, because to-date, there is nothing. We have heard about universities being constructed in other provinces and, in Solwezi, there is nothing. We have heard about stadia and other infrastructure being constructed in other provinces but in the North-Western Province, there is nothing. 

 

Hon. Minister for the North-Western Province, this province that we are wrecking and finishing belongs to both of us. What will the people of Mwinilunga remember us by?

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Muchima: Let us work hard and push for development. We are lucky that Her Honour the Vice-President is our sister. Let us push for development of the North-Western Province through her.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Muchima: Our people have to remember us for the fact that we added value otherwise we will be wamokomoko, meaning that we will be remembered for nothing.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: On a point of order, Sir.

 

The Second Chairperson: I am not allowing points of order. Continue hon. Member and, please, debate the province.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

 

The North-Western Province has a resource which can earn revenue for the country. I am referring to the source of the Zambezi River. However, no one wants to add value to this source to make it a tourist attraction.

 

I want to start by talking about the road that leads to the source of the Zambezi River. This road has only had its trees uprooted and yet this Government promised to work on 20 km of this road. Hon. Minister, make sure that in 2017, this road is tarred, up to the source. Further, we need an airstrip. These are economic issues that will be adding value to the economy of this country.

 

Mr Chairperson, the North-Western Province has so many mines and yet it is one of the poorest provinces. Why are we still sleeping or is it a case of ba ka Luvale balishishita?

 

Laughter

 

The Second Chairperson: What do you mean?

 

Mr Muchima: Sir, the people of the North-Western Province are called ba ka Luvale ba ku six koloko. In other words, they are still asleep while their friends are up and about.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Muchima: Let us wake up and look for money in the office of Hon. Mutati, who did part of his primary education in the North-Western Province. Let us convince him to help us to develop this province. There is money from the mines and part of this money should remain in the province. Hon. Minister, I will not let you alone. You and I are tight.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Muchima: We need to make sure that we get money from wherever it is being hidden.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, we have so many resources for hydro power in Chavuma, Kabompo and other places. However, no development is going to these areas. There is nothing happening. The famous Solwezi Beans you have heard about and honey come from Mwinilunga. This province is blessed.

 

We need skills training centres. We have so many brilliant young men and women but because of poverty levels, nobody is helping them. This Government is not helping these boys and girls to get bursaries to go to university or college. The money that goes into the Ministries of General and Higher Education should go to the province for the education of our boys and girls. It is also their money and they need it.

 

Mr Chairperson, construction of clinics in the province has stalled at slab level. There is nothing in the province in terms of clinics. Meanwhile, we hear about fifteen or sixteen clinics being completed and officiated in other places. Why can you not do the same for the North-Western Province?

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hammer!

 

Mr Muchima: Furthermore, hon. Minister, why are your civil servant relatives in the province being fired because they are perceived to belong to UNPD? How about those PF teachers who were not even teaching but busy campaigning? Hon. Minister, I will give you a list because I want them fired as well.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, we also need the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). One of the directors and permanent secretary of this unit work very hard. However, they are not being supported by the Office of the Vice-President in terms of funding.

We need to have schools in Nyankaseya. Most of the schools have had their roofs blown off and we need resources. You, hon. Minister, and other Members of Parliament need to tour the North-Western Province. We need to go round and check if this PF will make sense for us. We need a huge chunk of this money because it is coming from the province. This province is very important. It has everything you can think of. It has clean water, honey, pineapples and nice men like me.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Muchima: Mr Chairperson, communication towers in the province are there but they are not connected.

 

Hon. Minister, we need a university in the province. Further, there was some money to the tune of US$33million allocated for the extension of Nsendamina. We should look for this money. In case you do not have documentation for this money, I do.

 

Mr Chairperson: Speak through the Chair. You are pointing at the hon. Minister.

 

Mr Muchima: Sir, we need this money, which came as a grant, to be connected to the national electricity grid. This money was chewed within the Ministry of Finance. When the PF came into power, we could not locate this money. We do not know where it is and we need it to be released.

 

Mr Chairperson, where is the Zambia National Service (ZNS) equipment? We hear about it in other provinces but in the North-Western Province, there is nothing. Who is keeping it? Which PF member is keeping this equipment?

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: We need it for feeder roads such as the Kang’ombe/Shamwinyilamba and the Kakoma/Kanyama Roads. We need this equipment. Sir, I can go on talking but I will save some time...

 

The Second Chairperson: That is better.

 

Mr Muchima: …and give this man some chance.

 

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

Mr Kasonso (Solwezi West): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to debate the Vote for the North-Western Province. I want to adopt many of the issues raised by my colleague, Hon. Muchima, as mine. I will, therefore, not take too long to complete my debate.

Mr Chairperson, first and foremost, I support the Vote of K71.4 million allocated for administration in the North-Western Province. Having said this, I also want to correct the impression created by one of the hon. Members when he compared budgets for the Muchinga and North-Western Provinces. The Vote we are debating now is not about funds for development. These funds are actually for administration purposes. 

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Kasonso: Mr Chairperson, funds which are meant for development are either sitting in ministries or in the Ministry of Finance, through the Vote for Loans and Investments. This is where you get the funds for comparison. 

 

Sir, I would also like to thank the hon. Minister of Finance because for the first time, in the past five years, the North-Western Province has been allocated some funds through Loans and Investments in the Ministry of Finance. Hon. Minister, we are grateful and take note.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Mr Chairperson, I also want to mention that as far as the people of North Western Province are concerned, they consider the hon. Minister, to be one of us. As a father, who made positive considerable contributions in terms of raising the health standards when you were a civil servant in North Western Province. So, for that, we appreciate you. In my case, you have certainly helped me to have a certain standard of behaviour, which is partly attributed to your leadership and also the direction of the Chair.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: I value your humility

 

Sir, this is the first time in five years that the PF have been in power that the people of Northern Western Province have been considered in terms of the allocation of resources. We shall monitor when and how these funds will be disbursed.

 

Mr Chairperson, the Chingola/Solwezi has been allocated K68 million. The Government has also allocated K54 million for Solwezi/Kipushi Road.

 

Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: The Government has also set aside K78 million for Mumbwa/Kasempa Road.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso:   K60 million is being proposed for Zhimbe Road

 

Mr Ngulube: Ema debater, aya

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, let me also inform the House that currently, North Western Province has the longest gravel road because it is found in the biggest province in this country. Before, the Northern Province was split into Muchinga and Northern provinces, it used to be the second largest province to Northern Province, but now, North Western Province is now the largest province in Zambia.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Mr Chairperson, I want to inform the hon. Minister and Her Honour the Vice-President in particular that currently, North Western Province is producing 70 per cent of the copper that is produced in this country. Therefore, when we stand up to debate and say that there is no development in North Western Province, it is because our people are seeing trucks loaded with copper that pass through this province, but there is nothing left for the local people. Therefore, the people of North Western Province want nothing ...

 

Mr Ngulube: But the truth.

 

Mr Kasonso: … short of the development that they deserve.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, the people of North Western Province want to get the same share that is given to the other provinces. That is all and, that is our fight.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso:  Mr Chairperson, we also recognise that this province is part of Zambia, but for the past five years, it has been a lost ‘ghost’. Therefore, I will not congratulate the hon. Minister now until next year ...

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: … whew we will be able to see how much money your Government will have disbursed.

 

Sir, I want to bring to the attention of Her Honour the Vice-President and the Provincial Minister that Solwezi Airport has daily flights in a week. In some cases, there are even three flights per day. Surprisingly, when you look at the infrastructure, it is a sorry sight and yet, the Government is charging K2 …

 

Mr Ngulube: For water!

 

Mr Kasonso: Can you please, keep quiet.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kasonso: Mr Chairperson, I need your protected.

 

 

The Second Chairperson: You are protected. Hon. Ngulube, can you please, take your seat.

 

You may continue.

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, the Government is charging K2 as airport fee.

 

Mr Chairperson, I am saying the Government should work on the infrastructure at Solwezi Airport so that it can realise some income. If that is done, we can start charging K20, K30 or even K50 because the K2 that the Government is currently charging as airport fee …

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, if anything, the receipt itself is more expensive that the K2 that the Government is charging. The Government should consider moving in quickly to developing the infrastructure to enable it to start earning some revenues from that airport.

 

Mr Chairperson, I also want to talk about the offices where my colleague, long time friend and our provincial hon. Minister is operating from and state that the infrastructure is again a sorry sight. I am sure he can attest to that. The building was built in 1958 before the majority of hon. Members of Parliament were born.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, when you compare the so-called provincial offices, where the hon. Minister  and the Provincial Permanent Secretary operate from to other provincial offices which I am told that there are three or six storey buildings, you would find that it looks like the chicken run.

 

Mr Muchima: Shame!

 

Mr Kasonso: Mr Chairperson, let me also talk about the Solwezi General Hospital. The population of this hospital has increased because of the mines, but the hospital is too small hospital for the ever rising population and cannot be compared to any other hospital in the ten provinces. Therefore, this hospital needs to be taken into account and looked at very seriously because it needs urgent expansion or indeed just build new one.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, let me now come to the township roads.

 

Mr Chairperson, when I came here for the first time last year, the Government had initiated some works to hook our people that it was going to construct the townships roads, but nothing was done. This year, again, the Government started doing something during the campaigns, but again, nothing has been done. Suffice to say that this is the only provincial headquarters in this country, which has got no township roads. The Government should, therefore, pay attention to this issue.

 

Sir, the other issue is that the mines are employing more Zimbabweans and Tanzanian than Zambians.

 

Mr Muchima: Shame!

 

Mr Kasonso: Mr Chairperson, I would like to urge the Provincial Minister and the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to quickly move in and address this matter. In terms of business contracts, the mines are giving big orders to outsiders instead of doing that to Zambians. We can only create a middle class through real business with the mines. Again, I would like the Provincial Minister to engage the mining companies so that together, they can look at the level of business that is being conducted between the mines and the Zambians.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Sir, let me now talk about the newly created Kalumbila and Mushindamo districts. These districts were created last year. In fact, the PF Government gave us three districts namely; Mushindamo, Kalumbila and Manyinga, but when I go through the Yellow Book, there is little money allocated for the infrastructure development for newly created districts. Perhaps, I will spear the hon. Minister so that he can look at the challenge of the infrastructure development in the next budget.

 

Mr Chairperson, the oil exploration started in 2008, but to date, there are no serious results that has been realised. I would, therefore, implore the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to do something so that we can have the results of the oil explorations in Chavuma Zambezi and Kabompo. The people of North Western Province want to know how far the Government has gone with the people who were allocated the blocks to carry out oil exploration.

 

Sir, in terms of the tourism sector, I want to bring to the attention of the hon. Minister and Her Honour the Vice President that three quarters of the Kafue National Park is largely in North Western Province and Kasempa in particular, ...

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Kasonso: … when it comes to implementing certain programmes for development, the focus is just on the central part or the other side of the Kafue River. In fact, if you check on the map of the North Western Province and Kasempa in particular, there is what is called ‘Kasonso Game Management Area.’

 

Sir, we also have a challenge in Chavuma because the police post which was being constructed has not been completed to date. These are some of the projects the people of this province want the Government through the Provincial Minister to pay attention to. Overall, however, we are grateful that for the first time, the hon. Minister of Finance has budgeted for some large projects in the North-Western Province. Therefore, we shall be watching the disbursement of funds to these projects.

 

Finally, I want to state that we shall be watching the provincial hon. Minister and his Permanent Secretary (PS) in terms of how they will be supervising the civil servants to ensure that development is taken to the people of the North-Western Province. We are fed up of continuously blaming the Government. If anything, who is the Government? The Government is the people on your right and civil servants sitting in public offices. So as far as we are concerned, all the hon. Members of Parliament from the North-Western Province will be able to cooperate with the hon. Minister’s office only if development will be focused on assisting our people.

 

Thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Sir, thank you very much for the opportunity to debate. I will be very brief and begin by welcoming the hon. Minister for Southern Province to his job. In welcoming the hon. Minister to his job, I would like to give him a word of advice. If the hon. Minister has Hon. Muchima’s phone number, he should call him or if he feels like talking to him at tea break, he should do so because Hon. Muchima was once the hon. Minister for our province. I am sure the hon. Minister relates with Hon. Mubukwanu and, therefore, he should confer with him too. The hon. Minister for Southern Province should chat with these hon. Members I have mentioned, who are here. Further, if he has Hon. Daniel Munkombwe’s number, he should also call him.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: Hon. Munkombwe will walk him through the way we have related as hon. Members in the Southern Province. Sitting here as one of the long standing hon. Members of Parliament, I would also like to state that we worked very well with Hon. George Mpombo, who was also a hon. Minister for the province.

 

Sir, by its character, the Southern Province is extremely conservative. Going by what happened in the last election, it was confirmed that the Patriotic Front (PF) was not the southerner’s most preferred party to run the Government, but we run a democracy and we are part and parcel of this country and so we have to be treated as such.

 

Mr Chairperson, having said so, there is no dispute to the fact that Zambia’s economic growth is, by and large, anchored on the endowment of the Southern Province and I will explain to you why. Let me start with the success of the mines, where we draw the largest part of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This sector is now firing in all cylinders because of the endowment of electrical energy.

 

Sir, this country has five main electricity source points, namely; Kariba, Kafue Gorge Lower, Itezhi-tezhi, which has now since gone to Central Province, Maamba Coal Mine as well as Livingstone. When running at full capacity, Kafue Gorge generates 990 MW, while for Kariba it is 180 MW and 120 MW and 180 MW for Itezhi-tezhi and Livingstone respectively. Therefore, it goes without saying that because energy is an ingredient to economic development, the Southern Province plays a pivotal role in making sure that economic growth that we are all looking for is not only sustained, but actually built up.

 

Sir, having said so, I think that we from the Southern Province deserve to have electricity. I will begin from the south most part in terms of electricity connectivity. It is clear that even if the installed capacity of the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) is plus or minus 2300 MW, in Kalomo, and in Dundumwezi to be specific, fifty-two years down the line after independence, we have no electricity connectivity.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: The hon. Minister should know that the people of Dundumwezi …

 

Pro Luo: Bale vota bwino?

 

Mr Nkombo: I think Prof. Luo should behave herself. This is a serious matter.

 

The Second Chairperson: Order! Order!

 

Mr Nkombo: She cannot say, “Bale vota bwino”.

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Hon. Nkombo, ignore her. She has not been given the Floor.

 

Mr Nkombo: I have the capacity, Mr Chairperson, to not only be controversial …

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Member, just continue and ignore her.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Nkombo: What I am saying is that Dundumwezi, in Kalomo District, is only 30 km from the palace of Chief Macha and only 15 km from Macha to Chilala School. I am sure the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) can do something about this. The hon. Minister and his team must look at those things because Dundumwezi is the only area in the Southern Province that is not electrified.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: I have alit from a point where I was saying that the Southern Province is the one that generates most of the power that we enjoy in this country. That is a fact and anyone can say whatever they want. Just to be able to demonstrate to people who do not want to hear the voice of reason, I started off very well. It is true that this country is lit because of the Southern Province, by and large. I know there is Musonda Falls Power Station up north and we respect that. However, this is why I am saying that please, let us help to light up the whole province. As a matter of fact, the price of any commodity is normally based on cost insurance and freight (CIF). To transport power to Dundumwezi is far much cheaper than to transport power to certain parts of the country, but here we are. We are not in a game of competing regionally, but I am simply saying that it is incumbent upon the hon. Minister himself to ensure that REA powers up Dundumwezi.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Yes!

 

Mr Nkombo: That is my point and if that is offensive, tough luck to those who are offended.

 

Sir, I also want to deal with the issue of agriculture. By the way, the Southern Province is by and large becoming a desert. The desert is coming towards us. We are not having sufficient rainfall. Therefore, we have to seize the opportunity whenever we receive rain. I am urging the hon. Minister for Southern Province to liaise with the hon. Minister of Agriculture to give us some priority in making the Electronic-Voucher (e-Voucher) system under the Farmer Input Support Programmes (FISP) work because we have erratic rain.

 

Mr Chairperson, the people of the Southern Province are predominantly farmers. We depend on the soil. So if we miss the opportunity to plant when there is rain, then that is it. It is like missing a flight. As you know, a passenger is told to come to the airport two hours before the flight so that when the first boarding call is made, you are on hand to board the plane. It is the same story in the Southern Province. If we miss the rain, we are done. So I am saying that in the area of agriculture, Dr Hamukale should tell his friends that we are not asking for favours. They have a duty and responsibility to make sure that they perform their functions as charged because they are the ones in the driving seat.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: I am not asking for an arm and a leg. I am simply saying that they should try their best to look at things from that angle. Precisely speaking, Chikanta produces a lot of maize. Chikanta is in Dundumwezi by the way.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: It produces more maize than certain areas at provincial level in this country. That is true. So why does the Government not want to help these people? They have a very vibrant agricultural economy and therefore, they should be helped.

 

Mr Chairperson, I have dealt with the issue of agriculture and power. Let me now delve into the issue of infrastructure in the Southern Province. The hon. Minister for the Southern Province should talk to the hon. Minister of Finance to make sure that the Mazabuka/Kafue Road is done.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: ... because people are dying on that road. The hon. Minister of the Southern Province should join hands with hon. Minister of Finance and the hon. Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development, Hon. Chitotela to make sure that road is improved. For fifty-two years, we have had a black spot in Mazabuka, which is the Shoprite junction. Many people have died at the Shoprite junction. I personally have no money to divert the road. We have been singing about this issue almost on a daily basis. Let us actualise the by-pass in Mazabuka so that we can save our lives. Two weeks ago, a resident of Mazabuka, a taxi driver, was crushed between two trucks. One truck had failed to negotiate the bend at the Shoprite junction and there was no capacity to remote it as it was 60 tonnes heavy. This taxi driver, an innocent fellow, had parked at the traffic lights waiting for the green light and another truck lost control and bashed him into the stationary truck. It was a gruesome death. I have said before that maybe one of us should die at that junction, before we can find money to divert the road.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: God forbid!

 

Mr Nkombo: ... I am including myself, so you might as well just remain quiet. I want to demonstrate the depth of the problem. Maybe it will take one of us to die before the road can be improved. A diversion, hon. Minister of Finance ...

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Members, there is too much consultation. We need to hear the debate.

 

Mr Nkombo: The diversion is less than 7 km. All it requires is to engage the people who own the farm where the diversion passes so that trucks that are south bound or north bound do not pass in the Central Business District in Mazabuka. For me, this is an emotional matter. As you all know, since you are hon. Members of Parliament, when things go wrong, the first thing people say is, “Nanga MP alikuti? Where is the MP? I have no money to fix the road, but there is a Government which can do that. It can hive off some money from somewhere to fix this and save lives. By the way, this fellow, Ricky, who died, may his soul rest in peace, is the first Mazabuka resident to die on that spot. Normally, it is people who do not know that spot who die there. They may be coming from Nakonde, Chipata, Botswana, Johannesburg or anywhere. They die there because no one has taken interest to divert that road. It is the baddest, if there is a word like that, black spot we have in our country. I am urging the hon. Minister of Finance to take this matter seriously.

 

Mr Chairperson, let me come to the issue of township roads. The Government engaged China Jiangxi Corporation in Mazabuka to do these roads. When Hon. Mubukwanu who was the hon. Minister then, for the Southern Province, came to commission the beginning of the building of the township roads, I said that if his Government did not have money, it should not engage the contractor and give people false hope that the roads would be done. As it turned out, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government went broke. Now, we are dealing with another fiscal year. I am requesting Hon. Mutati to look at this matter because he said that he would try and look at existing projects. The contractor graded the township roads and was about to start putting bitumen and then the money finished. The same applies to Choma and many other constituencies. So, I want to echo the sentiments of my colleague from Chinsali that we will be knocking at the hon. Minister of Finance’s door everyday to go and remind him and the Secretary to the Treasury to give the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) money to do those township roads. He can also deal with the issue of the bypass in Mazabuka, which is only 7 km. Even if he does not allocate funds to complete the township roads, he should at least find the money to give us a bypass. That is what we are demanding for. He should also fix the Mazabuka/Kafue Road because people are dying every day there. The road is uneven, but it is an economic road.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Chairperson, finally, I want to talk about governance. The police in the Sothern Province is over-subscribed. There is no state of emergency in the Southern Province. The Government should remove some police officers from there and let them go where they are needed because we are a peaceful people.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Take them to Muchinga.

 

Mr Nkombo: We promise you that we will be orderly as we have been.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu (Mbabala): Mr Chairperson, I am indebted to you for giving me the opportunity to debate the Vote on the Southern Province. I do not underestimate the burden that has been placed upon me by my colleagues from the Southern Province to debate this very important Vote for the 2017 budget.

 

Mr Chairperson, I stand to represent my colleagues from the Southern Province at a very difficult time, considering what is happening back home and the measures that the hon. Minister of Finance has pronounced in the 2017 budget. From the time I was born, this is the first time we have had so many policemen in the province. I can almost say that the province is under siege as I speak.

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Belemu: I am over forty years old and this is the first time ...

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Continue, hon. Member. Ignore the hecklers.

 

Mr Belemu: ... I have noted so many people being arrested arbitrarily by the police. I do not know what sort of Christmas we will have because yesterday and the other day, a number of our people were picked for what is called unlawful assembly just because they were found drinking beer.

 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

 

Mr Belemu: Yes, in Mapanza in Mbabala. A Mr Gift Mubungazi was picked for drinking beer and it was called unlawful assembly. It is the first time in my whole life that I have found ...

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Let us maintain order in the House.

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, democracy as we know it today, was founded on the proposition that all men were created equal at least in the eyes of God. These rights that we are born with cannot be taken away arbitrarily by an individual or by a group of people which thinks that it is more superior to those people it wants to govern.

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Belemu: We are talking about agriculture, economic activities and improving this economy. Mr Chairperson I want to ask a question, how are people going to farm if three or four of them would constitute an offence by gathering in field as we speak today?

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Ah ah! Ki butata!

 

Mr Belemu: I am saying so bearing in mind, for example, that my grandfather had nine wives.

 

Hon. Government Members: Oh!

 

Mr Belemu: Under the current dispensation, if he gathered those nine wives in the fields would constitute an illegal assembly.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: Fortunately, I have reduced the number of wives. To a very large extent I have reduced on the number of children. That is what has made me to be here in this House today otherwise I would have been arrested for an illegal assembly in my own village in my own yard.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: As we speak today, Mr Chairperson, some of your hon. Members on your left side, like this beautiful lady here, Hon. Lubezhi, who cannot go in her constituency without being arrested.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Members: Awe!

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Second Chairperson: Order! Order!

 

Hon. Member, you may continue.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, I need your protection …

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

You are very much protected.

 

Mr Belemu: I had an occasion to accompany her in Namwala and hardly five minutes passed before we were followed by the police on account of gathering in a place considered to be an illegal assembly for the two of us. Can you imagine the lady and I having an illegal assembly?

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Members: Tell us!

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Members, let us maintain order in the House.

 

Mr Belemu: Sir, I implore the Government to remove the police that have been sent to Southern Province. We do not need them. We know how to police ourselves.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: Today, as I speak, in Sinazongwe, the Zambia National Service (ZNS) are arresting people. Since when did the ZNS start arresting people? Let them concentrate on growing cabbage and rearing pigs.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Instead of arresting our people arbitrary.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: This is a serious matter, Mr Chairperson. This is rain season and as I speak, people are failing to go back and plough their fields because they are being accused of having illegal assemblies once they gather in their fields. Let the people be allowed to plough their fields.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: Let the people be free. All we are saying is that we are hard working people and we are not begging for your money or anything, but just begging for freedom for us to associate, move freely and also to go and plant our fields.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: Debate the budget!

 

Mr Chiteme: Ploughing at night!

 

Mr Belemu: Can you not see the connection between the budget and people who are not moving in their economic activities.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, on the issue of infrastructure, we hear people talk about infrastructure development in their provinces, but the people of Southern Province are one of the few provinces in the country, who have given way to public infrastructure development so that this country can have development. For example, I have in mind the construction of the Kariba Dam. As I speak now, there is an anomaly that within Gwembe, Siavonga and areas surrounding there, they have no electricity and roads that are passable. Yet they provided for this public good.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: The hon. Provincial Minister and I went to Chipepo Secondary School before I ran away from hunger there. I left and went to a better school where there was less hunger. The point I am driving across is that the people in this area are suffering. They do not have water and yet they are within the proximity of the Kariba Dam. Besides, they gave way for that development to take place. At the moment, these people cannot freely move around and yet they gave way for the construction of the Kariba Dam. Every time they want to gather it is considered an illegal assembly hence they cannot even solicit for water and electricity.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to correct the impression about the Bottom Road. What people have been calling the Bottom Road is not the one. It is not called Bottom Road when end at Chipepo. Bottom Road comes from Zimba which is close to Livingstone. That is what is called Bottom Road.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: I would like to urge the Government to correct that and work on the actual Bottom Road and not the Bottom you are talking about.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: We are talking about different Bottoms.

 

Laughter

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

 

The Second Chairperson: Continue, please.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, with regards to tourism, I wish to say that the Kalomo/Dundumwezi/Kafue National Park is equally an important road.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: Let us not just talk about the minister or former minister going for bungee jumping in Livingstone, but concentrate on the most needed road infrastructure that will compel a tourist move from Livingstone to Kafue National Park using the Kalomo/Dundumwezi/Kafue route. Let that road be done.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, May His Soul Rest In Space …

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Sorry, peace.

 

Hon. Government Member: Nakolwa!

 

Mr Belemu: If you have no respect for Mr Sata I have respect for him.

 

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

 

Mr Belemu: He promised that there would be one secondary school built in each chiefdom and named after a chief. However, today we are being told by this Government that it cannot build any more infrastructures. Where is Macha Secondary School named after Macha Chiefdom?

 

Mr Ngulube: Double standards!

 

Mr Belemu: Where is Maphanza Secondary School named after Chief Maphanza?

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mutale: Just wait!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, allow me now to talk about agriculture. By and large, we live on agriculture. He also promised to build Gwembe University in here three meters away.

 

On the issue concerning delivery of agriculture inputs, we have been told that this is when instructions have been issued that they must move in seven. However, today, is the sixth day, the seventh day will be around New Year and the Minister would have gone on holiday probably at that time.

 

Laughter

 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: On the issue concerning livestock, I wish to state that what we need are basic things in livestock and these are dams. The former Minister of Finance, an old man, I think he could not lie because he was old, told us that there was money from World Bank for dams. Where are the dams?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Do not laugh where are the dams?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Go and do the dams.

 

Hon. Government Member: Jealousy!

 

Mr Belemu: By now, Southern Province would have been declared a disease free area for livestock and livestock products. Movement of our animals and meat should have been freely. By now, we could have been exporting to the European Union and other markets. The T-bone that you eat Hon. Lubinda and others who enjoy eating T-bone …

 

Mr Lubinda: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Ah! Which point of order?

 

The Second Chairperson: I am not allowing points of orders. Hon. Member, avoid naming Members who are listening.

 

Mr Belemu: I apologise.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: You cannot call yourself a minister when you just have four quails which Hon. Sing’ombe bought from you in Lilayi.

 

Laughter

 

The Second Chairperson: Do not take that route.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Sir, allow me to talk about chiefdoms and chiefs. Most of the roads and bridges to chiefs and chiefdoms are impassible. Yet when election time comes, you want to go there and give gifts to the chiefs no wonder our chiefs refuse your gifts. The best gift that you could give them right now is to build or repair the bridges. As I am speaking now, if you wanted to go to Chief Macha’s Chiefdom, it is almost impossible to get there.

 

Mr Ngulube: Why?

 

Mr Belemu: Because the bridges are not complete.

 

Mr Ngulube: Why?

 

Mr Belemu: Because PF gave this project to a contractor who is a cadre and whom we do not know, he ran away.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Belemu: I urge you to work on the bridges and roads that lead to chiefdoms now as a sow of goodwill.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Member: What about other areas!

 

Mr Belemu: Only chiefs.

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Please, ask your district commissioners (DCs) they know nothing. Some of them cannot even spell their names properly but spell them backwards.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Member: Question!

 

Mr Belemu: Yet, they want to meddle in issues of land disputes amongst chiefdoms which they know nothing about

 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: Give us the 1958 Map and go and sensitise our people so that the issue of boundaries in chiefdoms is complete and done with once and for all.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Belemu: Honour the Vice President talked about …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Lubinda: Go back to …

 

Mr Belemu: I am being disturbed by the hon. Member of Kabwata who is telling me to go back to that …

 

The Second Chairperson: Continue, hon. Member, you are protected.

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, we need specific interventions when it comes to climate change. Her Honour the Vice-President clearly stated that the southern part of this country, which includes, for those who do not know, Lusaka Province, part of the Eastern Province, Western Province and Southern Province, require interventions in the area of climate change.

 

Mr Ngulube: You did Geography?

 

Mr Belemu: I passed Geography Division 1 at David Kaunda, for those of you who went to shanty schools.

 

Laughter

Mr Belemu: There is money available under climate change that can be utilised. Let the Government begin to implement climate change projects in the southern region of the country.

 

Mr Ngulube: Water, please!

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, I cannot stop talking about the matter of tourism. We have talked about Livingstone and the like and we hope that by the end of 2017 we will see the completion of projects that are being worked on in the Livingstone area.

 

Mr Ngulube: In conclusion!

 

Mr Belemu: In conclusion, I am most grateful ...

 

Laughter

 

Mr Belemu: Mr Chairperson, as I go, remember that I do not tell half truths.

 

Mr Kalaba: Go where?

 

Mr Belemu: I will tell the people of the Southern Province that the PF Government does not like them and they should spend Christmas praying for a better 2017 rather than to wait for the PF Government ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

 

Mr Belemu: ... because in the last five years I have been here, they did nothing.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Second Chairperson: That marks the end of general debate. We now move onto the Provincial Ministers. I hope that we are ...

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

I hope that we are bearing in mind the work ahead of us. I expect ...

 

Mr Lubinda interjected.

 

The Second Chairperson: Order, hon. Member!

 

I expect the House to maintain order.

 

The Minister for Muchinga Province (Mr Sichone): Mr Chairperson, thank you for according me this opportunity to respond and add to the debate on the Floor of the House.

 

Mr Chairperson, I will not proceed without adding a word of condolence to the Lungu family for the untimely demise of a great man. He was a man that assisted to shape the parliamentary skills of some of us when he was hon. Deputy Speaker of this House, may his soul rest in peace.

 

Mr Chairperson, Muchinga Province has a number of projects that have been implemented since the Patriotic Front (PF) Government came into power in 2011. Since the subsequent decision to create Muchinga Province, projects have been implemented to ensure that the province gains the same status in terms of development as the other nine provinces. In as much as these projects directly benefit the people of Muchinga, ultimately, the benefits will accrue to the country as a whole.

 

Mr Chairperson, allow me to review the past performance of our provincial appropriation of the 2016 Budget. The approved budget for the province in was K50,625,853 out of which K28,658,020.03 was for personal emoluments expenditure and K21,967,833 was for non-personal emoluments expenditure.

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

We are consulting too loudly and we cannot proceed like this.

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Chairperson, as at 30th November, we had only received about K6,656,616.65 which represents 30 per cent of the funds we were supposed to receive.

 

Mr Chairperson, allow me to highlight some of the key development projects that are taking place in the province:

 

  1. construction of Robert Makasa University which was commissioned by his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu;

 

  1. construction of Paul Mushindo University at Lubwa Mission which progressing well;

 

  1. construction of forty houses for Civil Servants in Chinsali;

 

  1. construction of another thirty houses for Civil Servants in Chinsali;

 

  1. construction of ten houses for Civil Servants in Mafinga;

 

  1. construction of a 1x6 storey office administration block in Chinsali which is at 90 per cent completion; and

 

  1. construction of a 1x4 storey building which is almost at 60 per cent completion, among other projects.

 

Ms Kalaba: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Chairperson, I will be failing in my duty as an hon. Provincial Minister if I do not thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for giving the province three new districts which brings the total to ten. These new districts were created because Mpika, which is slightly bigger than Luapula Province, needed to be divided. There will be another division of Chinsali and part of Isoka to carter for the new districts.

 

Mr Chairperson, I will now move onto the key issues to be addressed in the 2017 Budget and the 2017-2019 Mid-Term Expenditure Framework. The head total for Muchinga Province in the proposed 2017 Budget is about K58,494,806 out of which K23,967,837 will be for programmes and K34,526,969 will be for personal emoluments. The proposed 2017 Budget represents a 15.5 per cent increase on the 2016 Budget.

 

Mr Chairperson, there are areas of focus that we have taken as a province among which are the development of resettlement schemes, tourism and investment promotion and water and sanitation.

 

Mr Chairperson, there have been some major challenges that we have faced during the year. We believe that we will focus on feeder roads in 2017 because they have been a challenge for the province. The province has also embarked on a process to develop what we will call the Muchinga Province Economic Development Plan. This plan will be the basis ...

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

 

[THE SECOND CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Chairperson, before we went on break, I was talking about the Economic Development Plan which we are embarking on in 2017 in Muchinga. That will just help us to strategise on how we are going to implement most of the programmes and projects that we have and also, how we are going to address the issue poverty reduction in the province vis-à-vis, investment.

 

Mr Chairperson, Hon. Kalalwe Mukoso talked about so many projects and I thank him for that eloquent debate. The Government will ensure that all those projects are embarked on. They may not be planned for in 2017 but I know that we will work on them in future. The hon. Member mentioned something to do with tourism in the area. It is true that tourism is a strong backbone for our economy, if we are to move forward.

 

Sir, Hon. Siwanzi talked the expansion of the Great North Road and the construction of the Nabwalya/Mpika Road. All these projects have funding and I must assure the hon. Member that in 2017, these projects will hit the ground. We are going to commence the construction and expansion of these respective roads.

 

Mr Chairperson, finally, in Eastern Province, we have Chilonga Nursing School. This nursing school is very important to the province. Henceforth, through the Office of the Vice-President, I believe we are going to have an opportunity to commence the rehabilitation after this nursing school was gutted by fire.

 

Mr Chairperson, having said this, allow me to say, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.”

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Deputy Minister for Lusaka Province (Mr Mwakalombe): Mr Chairperson, I want to take this opportunity to join my colleagues in paying condolences to the Mukondo Lungu family for the loss of their parent. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Members of Parliament, Hon. Syakalima and Hon. Elizabeth Phiri who have debated on Lusaka Province and I take note of their sentiments. Lusaka Province is a heart of this country and every person who comes from outside the country, has to come to Lusaka before he can proceed to any part of this nation.

 

Mr Chairperson, recently, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia sent all the ten Provincial Ministers and the hon. Minister of National Development and Planning to China. The President sent us to China because he was concerned about the appearance of Lusaka City and he raised issues of how Lusaka can be kept clean.

 

Mr Chairperson, you will agree with me that in this same august House, we have had debates on how Lusaka can be kept clean on several occasions. We concluded that one of the resolutions was for people to change their mind set. Today, we have the Chinese investors who are willing to come and set up a plant which is going to reduce waste in our city. This plant will enable us produce energy out of the garbage that is seen all over this great city.

 

Mr Chairperson, we have discovered that we can add value to the garbage that we have in this country. If we do that, people will be able to collect this garbage and sell it to the investor who will be generating energy out of it. This is a very good move because it will keep our city clean. We therefore, feel that that is good move.

 

Sir, Hon. Syakalima talked about the blocked drainages in the city. These drainages will not be blocked if the garbage that we are talking about is collected.  It will also reduce on the illnesses such as malaria that are affecting most of the people, especially in compounds.

 

Mr Chairperson, I also want to argue that Lusaka is not the greatest city in the region.

 

I lived in Mozambique and have moved around many countries in the region. I have observed that Lusaka is not the dirtiest city in the region.

 

Mr Chairperson, let me talk about water supply in Lusaka. The capacity of the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company to supply water from the Kafue River was created for a smaller population than what currently exists. However, the company has plans to increase its capacity to supply water from the Kafue River.

 

Mr Chairperson, as a result of the enabling environment that has been created by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the great city of Lusaka has an investment worth US$375 million from the American Government under the Millennium Challenge which is being used to construct a drainage system.

 

Mr Chairperson, I am happy with the issues that were raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Kanyama and would like to assure her that the Government will follow-up on the issue of the contractor. Issuance of contracts is a function of procurement departments. I know that there is a criterion that is used to give contracts and any contractor must meet this criterion before they can be engaged. I want to believe that this particular contractor met the criteria demanded by the Government. I have said this because she also mentioned the issue of the drainage system.

 

Mr Chairperson, this is a listening Government and will work with the hon. Members of Parliament in Lusaka Province. Our doors are open because we believe that together, we can make a difference.

 

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chabi: Ema summary, aya!

 

The Second Chairperson: Thank you. That is better.

 

The Minister for Copperbelt Province (Mr Lusambo): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to debate on the Budget Estimates for the Copperbelt Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, I want to thank the two hon. Members of Parliament who debated. They raised issues which are of importance to the Government and very critical to our province.

Mr Chairperson, I would like to acknowledge that the Ndola/Mufulira Road is an economically viable road for the Copperbelt and, Ndola, in particular which would help to decongest the Kitwe/Mufulira Road hence being our priority.

 

Mr Chairperson, I am here to report to this august House that a company called Nyase Contractor has been paid to do the Ndola/Mufulira Road.

 

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Member for Kantanshi raised the issue of the water problems on the Copperbelt. I am here to report to you that we have a US$450 million project to construct the Masaiti Dam which will supply water to Mpongwe, Luanshya, Masaiti and Ndola. The Government has a responsibility to give quality service to people and will do it for the people of the Copperbelt.

 

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Member for Nkana raised the issue of job creation. As much as we want to diversify from dependency on copper to agriculture, the Copperbelt still depends on mines. The Government we will try by all means to create jobs in the mining industry.

 

Mr Chairperson, as you may be aware, the Copperbelt is in two parts. We have the urban and the rural Copperbelt. The Government wants to give equal development to the rural and the urban part. We are giving the rural part infrastructure. For example, my Government is constructing the Mpongwe/Machiya Road because it is a viable and hosts commercial farmers.

 

Mr Chairperson, the Government is also constructing the Kankolonkolo/Kalulushi/Kasempa Turn-off Road. Both the Government and the provincial administration consider this road to be viable because there are farm blocks. So, as we are diversify from copper dependency to agriculture, we want to ensure that after our good farmers produce their crop, they can easily take it to market places.

 

Mr Chairperson, the Copperbelt Province has a lot of projects that the Government has initiated and will ensure to complete them on time as we want to give service to our people.

 

Mr Chairperson, with these few words, I thank you.

 

The Minister for Central Province (Mr Mushanga): Mr Chairperson, firstly, allow me, on behalf of the people of Central Province, to render my condolences to the family of the late Hon. Deputy Speaker, Mr Mkhondo Lungu, MP. May God rest him in peace.

 

Mr Chairperson, I am humbled for the chance to respond to some of the issues raised by my colleagues who were accorded the chance to contribute to the debate on the Budget Estimates for Central Province for 2017.

 

Mr Chairperson, I have no doubt in my mind that even those hon. Members of Parliament from Central Province who were not given the chance to debate are in support of the Budget Estimates for 2017 for the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, the PF Government will continue to change and transform our people’s lives in our beloved Central Province. The leadership of our President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and my leadership as provincial Minister are committed to serving the people.

 

In response to the contributions raised on the Floor of the House by my two colleagues, Hon. Kabanda and Hon. Chiyalika, I would like to state that all the projects which the PF Government started in the education, health, agriculture and energy sectors in all the eleven districts of Central Province will be completed.

 

Mr Chairperson, to show that our Government is committed, the Ministry of Finance, between November and December, has released K5,070,145,066 to the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development for the payment of contractors implementing projects that are at various levels in Central Province to ensure their completion.

 

Mr Chairperson, my office and my colleague at the provincial office will see to it that we continue to do what our people desire. The people are the reason why we are in these offices. I ask my colleagues at the provincial office, the eleven Members of Parliament, those from the PF, the three from the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) and the six from the UPND, civil servants and line ministries, that we should work together in order to fulfill what is enshrined in the budget for 2017. I have already made myself available to all Members of Parliament despite coming from different political parties that if we put our efforts together, we can change the lives our people in the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, my doors will remain open to all hon. Members of Parliament from my province so that we respond to the challenges our people are faced with.

 

Mr Chairperson, as I conclude …

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mushanga: …I want to say that Hon. Chiyalika and Hon. Kabanda have attributed to some of the projects going on especially in Lusaka like the Lusaka 400 Kilometres Road Project (L400), that such projects have skipped Central Province and it has gone to Copperbelt Province and they are calling it L400…

 

Mr Nkombo: C400

 

Mr Mushanga: …C400.

 

Mr Nkombo: Yes!

 

Mr Mushanga: Mr Chairperson, Central Province being centrally located is going to engage our Government especially the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development that if possible the project can come to Central Province because the roads in the province are in bad shape.

 

Mr Chairperson, allow me to say that I indebted for being accorded an opportunity to speak on behalf of the people of Central Province and I assure this House through the Leader of Government in the House that whatever has been appropriated or allocated in the 2017 Budget to the good people of Central Province, we will make sure that as leaders, we are going to provide checks and balances so that at the end of the day, once the projects are implemented, the lives of our people will be transformed.

 

I thank you so much, Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister for Northern Province (Mr Mundubile): Mr Chairperson, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to say a few words on the 2017 expenditure estimates for Northern Province. Firstly, I would like to recognise all the hon. Members of Parliament for the Northern Province, all the public service workers, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other co-operating partners for contributing to the attainment of the development agenda of the province.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: I am hopeful that we shall continue to work together in the year 2017 and beyond.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: Mr Chairperson, in view of the above, allow me to briefly highlight key issues that arise during the implementation of the 2016 Budget as well as the challenges that hon. Members of Parliament raised.

 

Mr Chairperson, though the province continues to face challenges in the transport and communications sectors, efforts are being made to improve the road network in the province. Notable among key roads completed in the province are the Mbala/Nakonde road, Luwingu/Mansa road and the Kasama/Mbesuma Road.

 

Mr Mwamba: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: The Government has also completed the first phase of the construction of township roads in Mbala, Mpulungu, Mungwi and Kasama districts, whilst works for townships road are ongoing in Luwingu and Mporokoso districts. Furthermore, the following roads are earmarked for upgrading to bituminous standard in the province and the procurement stages are at various levels. These are Chambeshi/Kasama, Nseluka/Kayambi, Mporokoso/Kaputa, Luwingu/Kasasa via Chungu and Chungu/ Mumbi/Chaba roads.

 

Mr Chairperson, the Lunte/Zacharia/Chanda/Senga Hill Road is also on cards.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: The Mporokoso/Kasama road which 175 km is around 95 per cent complete. There are two sections where bridges need to be constructed. The contractor is in discussion with the Road Development Agency (RDA) for variations for those particular sections to be addressed. Furthermore, five feeder roads were worked on in 2016 by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) in three districts at a total of K4.5 million. These were Chifwile/Chasasha Road, 35km in Luwingu, Mwamba/Ngoma/Selu Road 32.2 km in Kasama, Chipoka/Mutunta Road in Mbala, Mumana/Lupando Road 17km and Shimumbi/Ndoki road 56km in Luwingu.

 

Mr Chairperson, the ZNS will continue to work with the RDA is constructing feeder roads in the Northern Province. The project to upgrade the 3.5 km runway to bituminous standard at Kasama Airport has also advanced and the contractor is on site and working very seriously.

 

The Northern Province Mr Chairperson, is endowed with abundant tourism resources as well as cultural heritages sites. Tremendous strides have been made in the promotion and marketing of the Northern Tourism Circuit and this includes among other things efforts to develop tourism infrastructure at heritage sites and creation of synergies with other provinces making up the circuit. As earlier alluded to works on Mbala/Kasaba Bay road will soon begin as the rain season ends.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: Mr Chairperson, the Government has since completed ten out of sixty-nine prefabricated health posts. ZNS has since taken over the construction of the remaining health posts following the termination of the earlier contract by Angelic. I am pleased to inform this august House that the Government completed and commissioned two district hospitals in Mpulungu and Chilubi in phase one. Other notable projects in the sector include construction of phase two Chilubi District Hospital, construction of Mungwi District Hospital. These projects are important as our people will easily access the much needed medical services as close to their communities as possible.

 

Mr Chairperson, in the energy sector, as Hon. Sampa earlier mentioned, Chishimba Falls Hydro Power Station was upgraded. Alongside Chishimba Falls, we have three other sites that Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) is working on feasibility studies for mini hydro power stations on the Luangwa River in Mporokoso District.

 

Mr Chairperson, under the education sector, progress has been made on the construction of high schools in the province. I am pleased to announce that the following schools have since been partially opened; Lunte Girls Boarding Technical Secondary School in Mporokoso, Lupososhi Boarding Technical Secondary School in Luwingu, Mpulungu Boarding School in Mpulungu.

 

Mr Chairperson, the proposed 2017 Budget for Northern Province is K74.2 million out of which K24.8 million if for none personnel emoluments that includes capital projects while K49.4 million is for personnel emoluments.

 

Mr Chairperson, activities that I have outlined above have been proposed based on the provincial priorities. The budget focuses on projects, programmes and activities aimed at reducing poverty levels among our people in line with the PF manifesto and the Seventh National Development Plan. As per tradition, some projects and programmes are reflected in the sector ministry budgets.

 

As I conclude Mr Chairperson, I would like to thank His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu and his Government for his relentless efforts in giving hope…

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: … to the Zambian people in general and the people of the Northern Province, in particular, despite many challenges we are facing as a country.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: I wish to appeal to all hon. Members of this House to be mindful of the needs of the people we represent and the challenges we face so that we all work together and improve the living conditions of our people. I now wish to appeal to the hon. Members of this House to support he estimates of expenditure for the Northern Province.

 

I thank you Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister for the Western Province (Mr Mubukwanu): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to deliver my debate on the Vote for the Western Province. As I do this, allow me to place on record my deep condolences to the Lungu family on the demise of Hon. Mkhondo Lungu. He was very hard working and was an exemplary leader who discharged his functions inside and outside the House very well. We wish him eternal rest and may the good Lord continue to strengthen his family. Allow me to sincerely thank Her Honour the Vice-President for delivering the policy statement. I also appreciate the contributions made by the hon. Members of Parliament from the Western Province who debated the policy statement on behalf of the province.

 

Sir, in responding to some of the issues that were raised, let me state that the PF Government is committed to change the profile of the Western Province.

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Mr Mubukwanu: At one time, it was the least developed province in the entire republic. However, that has greatly changed.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mubukwanu: This change has come about with the rapid infrastructure development programmes that the PF Government has embarked upon. The Western Province has the largest number of new districts and this move addresses the concern that was expressed by hon. Members of Parliament that the people were moving long distances in order to access Government services. I know this problem has been pending for a long time, but the PF Government is working hard …

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Question!

 

Mr Mubukwanu: … to ensure that it addresses these particular needs.

 

Mr Chairperson, the projects that will be implemented in the nine newly created districts include the construction of twenty low cost houses, ten medium cost houses, two high cost houses, a district administration office block, a district council office block and a post office to mention, but a few. In the past two months, the Government has since released K23,750,139.14 to the contractors for them to continue with their works. Upon the completion of these projects, the Government is expected to have spent an excess of K355 million. Still in the area of infrastructure, the road sector is receiving serious attention from the Government. After President Edgar Lungu commissioned the Mongu/Kalabo Road, he took a step further to ensure that it is extended from Kalabo to the Sikongo Border. In the past week, the Government signed a contract amounting to K952 million with Stefanutti Stocks Construction Zambia Ltd for it to undertake construction works that will lead to the border town.

 

Mr Chairperson, I also wish to indicate that in order to unlock the potential of Lukulu District, the Government has reached an advanced stage in procuring contractors to upgrade the Katanda/Lukulu/Watopa Road to bituminous standard and the connection of the Lukulu District to the national power grid, through the North-Western Province, has tremendously progressed. The Rural Roads Unit (RRU) under the Zambia National Service (ZNS) is on the ground and has made tremendous progress towards the construction of roads in Nalolo District and will roll out their programmes to the rest of the province. An amount of K5.3 million has since been allocated for them to carry out these works.

 

Sir, in the education sector, I want to acknowledge that four secondary schools have been completed. Our children now have an opportunity to go to schools within their localities and we desire to increase this number. However, it will definitely take some time, but the Government is committed to do so. I also want to assure the people of Zambia and the Western Province in particular that the construction of the King Lewanika University has commenced in earnest. This far, the contractor has constructed more than twelve staff houses and at the beginning of next year, he should construct the administration block and lecture theatre rooms. This investment will definitely respond to the need for human capital development in the province and the country at large.

 

Mr Chairperson, there were concerns raised in the area of health care for our people. The PF Government has made tremendous strides in addressing this particular area. Senanga School of Nursing was opened in 2016 and was built at a cost of US$18.4 million. Phase I construction works at Lukulu and Mulobezi District Hospitals have been completed and Lewanika General District has now been turned into an internship site which will have more skilled and specialised personnel. This is in our quest to improve the health care of our people. Out of the 650 health posts, the Western Province got a share of sixty-four health posts. Out of these, forty-five have been completed and are now operational. This has a positive impact on our people who had to walk long distances to seek medical care from Government facilities.

 

Sir, in the area of the diversification of our economy, the Government has since launched the Cashew Infrastructure Development Project valued at US$55.4 million. This project will be implemented in ten districts in the Western Province and it will change its outlook. I would like to appeal to the people who will participate in this project to do their level best and ensure that it transforms the lives of the other people and economy of the province. This project targets 600,000 participates, out of which 300,000 are women and 100,000 are youths.

 

Mr Chairperson, the Government is aware that the livestock sector has a lot of potential in the province. It has embarked on the control of livestock diseases in the province and the construction of two livestock breeding centres in Nalolo and Sesheke Districts in the quest to improve the breeds of the animals.

 

Sir, the people of the Western Province are very grateful to the PF Government …

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Question!

 

Mr Mubukwanu: … for the commitment and dedication it has demonstrated in addressing the many challenges that the province has faced over a long period of time.

 

Mr Chairperson, in terms of energy development, the Western Province is a beneficiary …

 

Interruptions

 

The Second Chairperson: Hon. Member, continue, you are protected. Hon. Members, can you allow the hon. Minister to debate.

 

Mr Mubukwanu: … of the Rural Electrification Programme and a number of areas have been electrified. However, more areas need to be electrified. I would like to also acknowledge that the Government has commissioned the strategic reserve fuel tanks which will greatly improve the supply of fuel within the province. The Western Province has the highest number of beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer of 41,852 in the entire country. We would like to thank the Government for this commitment because this has impacted positively on the lives of the people.

 

Sir, the 2017 Budget for the province is K80,771,180 from this year’s K69,401,741. We pledge our commitment to put these resources to good use for the benefit of our people and we wish to collaborate and co-operate with all the stakeholders so that we make the province a better place for all of us.

 

Mr Chairperson, I thank you.

The Minister for Eastern Province (Mr M. Zulu): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for the opportunity to debate. On behalf of the people of the Eastern Province and, indeed, on behalf of the Mkhondo Lungu family, allow me to accept the sincere condolences that have been expressed by various hon. Members of Parliament.

 

Coming down to the Vote for the Eastern Province, you may wish to know that the role of the provincial administration is to co-ordinate, plan, monitor and implement development projects in the province. In so doing, hon. Members, we are co-ordinating, planning, monitoring and implementing development projects in the Eastern Province.

 

I have taken note of the concerns and compliments that were expressed by Hon. Margaret Miti and Hon. Peter Phiri. In response to your concerns, I want to state that we are working day in and day out to make sure that we bring to completion the works that we have begun. We have undertaken to complete the works that we begun first before we embark on new ones. However, we will embark on others that are absolutely necessary, for the improvement of the livelihoods of the people in the Eastern Province.

 

Much of concern would be the area of agriculture, tourism, mining and forestry. In agriculture, we are indeed encouraging diversification in terms of crop, livestock and fisheries in promoting healthier living and much more productivity as we move on to agro-processing in the province. We want to move to an era where we will be able to process our agricultural produce into semi-finished or finished products to supply the whole of the Eastern Province and the country at large. I do not intend to belabour these points much but allow me to state that in terms of infrastructure development, we have allocated K6,388,947.77 on the on-going works and these will be completed in no time.

 

There was a statement to the fact that there is no allocation for water and sanitation. I wish to assure hon. Members of this House that we are taking an integrated multisectoral approach towards development in that certain things that you may not have seen in the budget for the province, are certainly appearing in the budgets for the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection. All your concerns, therefore, will certainly be taken care of. So, dams and other issues that ought to be discussed are pretty much taken care of.

 

Mr Chairperson, with regards to road infrastructure, particularly feeder roads, these are being taken care of under the Rural Roads Unit (RRU). Works, which stalled, on the Chadiza/Katete Road, will be continued so that they are completed. This also includes the Chadiza/Chipata and the Chipata/Vubwi Roads as well.

 

With these very few words, allow me to thank you, again, for giving me the opportunity to debate. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2017.

 

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

______

 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SECOND CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES

 

The Second Chairperson: Before I call upon the Provincial Minister for the Luapula Province, I have an announcement to make.

 

Hon. Members, the following arrangements have been made regarding our dinner this evening. Dinner break will be from 2000 hours to 2115 hours. The House resumes sitting at exactly 2130 hours.

 

Hon. Members will have their dinner in the restaurant here at Parliament Buildings while members of staff and ministry officials will have their dinner at the Members’ Motel. Transport to and fro Members’ Motel for staff and ministry officials will be available at the foyer by the main entrance to Parliament Buildings.

 

Dinner for hon. Members, staff and ministry officials is at the courtesy of The Hon. Mr. Speaker. I just urge all hon. Members to be punctual and request the Party Whips to ensure that the quorum is formed immediately we come back at 2115 hours.

 

Thank you.

 

______

 

(Debate resumed)

 

The Minister for Luapula Province (Mr Chilangwa): Mr Chairperson, even before I go into my deliberations, I want to put it on record that from next year, we should not have the Provincial Ministers debating last because we are deprived time to discuss and interrogate issues that affect the provinces.

 

In the provinces is where our people, who are the voters, are. It is unacceptable that in this day and age, you want two people to debate on the provinces, where the voters are and so many people to debate on the line ministries. I think that in future, we must change this.

 

The Second Chairperson: Order!

 

Hon. Minister, concentrate on the Luapula Province. There are other means and ways of communicating if you want to inform the Office of the Clerk.

 

You may continue.

 

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Chairperson, I hear you. However, this must be put on record and people must know what is going on.

 

Sir, before I start my full deliberation, I want to join other well-meaning hon. Members of this House in conveying my condolences to the family of our beloved Deputy Speaker of this House, Hon. Mkhondo Lungu.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to delve a little into my maiden speech.

 

Hon. Members: Aah!

 

Mr Chilangwa: I am sure you have noticed that I have not been given the opportunity to do the right thing.

 

Hon. UPND Member: Where were you?

 

Mr Chilangwa: It is not up to you, Bulyobulyo,…

 

Laughter

 

Mr Chilangwa: …to interject.

 

Laughter

 

The Second Chairperson: We do not have any Member by the name of Bulyobulyo.

 

Laughter

 

The Second Chairperson: Looking at time, I think that we should just concentrate on the business. Continue.

 

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Chairperson, I want to thank the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for giving me the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the Luapula Province. Further, I want to congratulate him on his re-election as the President of the Republic. I want to go further and thank and appreciate the people of Kawambwa for once again giving me the opportunity to preside over their affairs. 

 

Further, I want to thank all of them, especially those who were with me during the campaigns. I would have loved to go to town and thank them individually for the good work that they did, but I want to tell them that they are a wonderful people and I thank them.

 

Sir, I also want to congratulate Mr Speaker and his two deputies for having been re-elected as presiding officers over the affairs of this House. It is not that everybody wanted to support their candidature, but it was for the right reasons. We, therefore, like to support you and we are grateful that everybody came on board.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

Mr Chilangwa:  Mr Chairperson, a number of submissions have been made by my two colleagues, Hon. Kasandwe and Hon. Malama from Luapula Province who spoke on behalf of our people from Luapula Province.

 

Sir, Hon. Kasandwe spoke about a number of issues such as the poverty levels such as energy and incomes. I have heard all his concerns and I want to assure Hon. Kasandwe that these are the challenges that we are going to deal with. I have equally heard Hon. Malama’s concerns and all the developmental challenges. He further talked about being at the bottom of the ladder and also the need to escalate developmental programmes for the province. He also spoke about the equitable distribution of resources in Luapula province. I want to add that the distribution of resources is not just about Luapula province, but it is also about the entire country.

 

Mr Chairperson, I will not stand here and lament and be a cry baby because one province got ninety-nine health posts. I will not go that route. I will not stand here to talk about how one province has got five power stations. I will not do that. I will not stand here and speak about how some people or some provinces have been advantaged in one way or the other. I will stand here and tell the people of Luapula province that Luapula province will be developed by the people of Luapula Province. I will stand here and tell the people of Luapula Province that let refocus our energies on what we can do as a people of Luapula Province. Other people can come and work with us, but it is our responsibility as a province to take the challenges and turn them around.

 

 Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

 Mr Chilangwa: Sir, we have the most potential resources. Therefore, we are going to turn the potential into positive things. That is what we are working on.

 

Mr Chairperson, since we got into office as a province for the last three months, I would like to tell you that we have been doing one thing and that is stocktaking of what we have done, what we have not done, what is it that we can do and which are the impediments.

 

Mr Chairperson, as far as I am concerned, we are almost coming to an end of the stocktaking. Going forward, therefore, I would like to appeal to our colleagues in the portfolio ministries that Luapula Province must decide what is good for them. Luapula province will decide what is good for us. Therefore, it will not about the portfolio ministries. Luapula province is going to decide which provincial head of department must be moved out of the province and who must stay.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa:  It must be noted that we shall not accept anybody who has been a failure in another province to come to Luapula Province.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa:  Mr Chairperson, it will not be accepted that somebody who has failed to perform will be allowed in Luapula Province. In fact, even in football, it is up to the coach to decide who must be part of the team. It is not people in the terraces who must decided what is good for Luapula. It must the team manager to decide that I need this player, I must substitute or I must do this and that.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: It will not be the hon. Minister of Local Government to decide who must be the council secretary in Luapula Province. It will not be up to the hon. Minister of General Education or Higher Education to decide who must be in charge. We are taking Luapula in our hands.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: That is just me. Anybody who has failed to perform in the province cannot stay in that province because the people of Luapula Province do not have the latitude to wait again for another five years. Luapula must run, Luapula will not walk. Lastly, but …

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Finally!

 

Mr Chilangwa: … not the least. As you have noticed and alluding to what I said earlier on, I have documents and speeches with me, which I should have delivered, but I am not going to talk about the same things like the Mongu/Kalabo Road, …

 

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

 

Mr Chilangwa: I will not talk about the same things that people have been hearing about. Yes, we have talked about the health post, the universities and a lot of other things in the past. It is now a time to talk about new things.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: It is time to talk about what it is that people must say yes, this particular thing is new and different.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Chairperson, as we come to this House next year, we are going to give our people, the people of Luapula province the grand plan for Luapula Province and that is what we are going run along with.

 

Sir, we are going to come and talk about Musonda Falls having 10 MW. We are going to talk about the bio-energy in Kawambwa which will produce 30 MW of power. We are going to talk about the hydro-power station we are building on Kalungwishi River because that is what people want to hear.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: Thereafter, we shall talk about the Luapula new chapter and people will be happy. Therefore, we shall not talk about history, but we shall talk about what shall talk about what we are going to do.

 

Mr Chairperson, I would like to appeal to the hon. Minister of Finance for one thing and I am sure he is listening.  In Luapula province, we do not want figures to show that the money for Luapula has increased because there is no need to increase our allocation if what was allocated was never released. What we want is that if we are given K30,000 or K30 million, it should be released. Once we conclude and finish, then, we shall move to the next level.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chilangwa: Sir, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to just give you an insight of the many things that I would have loved to share with the House about Luapula, but being what it is, I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister for North Western Province (Mr Kapita): Mr Chairperson, I would like to take this opportunity to also place on record my condolences on the passing of the former Deputy Speaker, Hon. Mkhondo Lungu and pray that his family will be prayed for by all of us every day.

 

Sir, like my colleagues has said, I have speeches that I would have delivered, but in the interest of time, I just want to thank my two colleagues; the hon. Member of Parliament that were selected to speak on behalf the North Western Province. I think they did justice to the debate on the Estimate for the North Western Province.

 

Mr Chairperson, hon. Muchima lamented on a number of projects that have not been concluded in the province. He talked about the market to be relocated in Solwezi and Mufumbwe Boarding School. He highlighted quite a number of things and the list reasonably long.                

 

Hon. Kasonso also touched on a number of issues, including how we are working with the mines in the province. He wants us to engage the mines to ensure that they employ our local people and that they must help give wages that are meaningful to Zambians so that we can also create a middle class in this country. I totally agree with those sentiments because I have already started engaging the mines.

 

Mr Chairperson, I am glad that hon. Kasonso went further and acknowledged that in fact there is money that has been released for the Solwezi/Chingola, Solwezi/Kipushi, Kasempa/Mumbwa and Munenga/Jimbe roads. These are projects that are also close to my heart because I know they have been outstanding for a long time. The only thing that my dear friend, Hon. Kasonso, did not say is that it is because of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu that we are focusing on developing the North-Western Province, even if he did not get a good vote from there.

 

Mr Chairperson, I am, however, very grateful that my colleagues acknowledge what I even stated in my maiden speech that unless we work together, we cannot deliver what our people want. I am here now repeating the same thing. My office is open to Hon. Muchima and, therefore, he does not have to watch me. On the other hand, I will also be watching him so that we work together and deliver what the people of the North-Western Province want.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kapita: It will not do to only see me and fail to see other line ministries, in whose budgets some of these monies are sitting. I plead with hon. Members to feel free to interact with the line ministries as well as me so that we can visit all their areas, as suggested by Hon. Muchima. I will be very happy to visit every project in the province. In any case, hon. Members may have noticed that I have already started going to every constituency and they are free to come with me so that we can visit together and ensure we lobby where we do not have enough money in the provincial budget.

 

I want to inform Hon. Muchima, for example, that in the last two months, K2.9 million has been released to the two districts that were created some time back. This is Manyinga and Ikeleng’i. I am now aware that Treasury authority has also been given for us to start funding Mushindamo and Kalumbila, in Hon. Kasonso’s constituency.

 

All in all, however, Mr Chairperson, I know that I had a lot of things to cover, but in the interest of time, all I want to say is that His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has recognised the fact that the North-Western Province, and particularly the Chingola/Solwezi Road being an economic road, has to be funded. I can see that in the recent months, releases of funds for that road have increased. Just three months ago, it used to take six hours to drive from Chingola to Solwezi, but this has reduced to three hours now. I am hoping that when we go on break, we shall all go and supervise the works there so that we can reduce that time from three hours to the ideal one and half hours to drive from Chingola to Solwezi.

 

Mr Chairperson, with those few remarks, I want to wish everybody a merry Christmas and prosperous 2017. I thank you very much.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister for Southern Province (Dr Hamukale): Mr Chairperson, on behalf of the people of the Southern Province, allow me to express my deep condolences on the death of the former Deputy Speaker, Mr Mkhondo Lungu, who was recently put to rest. May his souls rest in peace. Allow me further to thank Her Honour the Vice-President for the comprehensive and well articulated policy statement representing all the provinces. I say, “Thank you mum. I guess you are the best Vice-President in Africa”.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lubinda: Not ma GBM.

 

Laughter

 

Dr Hamukale: I also bring to you Christmas greetings and New Year wishes from the friendly people of the Southern Province.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Hamukale: Mr Chairperson, allow me to also thank the Permanent Secretary (PS) for the Southern province and his team for their input in the budgeting process. They have been a very supportive team and I want to recognise their input.

 

Sir, the economy of the Southern Province has a heavy thrust on three facets, namely; agriculture, livestock and tourism. It is our desire, as earlier debated by the two hon. Members of Parliament from the Southern Province, Hon. Nkombo and Hon. Belemu, that this will be our mainstay and this really tallies well with our policy direction as the Patriotic Front (PF). So we are hoping that in the agricultural sector, we can invest in mechanisation and irrigation to give it more impact and influence on the lives of the people. As regards livestock, our interest is to see if we can find investors that can help in production of leather products, poultry and indeed fisheries.

 

However, all these subsectors will only make sense if they influence important socio-economic indicators such as employment creation, poverty reduction, wealth creation, urban drift reduction, income distribution and also speak to the Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP), Vision 2030, Zambian Constitution and PF Manifesto.

 

Mr Chairperson, by increasing the total provincial allocation from K60 million in 2016 to K80 million in 2017 demonstrates the PF’s desire to devolve power and public resources to the local level. We feel this is the way to go. Our thrust will be implementing the ongoing projects before embarking on new ones.

 

However, Mr Chairperson, we have a number of challenges in the province. Ranking top amongst them is the fact that Choma was declared the new provincial capital. In 2010, the town had a total citizenry of about 230,000 people and now we are looking at 300,000 people, which really is a population explosion in the district. With this population increase, we are constrained on land resources, health services, education, water, energy and housing. The most affected districts in the facet of land are Livingstone, Mazabuka and Choma itself. At the same time, we have districts that are too vast and may require being subdivided and this includes Kazungula.

 

Mr Chairperson, in the area of infrastructure development, I am happy to report that in November and December, 2016, contractors that are carrying out projects in the newly named districts, which include Chikankata, Pemba, Kazungula and Zimba, have received their payments to a total tune of K21 million. We hope to continue moving at this pace in 2017.

 

Mr Chairperson, let me now come to the debate of Hon. Nkombo. I have taken his counsel. He raised very important issues. Rural electrification will not only reduce the energy challenges in our rural areas, but help cut deforestation which is very rampant. The more people have access to electricity, the more people drift away from using charcoal and other sources of energy.

 

On agriculture, Hon. Nkombo mentioned the creeping desertification. This is indeed a real problem. At the moment, we have embarked on tree planting in the province through schools and we would like to work with hon. Members of Parliament to ensure that we achieve some success in this area.

 

On township roads and the bypass road in Mazabuka, this is an issue that is dear to my heart. I have engaged the hon. Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development to make that road a priority. We are moving in the right direction and I will surely need your support.

 

Mr Chairperson, Hon. Belemu brought out important issues around infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and so on. His brilliant ideas explain why he got a distinction in geography. I am here to work with all hon. Members of Parliament and I hope that in 2017, it will not be business as usual in the Southern Province. We are ambitious and we will not leave anyone behind. We want to achieve more with less.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: Mr Chairperson, I will not say much on what was contributed by various hon. Members.

 

Mr Chairperson, on Muchinga Province, there was a cry for increased fund. Being a new province, it needs more funds to address issues of completing infrastructure projects such as roads of economic value. Muchinga Province has been debated in the House and there was a perception that this province got the lion’s share of the Budget or development funding. This is not true. Muchinga, being a new province, needs a lot of infrastructure development, just like Choma, being a new provincial headquarter, will require a lot of funding for various types of infrastructure development. By the way, the hon. Member of Parliament for Mpika said that Nalolo has two universities. This is not true.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: The King Lewanika University is in Mongu District and not Nalolo.

 

Mr Chairperson, on the Copperbelt Province, I will touch on the controversial black mountain. The House may know that the Government will hand over the black mountain to the rightful owner as will be dictated by the courts of law. A portion of this black mountain is being negotiated to be given to the youth as empowerment. This is the portion that is owned by the Government through the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines – Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH). However, in the interim, we want to ensure that there is no illegal mining to prevent accidents in the area.

 

On the Copperbelt, mining activities need to be translated into improvement in the lives of the people through enhanced corporate social responsibility programmes. The Government will work with all stakeholders in order to ensure proper service delivery and empowerment to the vulnerable people.

 

Mr Chairperson, a lot of issues were raised on the Central Province. The Government will address the issue of timely release of funds in order to complete projects so that the benefits of infrastructure development will be felt by the citizens in all the provinces.

 

Mr Chairperson, on the Northern Province, there was a lot of emphasis on tourism and infrastructure development. Exploration of the opening of the northern circuit cannot be overemphasised. Whenever there is tourism potential in the country, the Government is prepared to invest there within the Budget provision. The Government will also engage the private sector to invest in the tourism sub-sector. The Government has shown commitment to promoting the tourism industry, especially in the Northern Province by improving and upgrading the two airports, the Samora Machel Airport in Mbala and the Kasama Airport.

 

Mr Chairperson, on the Western Province, there were quite a number of good suggestions from the hon. Members, that it is important for the Government to invest in exploiting natural resources in a sustainable manner in order to contribute to the revenue and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. The idea of the Link 8,000 km Road Project opens up the country to link with neighbouring countries and this is a programme high on the development agenda together with value addition in the food value chain such as in the cashew nut sub-sector in the province.

 

Mr Chairperson, on the Eastern Province, the issue of repairs and grading of feeder roads is a concern and a priority of the Government. Working closely with the Zambia National Service (ZNS), national planning and infrastructure ministries, the Government will ensure implementation of the infrastructure plans is done effectively.

 

Mr Chairperson, on Luapula Province, there was a lot of lamentation on under-development and income poverty. In Luapula, investment in fisheries, tourism, skills training and entrepreneurship, among other sectors is an alternative to dependence on copper production and is also priority in the development agenda as espoused by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, during his speech at the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly. This is a national and cross-cutting issue since it concerns all parts of the country. The development of entrepreneurship especially among the youth in all the parts of the country is a priority of this government.

 

North-Western Province has been discussed passionately by Hon. Muchima.

 

Mr Muchima: Yes, ba mama!

 

Laughter

 

The Vice- President: As a new mining province, the issues relating to projects pledged, Government is committed to commencement and completion according to the budget.

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

The Vice-President: It is the desire of the PF Government not to leave any province behind and also not to leave any constituency behind including Katombola.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: As such any potential of improving tourism including the Zambezi source, energy supply, airport construction, upgrading of provincial offices, prospecting for minerals and oil in areas sharing borders with Zambia that have similar terrain is of interest to this Government and worth exploring further.

 

For Lusaka Province, the hon. Minister, in his analysis of dirty cities, mentioned the city of Maputo. He was merely responding to assertions that Lusaka is the dirtiest city which is really not the case. Keep our cities, towns and villages clean is of paramount importance. This should be encouraged amongst all citizens in order to avoid diseases such as cholera, dysentery and even malaria among others. Government will do its part through the relevant ministries to address epidemics through the Ministry of Health and through drainage systems done by the Ministry of Local Government and Cooperating Partners.

 

Sir, where disasters strike as in the case during the rainy season, Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) stands ready to come in for rapid assessment of the nature of the incidents in order to address the issue in the quickest possible manner.

 

The appeal, Mr Chairperson, is for the citizens to cooperate in order to ease the burden on everyone and allow for benefits to be felt by these in need of the services. There is a propensity in our cities especially, to throw rubbish anyhow and anywhere such as plastics, this should be addressed by all citizens who feel very strongly that for us as country, to stop and curb the diseases that are ravaging our communities, we should do something about taking care of our environments.

 

Southern Province being the largest contributor of the energy sector …

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: … in terms of hydro power supply, of course, it is important that the Rural Electrification Programme is enhanced to reach more rural settlements but not only in Kazungula …

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: … and Dundumwezi …

 

Laughter

The Vice-President: … but in other parts of rural Zambia so that the people can engage productive economic activities. Government has a vision to promote tourism enjoyed in the town of Livingstone to other parts of the country and as such, Government encourages more investments through Public Private Partnership (PPP) in this sector.

 

Mr Chairperson, on the issue of security and the cry from the hon. Member of Parliament for Mbabala …

 

Mr Lubinda: Belemu!

 

The Vice-President: … my response is that Government will not compromise on the peace prevailing in the country.

 

Mr Lubinda: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: As such, police presence will be determined by the Ministry of Home Affairs as and where it is deemed necessary in order to maintain order in the country.

 

Mr Lubinda: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice President: Sir, on the issue of climate change, Government is committed to this agenda as has been demonstrated by Zambia being signatory to the Paris Agreement among others. The setting up of the Climate Change Secretariat will address the issue of rolling out national programmes so that all Zambians are on board implementing activities for managing the environment in a sustainable manner.

 

Mr Chairperson, I urge hon. Members to support the budget for the Office of the President - Provincial Administration.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Votes 88/01, 88/02, 88/03, 88/04, 88/09, 88/16, 88/17, 88/18 and 88/19 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

Business was suspended from 2000 hours until 2130 hours.

 

[THE FIRST CHAIRPERSON in the

Chair]

 

Vote 88/23, 88/24, 88/25, 88/35 and 88/36 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 88/40 – (Office of the President – Muchinga Province – Community Development Department – K4,130,722).

 

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo): Madam Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 6003, Activity – 001 – Adult Literacy – Nil. There is no allocation for 2017. Why has this very important programme been discontinued?

 

Mr Sichone: Madam Chairperson, Programme 6003, Activity – 001 – Adult Literacy – Nil, this allocation was used to support literacy programmes in communities, however, the budget for adult literacy was sitting in the wrong programme and it has been moved to Programme 6019.

 

Votes 88/40, 88/41, 88/42, 88/43, 88/44, 88/46, 88/48, 88/49, 88/51, 88/52, 88/53, 88/55 and 88/56 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 90/01 – (Office of the PresidentLusaka ProvinceHeadquarters – K12,081,394).

 

Mr Mutelo: Madam Chairperson, …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mutelo: May I be protected?

 

Interruptions

 

The First Chairperson: You are protected but I think that protest is just an indication that we have a lot of business ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The First Chairperson: …and that you need to be considerate about the fact that we have been sitting here the whole the day. You may proceed and ask your question.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mutelo: Madam Chairperson, I am not protected.

 

The First Chairperson: No, you are protected.

 

Mr Mutelo: I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

The First Chairperson: You are protected and that is why I am asking you to continue.

 

Mr Mutelo: No, Madam Chairperson.

 

Interruptions

 

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

 

Interruptions

 

The First Chairperson: There is no one on the Floor, Hon. Nkombo. So, you cannot raise a point of order.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Lufuma: Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 6001, Activity 003, Office Administration – K1,654,753. Office Administration in Lusaka has been increased threefold. What activities under this Office Administration have prompted this drastic increment?

 

Mr Mwakalombe: Madam Chairperson, this allocation will be used to meet office operation costs. The increase is due to increased coordination and synergies between administration and the eights districts.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Votes 90/01, 90/02, 90/03, 90/04, 90/08, 90/09, 90/16, 90/18, 90/19, 90/23, 90/24, 90/ 25, 90/40, 90/41, 90/42, 90/43, 90/44, 90/46, 90/48, 90/49, 90/51, 90/52, 90/53, 90/55, 91/01, 91/02, 91/03, 91/04, 91/09, 91/16, 91/17, 91/18, 91/19, 91/23, 91/24, 91/25, 91/35 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 91/36 – (Office of the PresidentCopperbelt ProvinceMeteorological Department – K767,336).

 

Mr Lufuma: Madam Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 6002, Activity 007 – Independence Day – K1000, Activity 012 – Public Service Day – K1000. What sort of event can be celebrated on K1000? I would like to find out what the celebrations will be.

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Chairperson, could he please repeat the question?

 

The First Chairperson: It is Page1629, Programme 6002, Activity 007 – Independence Day – K1000, Activity 012 – Public Service Day – K1000. The question is: ‘What activities will be undertaken in such a small amount of money?’

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Chairperson, on Programme 6002, Activity 007 – Independence Day – K1000 and Activity 012 – Public Service Day – K1000, other ministries and departments have budgeted for these activities.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Members: Awe!

 

Hon. PF Members: Well-done.

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Minister for the Copperbelt, there is an allocation of K1000. Whether the other departments have planned or not, indicate to the House what activities will be undertaken in this K1000. That is all. Just give the activity.

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Chairperson, on Programme 6002, Activity 007 – Independence Day – K1000 and Activity 012 – Public Service Day – K1000 are shared costs. The provisions are necessary to meet cost towards the Public Service Day and Independence Day Celebrations.

 

Madam Chairperson, I thank you.

 

Vote 91/36, 91/40, 91/41 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 91/42 – (Copperbelt Province – Resettlement Department – K1,192,307).

 

Hon. Government Members: Sit down, iwe!

 

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 6024, Activity 008 – Monitoring and Evaluation – Nil, why is there no allocation?

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Chairperson, the programme has been catered for under provincial administration.

 

The First Chairperson: Have gotten the activity number?

 

It is monitoring and evaluation.

 

Mr Lusambo: Yes, Madam.

 

Mr Mubukwanu: Yes, it correct.

 

You are fine.

 

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 6002 Events all those activities outlined under this programme, if we are serious about austerity measures, why are we allowing ourselves to allocate money to events instead of just cancelling them?

 

Hon. Government Members: Mm!

 

The First Chairperson: So, you actually do not have a question for clarification.

 

Mr Lufuma: Madam Chairperson, the question is what are you going to buy in K1,000 or K2,000 to have a successful events?

Hon. Government Members: Question!

 

Interruptions

 

The First Chairperson: Before the hon. Minister for the Copperbelt Province answers, hon. Members, the last days, like today, always bring the best and the worst out of us. Especially if, because it is the last day then you go around, I do not know is it open?

 

Hon. Members: Yes!

 

The First Chairperson: It is open?

 

Hon. Members: Which place?

 

The First Chairperson: The coffee place is open?

 

Hon. Members: Yes.

 

The First Chairperson: The one behind the building here.

 

Hon. Members: Yes!

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Mulenga: Hence their reactions!

 

The First Chairperson: If you have visited the coffee place, and you have come back energised…

 

Laughter

 

The First Chairperson: I would like to suggest that maybe a nap…

 

Hon. Members: But where?

 

The First Chairperson: Just away from the House and then come back after the nap so that you allow us to continue with the Business.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Nkombo: He did not even hear you.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Chairperson, the activities have been cost shared by other departments.

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

Votes 91/42, 91/43, 91/44, 91/45…

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Members, order in the House.

 

Hon. Ngulube: Continue.

 

Laughter

 

… 91/46, 91/47, 91/48, 91/49, 91/50, 91/51, 91/52, 91/53, 91/54, 91/55, 92/01, 92/02, 92/03, 92/08, 92/09, 92/16, 92/17, 92/18, 92/19, 92/23, 92/24, 92/25, 92/26, 92/36, 92/37, 92/40, 92/41, 92/42, 92/43, 92/44, 92/45, 92/46, 92/47, 92/48, 92/49, 92/51, 92/52, 92/53, 92/54, 93/01, 93/02, 93/03, 93/04, 93/09, 93/16, 93/17, 93/18, 93/19, 93/23, 19/24, 93/25, 19/35, 93/36, 93/40, 93/41, 93/42, 93/43, 93/44, 93/46, 93/48, 93/49, 93/51, 93/52, 93/53, 93/55, 93/56, 94/01 and 94/02 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 94/03 – (Office of the PresidentWestern ProvinceRural Roads – Nil).

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Minister, can you explain why this particular Vote has not allocation?

 

Mr Mubukwanu: Madam Chairperson, the activity has been moved to the Zambia National Service (ZNS).

 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

 

Votes 94/03, 94/09, 94/16, 94/17, 94/18, 94/19, 94/23, 94/24, 94/25, 94/35, 94/36, 94/40, 94/41, 94/42, 94/43, 94/44, 94/46, 94/47, 94/48, 94/49, 94/51, 9452, 94/53, 94/54, 94/55 …

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

… 95/01, 95/02, 95/03, 95/04, 95/09, 95/16, 95/17, 95/18, 95/19, 95/23, 95/24, 95/25, 95/35, 95/36, 95/40, 95/41, 95/42, 95/43, 95/44 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

Mrs Fundanga walked in.

 

Interruptions

 

The First Chairperson: Hon. Members, what is exciting the House?

 

Hon. Members: Coffee shop.

The First Chairperson: Coffee shop?

 

Laughter

 

The First Chairperson: I think that the Whips have something to do. I do not see them, though. They are also at the coffee shop?

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

 Votes 95/46, 95/47, 95/48, 95/49, 95/51, 95/52, 95/53, 95/55, 96/01, 96/02, 96/03, 96/04, 96/09, 96/16, 96/17, 96/18, 96/19, 96/23, 96/24, 96/25, 96/35, 96/36, 96/40, 96/41, 96/42, 96/43, 96/44, 96/46, 96/47 96/48, 96/49, 96/50, 96/51, 96/52, 96/53, 96/55, 97/01, 97/02, 97/03, 97/09,

97/16, 97/17, 97/18, 97/19, 97/23, 97/24, 97/25, 97/35, 97/36, 97/40, 97/41, 97/42, 97/43, 97/44, 97/46, 97/47 and 97/48, 97/49, 97/51, 97/52, 96/53, 97/54, 97/58 and 98/01 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 98/02 – (Office of the PresidentSouthern ProvinceZambia News and Information Services Department – K4,071,780)

 

Ms Chonya (Kafue): Madam Chairperson, allow me to ask this question or make this observation.

 

The First Chairperson: No, ask your question and no observations.

 

Ms Chonya: Oh, I thought you said any debate that is why.

 

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

 

Ms Chonya: I just want to comment on General Administration on page 1895 …

 

The First Chairperson: You cannot comment, ask a question.

 

Ms Chonya: Alright, my question is: Are we going to manage run these offices in Southern Province if you look at Programme 6001 – General Administration, where a number of offices have been allocated K10,500 for the whole year which translates into about K1,000 per month to run an office.

 

The First Chairperson: What is the question?

 

Ms Chonya: So, the question is: How realistic are these figures because I am comparing, for instance, with Luapula Province where there is K70,000 allocated per year compared to the K10,500, against Southern Province Vote.

 

The First Chairperson: Ms Chonya, at a time like this, the questions expected of you are such as: What are the activities, that is an example. So that the Minister can respond according to the briefs he has. Or why have reduced or increased the allocation so that the he can explain. When you start fishing and comparing with Luapula Province, I have difficulties in asking the Minister to respond.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Chonya: I was saying it will be realistic to run the offices …

 

The First Chairperson: Are you still speaking?

 

Ms Chonya: My question was how realistic are we in expecting to run an office on K1,000? Or to put in your words, can the hon. Minister tell us what activities he will run for the whole year in K10,500 to run a district office?

 

The First Chairperson: Ms Chonya, you will note that in 2016 the allocation was the same. So, it is very difficult to answer because there has been no adjustment to this particular allocation.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Vote 98/02, 98/03, 98/04, 98/09, 98/16, 98/17, 98/18, 98/19, 98/23, 98/24, 98/25, 98/36, 98/40,

98/41, 98/42, 98/43, 98/44, 98/45, 98/46, 98/48, 98/49, 98/51, 98/52, 98/54 and 98/55 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

VOTE 99 – (Constitutional and Statutory Expenditure – K11,561,537,938).

 

The Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Madam Chairperson, the Ministry of Finance remains committed to the effective and efficient coordination of economic management, resource mobilisation and management to ensure transparency and accountability in fostering national development.

 

Madam Chairperson, as I indicated in my budget address, the Seventh National Development Plan is poised to give greater impetus to economic diversification through focusing on development programmes which include agriculture, energy, industrialisation, tourism and mining.

 

Madam Chairperson, the Government plans to finance the growth-critical programmes needed to foster economic diversification through a mix of financing options. These include the use of own resources, concessional and non-concessional borrowing and Public Private Partnerships (PPP).

 

Madam Chairperson, the Ministry of Finance will begin to implement strong debt management measures in 2017 aimed at effectively controlling expenditure under Head 99. It is under this head that the constitutional and statutory expenditure are provided for in this Budget. Total expenditure of K11,561,537,938 has been provided to cater for external and domestic debt service during 2017. Also provided for under this head is an allocation of K95 million in respect to contingencies.

 

Madam Chairperson, Zambia’s policy on public debt management will be anchored on debt management strategies. The overall objective is to raise adequate resources of financing on behalf of the Government at minimum cost and risk to ensure debt sustainability. Further, our country’s public debt has increased to levels which require enhanced focus on ensuring dept sustainability. In order to ensure debt sustainability, the Government intends to undertake the following measures:

 

  1. develop and implement a robust Medium Term Debt Management Strategy in 2017. The strategy will guide Government in coming up with an optimal composition of public debt;

 

  1. undertake a Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) in February 2017 as a sound debt management practice to assess the sustainability of the country’s current and future debt levels;

 

  1. harmonise the various pieces legislation that govern debt management in order to address the weakness in the current laws and introduce new provisions that will strengthen the management of debt in the country;

 

  1. rationalise capital expenditure through appropriate financing structures such PPPs and joint ventures; and

 

  1. ensure fiscal consolidation to maintain deficits at sustainable levels, avoid recourse to external non-concessional borrowing and improve domestic revenue collection.

 

Madam Chairperson, as regards domestic borrowing, the Government will continue to issue Government securities in the domestic financial market in order to raise funds at competitive interest rates.

 

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutati: ...I wish to reiterate that strengthening debt management will be the key ingredient in our approach in debt policy and strategy.

 

I thank you, Madam.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I thank the House for their unanimous agreement to this vote.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Vote 99/01, 99/02, 99/04 and 99/05 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

GRAND TOTAL – (K64,510,302,308).

 

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment on page 1942, under Grand Total, by the deletion of K64,510,302,308 and the substitution therefor of K64,675,302,308.

 

Amendment agreed to. Grand Total amended accordingly.

 

Grand Total as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

______

 

HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

The Estimates of Expenditure (Including Capital and Constitutional and Statutory Expenditure) for the year 1st January, 2017 to 31st December, 2017 were reported to the House as having passed through Committee with amendments. 

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Report adopted and Mr Speaker appointed the Minister of Finance to be a committee of one to bring in the necessary Bill to give effect to the resolution of the Committee of Supply.

 

BILL

 

FIRST READING

 

THE APPROPRIATION BILL, 2017

 

The following Bill was read for the first time:

 

The Appropriation Bill, 2017

 

Second reading now.

 

SECOND READING

 

THE APPROPRIATION BILL, 2017

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

 

Mr Speaker, the Bill before this House is a culmination of the task that we started in the Committee of Supply when I presented the 2017 Budget to this House on Friday, 11th November, 2016.

 

Mr Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to you for your guidance in the conduct of the Business of the House. Commendations also go to the First Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker who contributed significantly to the smooth conduct of the Business of the House. Let me also recognise the contributions made by the Leader of Government Business for ensuring that the House was always adequately organised for the business.

 

Sir, I also wish to thank the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the valuable support rendered throughout the debate on this Motion. I would also like to thank the hon. Members for the valuable contributions and suggestions. This has been noted and where possible, we will see how best we can consider them in future Budgets.

 

Mr Speaker, I also wish to take this opportunity to thank our co-operating partners that have contributed to the support rendered to the Government. Resources channeled through the Budget from our co-operating partners are a clear indication of the faith of our co-operating partners that they have in the development objectives of the Government.

 

Mr Speaker, as this House finished the Business today in approving the 2017 Budget, one major and important task ahead of us is the implementation and execution of the Budget so that the theme of the Budget Address can be realised. I am aware that the success of the Budget depends on the realisation of the Estimates of Revenue to fund expenditure programmes. It is with the foregoing that my ministry will ensure that revenues are collected to appropriate levels and timely disbursed to the Ministries, Provinces and Spending Agencies (MPSAs) so that the programmes approved by this august House are implemented. This however, will not be the end in itself as greater effort must be made in ensuring that the MPSAs utilise the money given to them in an appropriate manner.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry will implement structural changes as I announced before to ensure proper management and accountability of public resources.

 

Mr Speaker, may I, at this point in time, remind my hon. Colleagues that they have a pivotal role to play in overseeing the implementation of programmes contained in the 2017 Budget. I also challenge other stakeholders and individual Zambians to take keen interest in the development of our country. I, therefore, call on them to partner with the Government in monitoring development programmes contained in the 2017 Budget. Successful implementation of these programmes will indeed improve service delivery to our people.

 

Mr Speaker, with regard to a number of Budget issues that have come up during the current Session of Parliament, the Government, through my ministry, has taken note of them and hopes to address some of them in future Budgets.

 

Mr Speaker, with regard to the tax measures for 2017, the Government had to carefully balance the demand for tax relief and the dictates of national development programmes. I wish to inform this august House that it is the objective of this Government to broaden the tax base. I, therefore, challenge the citizenry to be compliant to their tax obligations. Citizens with progressive minds and ideas on broadening of the tax base should also come forward with proposals for analysis and possible implementation. In this way, the treasury will have extra resources at its disposal for the development of the country.

 

Mr Speaker, lastly, I wish to thank, once again, my hon. Colleagues for the contributions in debating the Motion of Supply which I laid before this House on Friday, 11th November, 2016 and for their support. I am also grateful for your Committee’s thorough report which brought out a number of issues which we have taken note of. This Government will consider a number of these issues in subsequent Budgets.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the House for the unanimous support.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chibanda: Ema Minister, aya!

 

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

 

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

 

Committee now.

 

________

 

HOUSE IN COMMITTEE

 

[THE FIRST CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

THE APPROPRIATION BILL, 2016

 

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

 

First and Second Schedules ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Title agreed to.

 

________

 

HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

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

 

The Appropriation Bill, 2016.

 

Third Reading now.

THIRD READING

 

The following Bill was read a third time and passed:

 

The Appropriation Bill, 2016

 

_______________

 

MOTION

 

ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE

 

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

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

____________

 

The House adjourned accordingly at 2342 hours on Wednesday, 21st December, 2016, sine die.