Tuesday, 28th February, 2017

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Tuesday, 28th February, 2017

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MR SPEAKER

 

ACTING LEADER OF GOVERNMENT IN THE HOUSE

 

Mr Speaker: I wish to inform the House that in the absence of Her Honour the Vice-President, who is attending to other Government Business, the hon. Chief Whip, Mr Richard Musukwa, MP, has been appointed Acting Leader of Government Business in the House …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: … from today, Tuesday, 28th February, 2017 until further notice.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

DELEGATION FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF BURUNDI

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to acquaint the House with the presence, in the Speaker’s Gallery, of the following hon. Members of Parliament and staff from the Burundi National Assembly:

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chabi: Bujumbura!

 

Mr Speaker:

 

Rt. Hon. Pascal Nyabenda, MP, Speaker − Leader of the Delegation

 

Hon. Remegie Bazirahomponyoye, MP

 

Hon. Fabien Banciryanino, MP

 

Hon. Gloriose Ndayizeye, MP

 

Mr Jean Nepos Nicimpaye − Chief of Protocol

 

Mr Dieudonne Niyonzima − Security Officer

 

Mr Richard Ndayisenga − Communication Advisor

 

Mr Venuste Havyarimana – Master

 

Mr Apoppinaire Niyirora – Journalist

 

Mr Jean Bosco Hakizimana – Cameraman

 

Mr Sylvere Bavugamenshi − Political Advisor

 

I wish, on behalf of the National Assembly, to receive our distinguished guests and warmly welcome them to Zambia.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

DELEGATION FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF KENYA

 

Mr Speaker: Thirdly, I wish to acquaint the House with the presence, in the Speaker’s Gallery, of the following hon. Members of Parliament of the Committee on Delegated Legislation from the Parliament of Kenya:

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker:

 

Hon. Joseph Gachoki Gitari, MP − Leader of the Delegation

 

Hon. Jon Murrithi Waiganjo, MP

 

Hon. Augustino Neto Oyugi, MP

 

Hon. Daniel Kitonga Maanzo, MP

 

Hon. Eusilah Ngeny, MP

 

Hon. Elisha Busienei, MP

 

Mr George Gazemba − Senior Clerk Assistant and Secretary to the Delegation

Mr Wilson Dima − Legal Counsel of the Committee

 

I wish, on behalf of the National Assembly, to receive our distinguished guests and warmly welcome them into our midst.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

_______

 

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

 

TAKEOVER OF THE INTERMARKET BANK BY THE BANK OF ZAMBIA

 

The Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Mr Speaker, on 1st December, 2016, I addressed this august House on the repossession of Intermarket Banking Corporation Zambia Limited (IBC). This was pursuant to Section 81 of the Banking and Financial Services Act, Cap 387 of the Laws of Zambia, which empowers the Central Bank to take possession of a financial service provider which is insolvent, unable to meet its financial obligation, consequently posing a threat to the stability of financial systems.

 

Mr Speaker, following the repossession of the IBC, the Bank of Zambia, as required by law, prepared a statement of affairs of the assets and liabilities of the IBC within ninety days and engaged the shareholders to explore modalities for the restoration of the bank’s solvency. I am pleased to inform the august House that the Bank of Zambia has accepted the proposal submitted by the shareholders, as providing a viable basis for a substantive restructuring of the bank. This should lead to the resumption of its operations.

 

Mr Speaker, consequently, the IBC is now taking steps to implement the restructuring plan, as approved by the Bank of Zambia. During the restructuring period, the Bank of Zambia will closely monitor the activities of the bank and the public will be informed in due course regarding the timing of the resumption of its operations. In short, the bank will not be liquidated, …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutati: … but is being restructured so that it meets its obligations, including its capital requirement.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

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

 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for updating the Zambians on the plight of the bank. Does he not think that the bank’s image has been tarnished and has caused a scare among its customers who will not trust it anymore? What measures will be put in place to sustain its operations?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the option of liquidation would have entailed the customers of the bank literally losing all their deposits. In the new arrangement, we are restructuring the shareholding, injecting in capital and bringing back to life the bank in terms of operations and it will be able to take in deposits and give withdrawals. Provided it resumes its normal operations and the customers are given their money, the issue of its image will be secondary because it would be back in business.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has stated the reason behind the suspension of the operations of the Intermarket Banking Corporation Zambia Limited (IBC). Is he aware that the decision of the Government and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to require bank account holders to have a taxpayer’s identification number (TPIN) might affect their deposits, which they intend to withdraw from the banks? What measures will the Government put in place to ensure that this measure does not affect the operations of banks in Zambia?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, a TPIN is a mere identification of a customer. I will issue a comprehensive ministerial statement to outline the advantages of having this number in due course.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for updating the House on the status of the bank. In his last statement concerning the bank, he indicated that the Bank of Zambia had met with the shareholders of the bank on several occasions and that they rendered various proposals on how to save the bank. However, none of them were deemed credible and acceptable. Could the hon. Minister tell the House the key ingredients the shareholders have put on the table to convince the management of the Bank of Zambia that when the bank reopens, its customers will be confident enough to deposit money and not rush to withdraw it?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, indeed, I had informed the House in December, 2016, that various proposals were rendered by the shareholders and, because they did not materialise, the Bank of Zambia took possession of the bank. That meant that the liabilities of the bank were in excess of its assets. Therefore, it was insolvent. In the restructuring exercise that has been undertaken, firstly, the existing shareholders will be in a minority position. Secondly, fresh capital has been injected into the bank for those who may wish to withdraw their money. Thirdly, the new shareholders will tackle the issue of management.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr A. C. Mumba (Kantanshi): Mr Speaker, I would like to draw the hon. Minister’s attention to the fact that the bank’s survival will only be sustained if there is continuous cash flow in the economy. Currently, the cash flow is quite limited because suppliers are not paid on time and, when they are, it is not the actual amounts, meaning that the money deposited in the bank will not be enough. What measures has the ministry put in place to ensure that financial institutions such as the Intermarket Banking Corporation Zambia Limited (IBC) are able to weather their sales through this difficult situation?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I have indicated on the Floor of the House that the Government has been dismantling the arrears to suppliers of goods and services, including contractors. So far, it has paid over K3 billion. That, in part, has eased the liquidity but, last week, the Central Bank made policy pronouncements. Firstly, the liquidity ratio was reduced from 18 per cent to 15 per cent to allow for liquidity. Secondly, the policy rate was reduced from 15.5 per cent to 14 per cent. Thirdly, the overnight lending rates were also reduced from 25 per cent to 20 per cent. The aim of this move was to increase the circulation of cash in the economy not only for the IBC, but also all the financial institutions.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa): Mr Speaker, allow me to thank the hon. Minister for the statement which, I suppose, will put small smiles on the faces of the many depositors whose monies have been held for such a long time. The hon. Minister mentioned the probable restructuring exercise which will take place in the bank. The depositors have been waiting for a long time now. So, I would like to find out how long this exercise will take.

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, firstly, I want to thank the depositors for their patience in the last ninety days that the bank has been in the possession of the Central Bank. With the restructuring programme, the doors of the bank will be opened to customers for normal banking activities, including depositing and withdrawing money, within thirty days. Customers will also be able to have the issue of the TPIN, which is not a tax, addressed.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Amb. Malanji (Kwacha): Mr Speaker, a year or so ago, the Central Bank revised the Statutory Reserve Deposit by all banks. In view of what has happened to the Intermarket Bank Corporation Zambia Limited, have all the banks adhered to the new regulations?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I indicated that the reserve ratio has been revised from 18 per cent to 15 per cent. The policy rate has also been revised from 15.5 per cent to 14 per cent. These are directives from the Central Bank, which has continued to engage the banks so that the revision of rates can be passed on to the customers by way of the reduction in the cost of money.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Mr Speaker, I note that the Government is coming up with solutions to problems. This is a good management practice. Does the Government think that the financial legislation is sufficient to manage the sector so that other banks do not find themselves in similar a situation as Intermarket Bank Corporation Zambia Limited (IBC)?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, we will bring to the House amendments to the Banking and Financial Services Act to take into account the issues that have been raised. This is aimed at strengthening and stabilising the financial sector so that there is prudent management of customers’ deposits.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Mbulakulima (Milenge): Mr Speaker, the major shareholders of the bank in issue were basically from one country. Following the restructuring that the hon. Minister has mentioned, how diverse is the shareholding? Will the Zambians be allowed to participate in the shareholding?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the Bank of Zambia will announce the composition of the new shareholders of the bank within thirty days.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the closure of any bank raises the issue of credibility, and that is what is exercising the minds of the people. Should we have to wait for thirty days before we are told who the majority shareholders are and what the level of capital injection into the bank is? Why can this not be done as soon as possible?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Professor for that deep question. Credibility will come about when there are credible solutions to the problem. We have placed on the table a credible solution to the plight of the bank as well as its customers. We want the Central Bank to make a comprehensive statement on the composition of the shareholders, levels of new capital investment and the governance structure so that credibility is enhanced. Thirty days is the upper limit. It may be done earlier than that because, at the moment, the bank is solvent.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Ngulube (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister confirm if Zambia’s financial sector has not been tarnished by this decision. Could he also confirm whether the Central Bank was negligent in the manner it monitored the bank. Could the hon. Minister confirm if the customers will be compensated for failure to access to their cash during the period the Central Bank was in possession of the bank?

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I would like to remind you that you are only limited to one question. Please, let us observe the practice.

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, on 1st December last year, I mentioned that the size of the bank, relative to the financial sector, was 0.01 per cent and was, therefore, insignificant in the context of the financial sector. The Bank of Zambia took possession of the bank, having worked with the shareholders who committed themselves to creating solutions which did not work. For that reason, the Bank of Zambia took possession of the bank. As regards the operations and monies held in the ninety days, normal banking operations will apply when the bank reopens.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, insolvency is what led to the Central Bank taking over Intermarket Banking Corporation Zambia Ltd. If I got the hon. Minister correctly, he said that the only way to keep the bank’s doors open was to restructure the shareholding.

 

Sir, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister whether the old structure of the shareholding was the cause of the insolvency. Now that there has been restructuring, does it mean that certain shareholders have been removed from the operations of the bank, and were there any criminal elements in the old structure?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, indeed, the bank was closed because of insolvency. Simply put, the assets of the bank were less than the liabilities. The restructuring of the shareholding means that the current shareholders will become the minority and not the majority shareholders. This is what I indicated in my statement.

 

Secondly, fresh capital has been injected into the bank to ensure that it is no longer insolvent. At the moment, the bank has surplus cash.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: There was the aspect of criminality in the question, hon. Minister.

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the issue of negligence, whether criminal or otherwise, will be dealt with within the context of the Banking and Financial Services Act.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Musonda (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, in one of his responses, the hon. Minister mentioned that to date, the Government has liquidated about K3 billion from the debt stock that it has with suppliers and contractors of roads. Is he able to share with us what percentage of the K3 billion is t the total debt stock so that we know how well we are moving?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, our debt levels in terms of arrears to contractors and suppliers is in excess of K12 billion. So, what has been paid is 25 per cent of the arrears and we will continue to pay out.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Jamba (Mwembezhi): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister said that capital has been injected into Intermarket Banking Corporation Zambia Ltd. The credible solution for a depositor is to withdraw the money immediately the doors of the bank are open ...

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Jamba: … and not deposit cash anymore. What has been done to ensure that this does not happen in ordered to keep the bank from running out of money immediately the doors open?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, simply put, solvency means that assets are more than liabilities. So, even if people withdraw their money, the bank’s position will still be positive. We are not worried about people withdrawing their money. However, we also expect that people who have dealt with the bank will continue to deposit their money.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

 

Mr Mutati: Should they decide to withdraw their money, there will still be no insolvency.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kakubo (Kapiri Mposhi): Mr Speaker, my concern is on the staff complement of the Intermarket Banking Corporation Zambia Ltd.  In his statement, the hon. Minister mentioned that the bank will resume operations soon. Is he in a position to confirm whether there are any expected job losses or will the entire staff complement report for work and operate normally?

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, our first task, which has been accomplished, was to open the bank. The second task is for the shareholders to put in place a management team, and this will be done within thirty days. The third task will be for management to operate the bank. As the Government, we do not indulge in physical operations. Our task is simply to create solutions which include opening the bank.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Mr Speaker, it is very clear that the reserve ratio was just too high. I am glad that it has now been revised to 15 per cent which I still think is too high.

 

Hon. Minister, I expect the bank to operate once its doors are opened. Even though the hon. Minister has explained the situation, going by the question by the hon. Member for Mwembezhi, I still believe that he needs to explain further on how he intends to –

 

Mr Ngulube: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to rise on a point of order. My point of order is on the hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Child Development. Is the hon. Minister in order to remain quiet when the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is not airing live the on-going Confederation of African Football (CAF) Under-20 Championship as per its promise?

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that I will give the hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Child Development an opportunity to respond to that point of order, not later than Thursday this week.

 

Hon. Member for Zambezi East, you may proceed.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambita: Mr Speaker, owing to the reputation of the bank, it is expected that it will resume its operations the day the bank will open its doors to the public for obvious reasons. I would like to find out the measures the Government has put in place to attract further deposits into the bank under such circumstances.

 

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, we should not be skeptical and cause alarm. I have already said that there is enough money. Therefore, there is no need for the debate on the bank to run on because the money is available. I would like to call upon the depositors and other clients that have transactions with the bank to support its operations. I, therefore, do not anticipate the on the bank to run on because we have sufficient money in the bank.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, I have also permitted the hon. Minister of Local Government to render a ministerial statement.

 

Mr Mwale rose.

 

Hon. Members: CDF, CDF!

 

IMPLEMENTATION OF “THE KEEP ZAMBIA CLEAN CAMPAIGN” AND STATE OF DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN CITIES

 

The Minister of Local Government (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for another opportunity to render a ministerial statement.

 

 

Sir, I wish to submit the progress report regarding the implementation of the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign” …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mwale: … and the challenges that have been faced. I will also comment on the state of the drainage system in the cities in Zambia.

 

Hon. Members: Ah!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Proceed, hon. Minister.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I will first deal with the progress on the remedial measures in the “Keep Zambia Campaign”. The following clean-up activities are being undertaken as part of the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign” in the immediate term:

 

  1. the local authorities have continued to enforce Statutory Instrument No. 100 of 2011 which compels residents and institutions to take responsibility for the waste they produce;

 

  1. the Government is procuring seven skip loader trucks and forty-nine skip bins valued at about K7.2 million for cities and municipalities in the 2017 National Budget. In addition, local authorities, particularly city councils and municipalities, procured additional refuse collection equipment at an estimated cost of K4.3 million from their own budgets;

 

  1. following the directive to observe national cleaning days in 2016, my ministry, with the help of the private sector, is ensuring that every afternoon of the first Friday of every month is reserved for cleaning up our premises and surroundings;

 

  1. local authorities have continued to increase the involvement of the private sector in supporting flagship campaigns. For instance, Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) on the Copperbelt donated bins to Chililabombwe Municipal Council, that are used in the cleaning up activities. Zambian Breweries Plc, in conjunction with Lusaka City Council, has started a recycling project called ‘Manja Pamodzi’ to help clean up post consumer packaging waste. The initiative will be rolled out to all districts in the country;

 

  1. my ministry, in conjunction with the councils and other key stakeholders, such as the United Street Venders Foundation, Marketeers and Community Structures, is relocating street venders to designated market and trading areas in order to improve garbage collection and general cleanliness of their surroundings. This strategy is initially being applied in Livingstone, Kitwe, Ndola and Chililabombwe towns and will later be extended to other affected towns;

 

  1. local authorities, particularly on the Copperbelt, in conjunction with the Zambia National Service (ZNS) and the Zambia Correctional Services (ZCS), stepped up the removal of accumulated waste and unblocking of drainage systems in the communities;

 

  1. my ministry is developing a public media awareness campaign to sensitise the Zambian citizenry on responsible waste management and cleaning up work places and community surroundings. The programme was supposed to be aired on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) in the second quarter of 2016, but will now be aired in the second quarter of 2017; and

 

  1. my ministry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, is formulating a National Water Supply Sanitation and Solid Waste Policy to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for the efficient and effective provision of water supply, sanitation and solid waste management in Zambia. The development process or policy formulation has reached an advanced stage; and

 

  1. my ministry, in conjunction with the Lusaka City Council (LCC), is seeking to establish a waste-to-energy plant under the public-private-partnership (PPP) arrangement in Lusaka to ensure a clean and healthy environment and contribute to minimising the energy deficit. The process of engaging a developer is at procurement stage. This will later be scaled up to the Copperbelt, where the process of undertaking a feasibility study has started using a grant from a Finnish private sector developer amounting to US$300,000.

 

Mr Speaker, let me now turn to the challenges in the implementation of the “Keep Zambia Clean” Campaign which are:

 

  1. inadequate enforcement of statutes that govern the implementation of solid waste management;

 

  1. increase in waste generation and complexity of waste streams associated with urbanisation, economic growth and increased affluence. This requires more investment in the sector for local authorities to manage waste efficiently;

 

  1. inadequate waste management equipment and infrastructure such as engineered sanitary landfills for final disposal and treatment of solid waste;

 

  1. inadequate private sector involvement and financing in the subsector;

 

  1. inadequate human and financial capacities in local authorities to provide solid waste management service delivery;

 

  1. weak institutional framework for solid waste that is characterised by the absence of waste management units with the exception of major cities;
  2. poor adherence to responsible waste management disposal practices; and

 

  1. a lack of willingness or ability by waste producers (citizens) to pay for waste collection services in areas where both the local authorities and private companies operate.

 

Mr Speaker, let me now highlight some of the measures my ministry will put in place in the near future to adequately deal with the issues of solid waste management in the country. These are:

 

  1. developing public media awareness campaigns to sensitise the Zambians about cleaning their surroundings, workplace areas and communities. Subject to the availability of funds, my ministry desires to flood the media with campaign messages and sustain this to achieve behavioural change;

 

  1. develop a sustained financing mechanism to ensure that there is a pool of finances set aside for solid waste management. This can be done through tariff bundling with other utility bills. It will ensure efficient and effective solid waste management services. Funds can also be raised through a waste tax. Discussions will be held to come up with the most user-friendly mechanism in line with the-polluter-pays principle highlighted in the Environmental Management Act;

 

  1. encourage the implementation of new technologies like generation of energy from waste;

 

  1. along with the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), finalise the development of the extended producer responsibility regulations to ensure that all entities that import or manufacture materials are held accountable for the environmental liabilities their product may cause;

 

  1. endeavour to build capacity in its implementing agencies to improve service delivery. Further, the ministry will develop strategies to deal with the emerging issues of electronic waste;

 

  1. issue a new statutory instrument on matters relating to making Zambia clean and solid waste management to all local authorities to direct them to develop by-laws and enforce State laws that govern waste management in their areas of jurisdiction; and

 

  1. leverage support form crosscutting matters like climate change, as poor solid waste management contributes to climate change.

 

The challenges and opportunities faced by the campaign cannot be addressed without a collective approach and involvement of a broad range of stakeholders in the implementation. In this respect, we will continue strengthening public sensitisation, inspection, enforcement and partnerships with the private sector and civil society organisations. I wish to urge my fellow Parliamentarians to each help spread the message in their constituencies on the need for each constituent to take responsibility for the waste he/she generates and ensure that it is reduced, reused, recycled or disposed of in a proper manner.

 

Mr Speaker, as the House may be aware, flooding in our cities has been a topical issue, especially in the current rainy season. The Ministry of Local Government, through delegated functions to local authorities, is charged with the task of managing urban and feeder roads in the country. This also includes associated road infrastructure such as drainage systems. The cities of Ndola, Lusaka, Kitwe, Livingstone and Chipata have on-going drainage-related works. Drainage has mainly become a problem during the rainy season with most affected areas being in the City of Lusaka. The budgetary constraints over the years have made it difficult for cities to adequately deal with the drainage problems, which leads to flooding in some areas.

 

Sir, drainage system works are at different stages and the following are the on-going projects and activities within the cities:

 

  1. Lusaka

 

In Lusaka, there is the Chawama drainage system which stretches from Chawama Clinic to Kuku Market, including the installation of two major crossings and seven minor access points. The project is at 66 per cent. We have also embarked on the improvement of drainage channels from the National Heroes Stadium to Chunga River. This is an on-going annual routine maintenance programme. There is the improvement of drainage channels in Chamba Valley, Zambia Air Force (ZAF) and Hybrid areas, which are all north of Kaunda Square, and Chainda Compound. This is an ongoing annual routine maintenance programme.

 

There is also the Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage Project. This is a 30 km-primary drainage network, feeding into Ngwerere stream and the drainage from Libala, Kabwata, Kamwala, Fairview, Northmead, Garden, Chipata and Mazyopa residential areas. This is sponsored by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). The progress on this project is at 40 per cent. Other routine maintenance road works on road side drainage systems throughout the city are ongoing.

 

  1. Ndola

 

the city council is currently carrying out drainage clearing activities in wards on a small-scale due to insufficient funds. The council is also attending to drainages in the central business district (CBD) and other critical areas around the city. Under the Copperbelt 400 km Road Project (C 400), the council intends to redesign most of the drainage systems in the city, particularly the CBD.

 

  1. Kitwe

 

the council has engaged workers in all the twenty-eight wards to de-silt the drainage system. Further, community engagement has been done in each ward using the Ward Development Fund (WDF) to de-silt the drains. In Livingstone, the council is carrying out routine maintenance works on drainage systems in the city, but with constrained budgetary provisions.

 

Mr Speaker, all the cities all the cities are faced with similar challenges in relation to drainage. The most common ones are:

 

  1. structures, mostly illegal ones, have been built on top of drains;

 

  1. most of the drainages in the CBDs are underground and usually pose a challenge to councils due to a lack of appropriate equipment for cleaning such as pressure jets;

 

  1. cities have grown in population whilst infrastructure development has not grown at the same rate; and

 

  1. garbage collection is still a challenge, with residents and business houses indiscriminately dumping garbage into the drains.

 

Mr Speaker, lastly, my ministry is addressing the challenges being faced by the “Keep Zambia Clean” Campaign and poor drainage systems in the cities with a view to realising the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, of ensuring that our cities and towns join the league of smart cities of the world in the next five to ten years. In line with His Excellency the President’s vision, my ministry is resolutely committed to promoting and maintaining a clean and healthy environment for all Zambians.

 

Mr Speaker, it is our hope that when constituencies begin to get their Constituency Development Fund (CDF), once the Bill is tabled, hon. Members will help us attend to some of the problems. The said Bill will probably be tabled next week or so.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ngulube: Ndiye ma Minister, aya.

 

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

 

Ms Mwashingwele (Katuba): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister spoke about the Environmental Management Act and, if I heard him correctly, he also spoke about the recycling of solid waste being ably managed. Is the hon. Minister expecting this to be done at household level or is it the responsibility of the Government to see to it that recycling is actually done properly?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, it is the responsibility of the Government to create an enabling environment so that the private sector and individuals who have the capacity and capability can engage in recycling without difficulties. At the moment, the Government is in talks with companies from different countries that are interested in setting up plants to recycle waste.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I heard the hon. Minister make pronouncements pertaining to the assistance and measures that are being put in place in cities and municipalities. The hon. Minister must be aware that city and municipal councils are supposed to be financially sound and be able to provide public services. However, I have not heard the hon. Minister mention the measures being put in place to ensure that other district councils are assisted in the same way that city and municipal councils are being assisted.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the Central Government will endeavour to ensure that all the 106bm local councils across the country receive support from it. One way in which this is being done is by increasing the allocation to the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF) which is sent to the local councils. This has been done this year. In fact, I received feedback from some councils this morning confirming that their allocation has gone up.

 

Mr Speaker, as the Government, we will continue to give this kind of support. However, you will agree with me that this problem is bigger in cities than it is in other municipalities. We want to deal with this problem in the cities before we can get down to municipalities that are equally faced with this challenge. However, we will model the help that we give to other municipalities on what we will do in the cities. We cannot direct all our resources to smaller councils with a smaller problem before we can deal with the huge challenge we have in Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, Livingstone and other major towns. I, however, emphasise that the Government is giving support to all the councils through the LGEF.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Kasandwe (Bangweulu): Mr Speaker, in 2013, the Lusaka City Council (LCC) split Lusaka District into ten zones for purposes of managing waste. Some contractors were given this responsibility on behalf of the local government. However, despite contracts being awarded to about seven companies to manage waste in Lusaka District, the town is still dirty. Would the hon. Minister, therefore, say whether this programme has achieved its objective or not?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I cannot say that we have achieved the objective of the programme. There have never been finances dedicated towards solid waste management in the country. Countries that have succeeded in dealing with waste have done it in such a way that the waste disposal programme generates revenue which is used to implement the programme. There has to be some levy to deal with this issue. As I highlighted in my statement, the LCC is thinking about different ways in which it can raise money. For instance, it is thinking of introducing a talk time levy or a tariff that can be bundled with water bills. Once it comes up with one final idea, we will use it to raise money which will be invested in the solid waste management programme. In the past, this programme has not succeeded because there was no revenue dedicated to it.

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister’s statement has not given me much hope. I believe that you cannot climb a tree from the leaves. You have to go on a trunk to climb a tree. In his statement, the hon. Minister spoke about the lack of engineered landfills and his Government’s intention to buy support equipment for refuse collection. Does he not think that he would do better if he provided the municipalities and cities with engineered landfills? It becomes easy to recycle garbage when it is put in designated landfills. The only landfill we have in Chunga has now stopped functioning and refuse is now finding itself back into the community.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, maybe, this is a question of which comes first, an egg or a chicken? At the moment, we seem to have landfills that are not properly engineered. In future, we should try to set up proper landfills. Having a proper landfill is not just about having bare land for refuse disposal. There is a difference between a dumpsite and a landfill. A dumpsite is where you dispose of refuse which should not be kept there for too long because the fluids contained therein will contaminate underground water. A proper landfill is supposed to be rubberised. However, that has not been done with the existing landfills. In future, we should endeavour to do that. However, this should not stop us from using the landfills that are already in existence. What we need to do is think of how we can empty those landfills. Maybe, we should burn the refuse and generate electricity from it or recycle part of it into paper or plastic. In short, we have to use the landfills that are in existence by emptying and re-engineering them to acceptable standards. When we create new landfills, we will consider mechanising.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Phiri (Kanyama): Mr Speaker, Kanyama seems not to have benefitted from the drainage systems which are being built in the city. I heard the hon. Minister mention the areas where the Millennium Challenge Account is working on some drainage systems. Why is Kanyama not a beneficiary when it is part of the city?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, in the current phase, Kanyama has not been catered for, but the council still has the responsibility of providing drainage systems in Kanyama. The Millennium Challenge Account is being financed by our co-operating partner, the American Government, and we agreed on where the drains were to be erected. There is a chance that the American Government may render further assistance, but I cannot talk about that at the moment. The council is capable of providing drainage systems that are required in Kanyama and we can explore that avenue.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, the “Keep Zambia Clean” Campaign is a misnomer and is totally inaccurate because it is an urban programme, as it does not apply to areas such as Chipangali, Kanchibiya, Kalabo, Nalikwanda and many other rural constituencies. Our towns are filthy and unacceptably unpleasant because of the people in the urban areas. That is the way the people in the rural areas that we represent look at urban problems that are large amounts of money at their expense. When will the hon. Minister change this misnomer and focus more on keeping our cities and towns clean? When will the hon. Minister make the local authorities in the urban areas, which are incompetent as far as cleanliness of their environments is concerned, address this problem which is specific to urban areas and not rural areas?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I talked about tariff bundling and the need to incorporate a levy for refuse collection in water bills ...

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

 

Mr Mwale: ... so that someone in Chipangali will not have to pay the levy because solid waste in the CBD of Lusaka is not his/her problem. We will apportion the punishment, if we can call it that, to those who generate waste. In my statement, I said that we will push the responsibility of disposing of waste to companies like the Zambian Breweries Plc and others which manufacture bottles so that materials that are non-biodegradable and can survive fifty years without decomposing are taken care of by the companies that must be part of the solution. On Monday mornings, most of the bins in Northmead and Kabwata, among others, are full of Mosi, Castle and Black Label bottles. That is why Zambian Breweries must be part of the solution. We are pushing the problem back to those who are part of it.

 

Sir, let us not be too comfortable in thinking that this is an urban problem because an area like Chipangali, in a rural area, is now developing. Therefore, as a Government, we must ensure that we put mechanisms in place that ensure that people have a system of dealing with solid waste as this area gets urbanised.

 

Mr Speaker, let me also take advantage of this opportunity to mention that there is also a component of electronic waste that we may be ignoring at the moment. For instance, in Chipangali, there are many people who have small cellular phones. When the batteries of the phones die, they are disposed of anyhow, yet they can cause cancer. Therefore, we are also trying to think of solutions for both rural and urban areas. Nevertheless, I agree with the hon. Member that this is an urban problem and we have to find solutions that suit urban areas. That is exactly what we are doing.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Jere (Livingstone): Mr Speaker, year in and year out, we experience blockages of drainage systems and manholes mainly because of the usage of plastic bags. If one goes to another country, there is a cost attached to the plastic bag. Does the hon. Minister have any plans of formulating a policy to compel traders to use paper bags instead of plastic bags?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President made pronouncements to this effect when he addressed Parliament. I wish to inform the House that processes are underway to make sure that this Government bans the use of plastic bags.

 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister made reference to the usage of the Ward Development Fund (WDF) that the City of Kitwe is using to deal with certain issues as regards the drainage system and sanitation. Is the hon. Minister in a position to inform the House and the nation the last time the WDF was disbursed?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I am not in a position to answer that question, but I am aware that Kitwe City Council uses some of its revenue as the Ward Development Fund (WDF). Maybe, the question should have been: How much of the CDF will go towards the WDF? I do not know what comes from the council. I am not in a position to tell, but I can avail the House with an answer at some point.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Kintu (Solwezi East): Mr Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister admitted that one of the areas of weakest for local authorities is enforcement of laws. I know that this country has very good laws, but the problem has been enforcement. We would not talk about local authorities if laws were being enforced. What strategies has the Government put in place to ensure that laws work for the councils?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, it is a problem to enforce some of the laws that we, the hon. Members of Parliament, make. As I highlighted in my statement, one of the things that we intend to do is conduct sensitisation programmes. Sometimes, people do not follow laws because they are not aware of them. We want to make sure that we intensify campaigns, through the media, of the laws that we tell people about. For example, it is not allowed to leave a heap of solid waste in front of one’s house or office or let the grass outgrow the front of one’s house or office. If people are fully aware of this law because of the campaigns we will conduct, then, we will achieve something. Similarly, we will also use other means within the councils to ensure that this happens.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Dr Malama (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, Zambia is a Christian nation, and cleanliness is in tandem with that status. The question is: Since Lusaka City has grown, are there any plans to subdivide it into smaller districts that are easier to keep clean?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, that is very possible and it is also in line with the new Local Government Act which is yet to be enacted by this House. There is a provision which allows for cities like Lusaka to be subdivided and have, for example, Matero as a municipality taking care of its own issues within the city. This is in line with the Act which I am sure will soon be tabled in this House. We will take that route.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, I also wish to thank the hon. Minister for the statement. Indeed, cleanliness is very important. I like the practical approach that the hon. Minister is taking. However, could he assure the people of Liuwa that he will release their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) because the area is flooded at the moment?

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Musokotwane: When it is flooded, people have to dispose of waste in water logged conditions. Can the hon. Minister release the CDF next week?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I have been assured by the hon. Minister of Finance that funds for the CDF are available for release. However, we have one technicality. We first have to pass a Bill in this House. Otherwise, doing so now would be illegal …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwale: … because this fund was established through the Constitution, hence its disbursement and management have to be prescribed by an Act of Parliament. That Act is just awaiting one last stage, that is, to be confirmed by the Cabinet. I am sure that at the next sitting of Cabinet, this will be done and the Bill will be tabled in Parliament for approval. Then, the hon. Minister of Finance can release the money.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Daka (Msanzala): Mr Speaker, what is the Ministry of Local Government doing to stop the flooding of Main Street in Ibex Hill and Avondale which has lasted for months? This can lead to a cholera outbreak, as is the case in the compounds because faecal matter is getting mixed with the main water system. What are the ministries of Local Government, and Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection doing about this?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I agree with Hon. Daka that Ibex and Avondale have a huge challenge when it comes to drainage systems. This is something that the council will work on once the rainy season is over.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Miti (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, there are some districts, like Vubwi, which do not even have bins to manage waste. Such districts receive the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF) on a monthly basis, but I am not sure if it is being used for the intended purpose. Are there measures that the Government has put in place to monitor the use of the fund in rural districts like Vubwi?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the LGEF is a public fund just like any other public fund. It is monitored, evaluated and audited by the Office of the Auditor-General. The fund can actually be used to procure the bins in Vubwi District that the hon. Member is talking about. It is sad to hear  of the year that the hon. Member of Parliament doubts whether the fund is being utilised properly. We will keep an eye on her behalf and give her feedback.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Dr Chanda (Bwana Mkubwa): Mr Speaker, Rwanda, which is the cleanest country in Africa, has done what the hon. Minister intends to do. Apart from making pronouncements, Rwanda has set performance targets for its local authorities. Does the hon. Minister have any plans to give performance targets to Town Clerks, Mayors and Directors of Public Health so that they are held accountable? We do not want to go back to the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign” next year.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member is spot on. Even line ministries are being monitored and supervised closely by His Excellency the President. Every quarter, we are expected to appear before him to answer some questions in a quest to ensure that we are delivering on our promises. Likewise, we will set performance targets to ensure that all the councils have service delivery charters.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Katuta (Chienge): Mr Speaker, Kanyama is cholera-prone and is a disease high risk area. Why would the Government turn a blind eye to this and shift responsibility to the council which it said does not have capacity to carry out this kind of work? Could the hon. Minister assure the people of Kanyama that the issue of drainage systems will be dealt with because they are also part of Lusaka City.

 

Mr Mutale: Question!

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I assure the hon. Member for Chienge, the hon. Member for Kanyama and rest of the nation that the Government has not turned a blind eye to the people of Kanyama. I have stated that the council is capable of dealing with the problem of the drainage system in Kanyama and it will attend to it.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Kabanda (Serenje): Mr Speaker, why has the hon. Minister not targeted the polluters as opposed to passing blanket legislation which dictates that everyone should pay the waste management levy?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, it would be difficult to determine who is polluting the environment in the central business district (CBD) of Lusaka, for example. If we imposed a levy on those operating in the CBD, my assumption is that they would all take measures to ensure that they do not pollute. I believe this is the best approach and I hope we can learn lessons from it before we can replicate it in other areas.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Mukosa (Chinsali): Mr Speaker, in February, 2016, Hon. Steven Kampyongo issued a ministerial statement on the implementation of the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign”. In his statement, he said that his ministry, in apparent reference to the Ministry of Local Government, had directed all local authorities and provincial administrations to identify the cleanest premises such as households, schools, health facilities, markets, bus stops and business trading areas. His Excellency the President was then to personally award certificates of excellence every year to those deserving. Have any premises been identified and awarded the certificates?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, that programme will be implemented this year. I am sure most people are aware that we had challenges last year as a result of the elections. So, a few things changed. However, this year, that well-intended programme will be implemented.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, every time we pass through Addis Ababa Drive, we see that the drainage system is in a deplorable state. One would not imagine that it is one of the roads that are used by the Head of State as he goes to the airport or by visitors when they come to our country. When will the Addis Ababa Road drainage system be worked on?

 

Sir, secondly, there is the issue of the Millennium Challenge Account that the hon. Minister talked about. There is an insinuation that three or four years after this drainage system is fully functional, Lusaka will be starved of underground water causing all the boreholes to dry up. Could the hon. Minister kindly deny or confirm that assertion.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, on the issue of Addis Ababa Drive, there is programme that will soon be implemented which I am sure the hon. Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development referred to in this House at some point. It is known as “Decongesting Lusaka”. Millions of dollars will be spent on ensuring that we expand our roads. That programme will also deal with the issues of drainage systems, including the ones on Addis Ababa Drive.

 

Sir, as regards the issue of water being contaminated underground, I need a bit more time to check the reports available regarding that in case I mislead the House.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, some of the key strategies in the promotion of a clean and healthy environment lie in the implementation of urban renewal programmes. These include the upgrading of already existing residential areas that provide improved and decent housing, streets and street lighting, drainage systems and the sensitisation of the citizens.

 

Sometime in 2012, I recall visiting Kanyama and Chibolya in particular, as a member of your Committee on Delegated Legislation, in an attempt to assess the possibilities of implementing urban renewal programmes for the City of Lusaka. What happened to that programme?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, that programme has not been abandoned. Before implementing important programmes such as this one, there are always stages that must be followed. Therefore, I wish to assure the hon. Member that very soon, he will see something happening.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, would the hon. Minister agree with me that solid waste management will be practically impossible under the Patriotic Front (PF) Government due to poor workmanship on the drainage systems on the newly-constructed roads and its policy on street vending which is the major contributor to street littering?

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I would not agree with the hon. Member. I have said in my statement that we are actually working with the street vendors on how we can ensure that the environment in which they operate is clean. As long as that levy is paid, they are willing to partner with us in as far as cleaning of the streets is concerned. I cannot say that the failure to collect garbage is due to the so-called poor drainage systems that have been constructed under this Government. There is no proof to the effect that the PF Government has engaged contactors who have not provided proper drainage systems. The fact is that we have not been able to raise money to pump into garbage collection. If there was some stream of financing, we would be telling a different story. At the moment, the issue is about tariff bundling.

 

I thank you, Sir

 

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, in response to the question by Hon. Mwiimbu, the hon. Minister spoke about the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF). I would like to find out how much the fund was before the increment and how much it is currently.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the amount of money which each council receives depends on whether it is a city, municipality or district council. All of us in this House collectively passed the Budget which had an increment of above K100 million. That amount is being shared amongst all the councils in the country. All councils can confirm that their LGEF has gone up this year.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Belemu (Mbabala): Mr Speaker, Choma was relatively clean until the Government engaged a contractor who disturbed the drainage system. He abandoned the works, leaving heaps of soil on the roads in Choma Town. It appears that the contractor has demobilised. In a situation where other towns may have been affected like Choma, will the hon. Minister provide any funds under the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign”, if the municipality so requires, for remedial works to unblock the drainages that may have been blocked by the works of the contractor?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, we expect that the municipalities will be innovative enough to raise their own resources to deal with such issues. 

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the Government supports the local authorities in full through the LGEF. We, therefore, expect the council in Choma to be more innovative and find means of raising funds to deal with the issue which the hon. Member has referred to.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Ng’ambi (Chifubu): Mr Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister mentioned that cities have been growing at a faster rate than that of services. For example, in Ndola, we have new areas that have opened up like Mitengo, where the council has not provided services such as water, sewerage facilities and roads. What measures has the ministry put in place to ensure that this gap is reduced?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, one of the measures is to increase the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), just as we have done. We also need to ensure that the capacity in these councils is increased and that the LGEF appoints qualified staff who will be able to deal with such matters. We expect the council in Ndola to find ways of providing services to the residents.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Mr Speaker, we have been talking about the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign” since 2006, yet very little has been achieved. What the hon. Minister has said today does not come close to the issue of eradicating waste in our cities.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Samakayi: Mr Speaker, the proposal to incorporate the refuse levy into water bills and compel all the breweries companies in Zambia to pay the levy is commendable. We need to have a more –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Member, can you get to your question.

 

Mr Samakayi: Mr Speaker, I am coming to my question. I was backing my –

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: You are now debating.

 

Mr Samakayi: Mr Speaker, I am sorry. I believe that ...

 

Laughter

 

Mr Samakayi: ... waste management has negative external effects. This means that if there is cholera in Lusaka, it can actually spread to Mwinilunga or Mapatizya.

 

Hon. Government Members: Ask your Question!

 

Mr Samakayi: Mr Speaker, would the hon. Minister agree with me that the Government should engage a company that can help remove the backlog of uncollected garbage with which our cities have been besieged in this country? Is my question clear?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I have understood the question.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwale: Sir, the best solution is to ensure that there are enough resources to deal with that issue. There is no institution in the private sector that will show interest in the management of solid waste if it does not get anything in return. The best solution is for the Government to secure resources to deal with this matter.

 

Mr Speaker, I can confirm that since the talks on a levy for solid waste management came up, many companies have approached the ministry, selling different technologies to deal with solid waste. Some companies have indicated that they have waste bins which give a signal when full. Now that people have heard that there will be a levy for collection of solid waste, there is talk about all sorts of innovations and technologies from all over the world. So, the levy is the solution we can offer the private sector.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kamboni (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, Windhoek is one of the cleanest towns in the Southern African Region. One of the tools that were used to achieve this status was the impartation of knowledge in schools. Does the hon. Minister have an allocation in his budget for sensitisation on garbage management, especially in schools and radio programmes to promote cleanliness?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I stated that we should have started media campaigns in the second quarter of last year, but will start in the second quarter of this year. I agree with the hon. Member about Windhoek being the cleanest ton in Southern African Region. However, I also want to mention  that the entire population of Namibia is less than the population of Lusaka. So, we may need to do more than just educate and sensitise. We have to provide materials such as bins in order to deal with this matter comprehensively.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Kucheka (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, my initial question has been overtaken by events, but I will ask another question.

 

Laughter

 

Ms Kucheka: Mr Speaker, I did not hear the hon. Minister mention Lusaka. Does he not think that it is important for the cleaning programmes to start from there so as to set an example for the whole country?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I have repeated myself on how we want to start with the central business district (CBD) of Lusaka in particular and model it for the rest of the country. I even said that the bundling of water bills and waste management levy will begin in the Lusaka CBD. When it succeeds, we will replicate it in the rest of the town. I mentioned all the constituencies in Lusaka District. Maybe, the hon. Member missed that.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Nanjuwa (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister mentioned the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF) in certain district councils. I have observed that despite the availability of the LGEF, waste management is still a challenge. Is there a prescribed percentage of the fund assigned to waste management?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, there is no percentage of the fund that is assigned to waste management. However, after the re-launch of this campaign, local authorities will be encouraged to ensure that some significant amount of money goes towards waste management. The hon. Member is right to state that despite the LGEF, there has not been much happening. So, councils will be encouraged to do more.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

_______

 

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

ADDITIONAL BENEFICIARIES OF THE SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER SCHEME IN CHINSALI

 

113.  Mr Mukosa (Chinsali) asked the Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare:

 

(a)        whether additional beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Chinsali had been identified;

 

(b)        if so, what the total number of the additional beneficiaries was; and

 

(c)        when the disbursement of money to the additional beneficiaries would commence.

 

The Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare (Ms Kabanshi): Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare has begun the process of identifying additional beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Chinsali District.

 

The district is currently undertaking sensitisation programmes in the communities, especially the Community Welfare Assistance Committees which assist in the implementation of the programme. In this regard, additional beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Chinsali District are expected to be identified in the first quarter of 2017.

 

Mr Speaker, currently, Chinsali District has a total of 3,609 beneficiary households on the programme. The projected additional beneficiaries are 1,559 households. The total number of beneficiaries will, then, increase to 5,168 beneficiary households by the end of 2017.

 

Mr Speaker, it is expected that the additional 1,559 beneficiaries will receive their first transfers during the May/June, 2017 bi-monthly payments.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Chinsali, do you have another question?

 

Mr Mukosa: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister was clear.

 

Mr Mwamba (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, the question that the hon. Member for Chinsali raised is common to some parts of the country. Will the process that is going on in Chinsali be replicated in the rest of the country?

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the response I have given is specific to Chinsali. However, I would like to mention that what is happening in Chinsali is also happening everywhere. The number of beneficiaries is being increased everywhere and the programme is being rolled out to the parts of the country that were not included before.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kufakwandi (Sesheke Central): Mr Speaker, the Social Cash Transfer Scheme is a very important instrument for addressing issues of poverty in rural areas. Can the hon. Minister clarify the criteria for identifying beneficiaries because we are getting increasingly concerned that in some areas, some District Commissioners (DCs) are taking this programme as a means of settling scores with those who do not belong to certain parties.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Member for that very important question. The criterion used to select beneficiaries is now all-inclusive because we do not want to leave anybody behind. On the Social Cash Transfer Scheme, we have the aged, the disabled, terminally ill and also child-headed or widow-headed households. Therefore, the dependency ratio is very high.

 

However, Sir, I would like to refute the assertion that the District Commissioners (DCs) are trying to use the scheme to seek revenge or gain political mileage. The people who identify beneficiaries are chosen by the communities in which they operate. The DCs or my officers are not involved in selecting beneficiaries, but are there to monitor and implement the programme.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kopulande (Chembe): Mr Speaker, it is gratifying to note that the Government is putting measures in place to increase the number of beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme. While a programme like this could be beneficial in the short-term, it may also have the negative attribute of creating a dependency mentality. Is there anything that the ministry is doing to ensure that the beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme are weaned off the programme to engage in some economic activity that will assure long-term sustainability in terms of income generation?

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, I would not agree with what the hon. Member for Chembe is saying. The Social Cash Transfer Scheme does not promote dependency. Families are weaned off after three years of being on the programme when it is established that they are able to participate in income-generating activities. However, the aged, the disabled and the terminally ill remain on the programme probably until death. To take people off the Social Cash Transfer Programme, the Government is engaging them in programmes which reduce inter-generational transfer of poverty by making sure that households that are beneficiaries of the programme are also put on other programmes. For example, this year, the Government has started sponsoring the girl child from beneficiary households to school. This is aimed at ensuring that there is an educated person from that vulnerable household who will, in turn, assist in improving the livelihood of that household. The programme of sponsoring girls is running in sixteen districts where we are targeting 16,000 adolescent girls from Grades 8 to 12.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Mukata (Chilanga): Mr Speaker, my question is almost along the same lines as Hon. Kopulande’s question. I did not hear the hon. Minister come out clearly on the strategies that are being put in place to sustainably wean off certain groups from the Social Cash Transfer Programme. For instance, there are terminally ill people who have relatives who can be empowered within the communities. Is it possible for that to be done? It is obvious that this requires a multi-sectoral approach. For example, under some funding, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry would come in. What mechanisms are in place to help inform people to benefit from empowerment programmes? What is done to wean off people? Yes, they are terminally ill, but can members of their family not be empowered to take care of them? Clearly, the programme will be unsustainable.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, I think the hon. Member did not get me right. I said that we are targeting the same households where they are terminally ill people by getting a girl child into school. You know when you educate a girl child, you educate a nation.

 

Mr Mwale: Hear, hear!

Ms Kabanshi: We take the girl to school until she completes Grade 12. From there, we recommend her for sponsorship, …

 

Mr Mwale: Mwaona manje!

 

Ms Kabanshi: … because she comes from a vulnerable home so that she can acquire a skill.

 

Mr Mutale: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: When she acquires a skill, she will be able to earn more than the parents were earning through the Social Cash Transfer Scheme. Then, the family will be able to graduate from the programme.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: There are many things that the Government is working on at the moment.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: We want to see to it that the poverty levels reduce. We are engaging our co-operating partners so that we do not only empower households through the Social Cash Transfer Scheme, but also additional programmes that will help families become economically viable and enable them to participate in the economic development of the country. That is how we will wean people off the Social Cash Transfer Programme. We have started in sixteen districts. We hope that people will come on board so that we implement programmes together and more families can be weaned off the Social Cash Transfer Programme.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mukumbuta (Senanga Central): Mr Speaker, age is one of the factors considered when recruiting people on the Social Cash Transfer Programme. What is the minimum age for one to benefit from the Social Cash Transfer Programme so that I can tell all my parents in Senanga, who are not benefitting from the programme, to come and get money?

 

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the minimum age is sixty-five. However, this programme will not only be restricted to the aged. We want to have an inclusive programme so that no one is left behind. So, the beneficiaries will include the disabled, terminally ill and the youth who are highly dependent, such as those in child-headed homes, and widows.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, I understand the hon. Minister’s position of not being aware of the negative interventions which the District Commissioners (DCs) exert on the Social Cash Transfer Programme. I am sure the hon. Minister is aware that the immediate supervisor to the DC is the Provincial Permanent Secretary from whom he/she receives instructions and not the hon. Minister. Those of us who are on the ground are aware of this protocol. Is the hon. Minister willing to spare a moment to find out if the DCs intervene in the selection of beneficiaries of the ‘quack’ –

 

Laughter

 

Mr Miyutu: Is the hon. Minister able to put in her effort?

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the Permanent Secretary (PS) for the province and other officers in the district supervise the Community Welfare Assistant Committees. I was in the Western Province not too long ago and that concern was not raised.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kabanshi: So, the next time I go to Kalabo, I hope I will find Hon. Miyutu so that we can sort out that problem.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Kabanda (Serenje): Mr Speaker, there are complaints from my constituents that the Social Cash Transfer Programme has been put on ice for the past six months. Could the hon. Minister confirm this report.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, I do not even know what he means by “put on ice”. However, I will guess.

 

Mr Kabanda: It was paused.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, it was not paused. The ministry delayed disbursing funds to the districts because it had problems. However, payments were made for June, July, August and September. The outstanding funds are for November and December which will also be paid.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister be kind enough to tell the House the names of the sixteen districts which she has just referred to?

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, I do not have that information, but the hon. Minister can file in a question and I can provide a response at an appropriate time.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Chisopa (Mkushi South): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the articulate answers.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chisopa: We know that the Social Cash Transfer Programme has benefitted a lot of people, especially the old and disabled. In Mkushi Constituency, the aged are paid differently from the disabled. I would like to find out if there are instances when all beneficiaries are paid the same amount.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, it is true that there are such instances. Sometimes, beneficiaries may be paid less or more. We need to work together to sort out this problem so that we can also help the people that we serve in our constituencies.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Ms Katuta (Chienge): Mr Speaker, …

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear! Ema accent aya!

 

Laughter

 

Ms Katuta: … when the House was on recess, I believe the hon. Minister visited Chienge Constituency and informed the people that a number of girls would benefit from a programme that the Government has embarked on. How many girls will benefit from this programme?

 

Ms Lubezhi: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare in order not to answer my simple question? I would like to find out the names of the sixteen districts that her ministry will give money to. How possible is it that she knows that they are sixteen districts, but does not know their names?

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, Question 113 is on Chinsali and we are now dealing with supplementary questions. Of course, there are occasions when certain hon. Ministers have some information at the back of their hand, and there are instances when they may not because they would be concentrating on the question. So, there is nothing extraordinary. First of all, she was gracious enough to admit that she does not have the information. So, how can I insist that she produces it when she does not have it?

 

Laughter

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member wants to know the number of girls being sponsored in Chienge. However, the question is about Chinsali and not Chienge.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: Nonetheless, I can give her a bonus answer. The programme will not be implemented in Chienge. I was just informing the hon. Members that it will be implemented in sixteen districts. However, if the hon. Member wants to know the names of the districts, she can file in a question and I can provide the answer at an appropriate time.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutelo (Mitete): Mr Speaker, I heard the hon. Minister talk about the girl child. What about the boy child …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, I was expressing my gratitude for the efforts being made to educate the girl child in Chinsali. However, I am concerned about the boy child. Later on in life, the boy child in Chinsali will marry the girl child.

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, families usually spend money on boy children and not girl children. When there is a crisis in a home, a family would rather stop the girl from going to school because they believe that she will get married. Instead, they choose to educate the boy child. However, as the Government, we are not leaving anyone behind. This programme is aimed at bridging the gap between the education of the boy child and that of the girl child. However, the boy child is also being catered for under the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme which has been in existence for a very long time.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has stated that when the girl child is educated, the whole nation is educated. When one or all of us educate the boy child, what do we educate?

 

Laughter

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, indeed, when we educate the girl child, we educate the nation. However, when we educate the boy child, we educate only a family.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

UPGRADING OF SCHOOLS IN CHIENGE DISTRICT

 

114.  Ms Katuta asked the Minister of General Education:

 

  1. when the following schools in Chienge District would be upgraded to secondary schools:

 

  1. Lambwe Chomba;

 

  1. Lambwe Chikwama; and

 

  1. Musake;

 

  1. when the construction of science and computer laboratories at the schools would commence; and

 

  1. whether the Government had any plans to construct additional classroom blocks at the schools.

 

The Minister in the Office of the Vice-President (Ms Chalikosa) (on behalf of the Minister of General Education (Dr Wanchinga)): Mr Speaker, the upgrading of primary schools to secondary school status is an on-going programme of the Government until such a time when the distance between schools is reduced to 5 km.

 

Sir, in Chienge District, among the primary schools being upgraded to secondary school status are Lambwe Chomba II, which was upgraded in 2014, and runs from Grades 1 to 12, and Musake, which was upgraded in 2013 and runs from Grades 8 to 12.

 

Mr Speaker, Lambwe Chikwama will be considered for upgrading to secondary school status when the Government mobilises resources for the construction of additional infrastructure such as specialised rooms and staff houses. Currently, the district has ten secondary schools out of which eight have been upgraded.

 

Sir, the construction of science and computer laboratories at the above-mentioned schools will commence as soon as funds are made available. The Government’s intention is to construct additional classrooms at all schools because the school-going population has been growing. However, this will only be done in phases depending on the availability of funds.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Ms Katuta: Mr Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of the hon. Minister the fact that Lambwe Chomba II was upgraded to a secondary school. However, the problem is that when pupils reach Grade 10, they have to travel 65 km to Chienge Boma. That is quite disturbing, especially for the girl children who end up renting houses close to the school, and has resulted in a lot of bad things happening to the girls. I know that the hon. Minister has mentioned that the schools will be upgraded when funds are made available. However, is it not possible for the Government to do to Lambwe Chomba II School what it did to the school in Mansa or hand it over to a missionary to run so that girls do not have to travel 65 km to get to Pande?

 

Ms Chalikosa: Mr Speaker, as I said earlier on, the Government is in the process of constructing a 1 x 3 classroom block and one teachers’ staff house under Phase I of the project. Therefore, the construction of classroom blocks is ongoing. If the hon. Member and the community have suggestions regarding the school, the ministry is willing to take those suggestions on board. The hon. Member is welcome to visit the Ministry of General Education to discuss further what the Government has prepared.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Chonya (Kafue): Mr Speaker, has the ministry developed the Infrastructure Operational Plan for 2017 to guide the various construction works that the ministry would like to undertake as mentioned by the hon. Minister?

 

Ms Chalikosa: Mr Speaker, yes, the plan is available. The Patriotic Front (PF) Government intends to upgrade 510 pole-and-mud and grass-thatched Government and community schools into fully-fledged primary schools. The details of the programme are available at the Ministry of General Education. As I said earlier on, if the hon. Members have an interest, they are welcome to visit the Ministry of General Education for further details.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

LAND RESERVED FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IN MUSHILI AND CHICHELE

 

115.  Dr Chanda (Bwana Mkubwa) asked the Minister of Local Government:

 

  1. whether the Government was aware that the land reserved for public infrastructure in Mushili and Chichele townships in Bwana Mkubwa Parliamentary Constituency had been allocated to private investors by the Ndola City Council;

 

  1. why the council decided to change the land usage; and

 

  1. whether the Government would repossess the land and use it for its initially intended purposes.

 

The Minister of Local Government (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, the Government is aware that the pieces of land in Mushili and Chichele townships, which were designated for school development, were given to private investors to build schools. However, let me hasten to clarify that the pieces of land were not reserved for public infrastructure per se, but rather for schools in general, whether private or public.

 

Sir, the Ndola City Council has not changed the land usage, as it has still maintained its user clause, that is, for educational purposes. So, there is no need for the Government to repossess the land, as it is being used for its intended purpose.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Dr Chanda: Mr Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of the hon. Minister some issues concerning the piece of land in Chichele and Mushili townships. At the moment, there is an individual who has built a house on the piece of land proposed for a referral hospital. The plot for the hospital was 12 ha, but now it is 6 ha. Further, this person is demanding compensation from the Government and me.

 

Mr Speaker, secondly, Bonano Primary School, a Government-owned school, had a huge piece of land reserved for expansion of the school. Now, private bars and churches have been built on this land. Furthermore, there are Somalis in my constituency who are being given title deeds by the council.

 

I would like to find out from the hon. Minister when he will come to Bwana Mkubwa Constituency to verify these issues so that structures that have been built on land such as the one meant for the referral hospital can be demolished. We need law and order in this country. Lastly, hon. Minister, I am available to accompany you to Bwana Mkubwa Constituency.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I appreciate the additional information from the hon. Member. However, I note that it does not relate to Mushili and Chichele townships, and that the hon. Member is generally talking about land reserved for development.

 

Sir, I am willing to travel to Bwana Mkubwa and see for myself what the hon. Member is talking about. Soon, I will undertake a tour of all the newly-created districts and, on my way, I will pass through Ndola to deal with this issue.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Jere (Livingstone): Mr Speaker, there was an incident in Ndola where houses were built, only to be demolished. How effective is the ministry’s inspectorate team?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, there has been a problem of councillors allocating land where they are not supposed to. They do not allow planners to plan before the council can sit to allocate land. However, we have put measures in place to ensure that we take care of this. We are taking charge and controlling these kinds of situations. We do not expect this to happen again in future.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.  

 

NAMES OF CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS IN CHIPILI DISTRICT

 

116. Mr Chabi (Chipili) asked the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development:

 

  1. what the names of the contractors for the following construction projects in Chipili District were:

 

  1. civic centre;

 

  1. ten low cost council houses;

 

  1. police station; and

 

  1. district administration block;

 

  1. when the works on each project commenced;

 

  1. what the total cost for each project was; and

 

  1. what the time frame for the completion of each project was.

 

The Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development (Mr Chitotela): Mr Speaker, the contractors for the projects in Chipili District are as follows:

 

Project                                                   Name of Contractor

 

District Civic Centre                             C. Muc Investments

 

Ten Medium Cost Houses                     African Contractors Ltd        

                                                              

Police Station                                        Horizon Properties Ltd

 

District Admin Block                            Woodrock Construction Ltd

 

Twenty Low Cost Houses                     African Contractors               

 

Sir, the projects for Chipili District commenced on the following dates:

 

Project                                                   Date of Commencement

 

District Civic Centre                             17/02/2015

 

Ten Medium-Cost Houses                     01/12/2014

 

Police Station                                        01/12/2014     

 

District Admin Block                            01/12/2014

 

Twenty Low-Cost Houses                    01/12/2014

 

Sir, the total cost of each of the above-listed project is as follows:

 

Project                                                   Cost (K)

 

District Civic Centre                               6,411,168.84

 

Ten Medium-Cost Houses                      9,091,329.40

 

Police Station                                        13,496,299.02

 

District Admin Block                             6,491,081.02

 

Twenty Low-Cost Houses                    11,632,264.24

 

Mr Speaker, the time frame for the completion of each of the projects in Chipili isas follows:

 

Project                                                   Time Frame (weeks)

 

District Civic Centre                             26

 

Ten Medium-Cost Houses                     36

 

Police Station                                        32

 

District Admin Block                            20

 

Twenty Low-Cost Houses                    32

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Chabi: Mr Speaker, clearly, the completion period for all the projects is beyond schedule. The projects were supposed to be completed way before 2017. I would like to find out from the hon. Minister why the completion of the projects has delayed.

 

Mr Chitotela: Mr Speaker, the delay in the completion of the projects is as a result of the constraints of the Treasury. As a nation, we have had a number of capital projects and costly programmes carried out. We should bear in mind that Zambia is the only country in the Southern African Region which has conducted five general elections in the past ten years. This costs money, but we had to spend because it is a constitutional requirement. So, that and other projects resulted in the delay in the completion of a number of projects within a stipulated period, as stipulated in the contracts agreed upon with the contractors in Chipili. 

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

MUFUMBWE DISTRICT POLICE OFFICERS’ STAFF HOUSES

 

117. Mr Kamondo (Mufumbwe) asked the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

  1. whether the Government had any plans to construct:

 

  1. staff houses for police officers in Mufumbwe District; and

 

  1. a prison in the district;

 

  1. if so, when the plans would be implemented; and

 

  1. if there were no such plans, why.

 

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, the Government has plans to construct staff houses for police officers in Mufumbwe District. The houses are earmarked for construction by the Ministry of Home Affairs, under Phase II of the project. The contractor for this project is Avic International Corporation.

 

Sir, at the moment, the Government has no plans to build a conventional correctional centre (prison) in Mufumbwe. For the information of the hon. Member, we are no longer calling our facilities “prisons”. They are now called “correctional facilities”. At the moment, we are relying on the open air correctional centre where agriculture activities are taking place.

 

Mr Speaker, staff houses will be built when the contractor mobilises resources and moves to the identified site in Mufumbwe District. While there are no plans to build a conventional correction centre due to a lack of resources, there are plans to expand and rehabilitate the open air facility in Mufumbwe.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Kamondo: Mr Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of the hon. Minister that the lack of houses for police officers is actually a big problem in Mufumbwe. As the hon. Minister may be aware, the few houses that are there are located about 4 km from town, which has also contributed to this problem. Police officers find it difficult to mobilise when a crime is committed in town. Two weeks ago, a suspected wizard was shot dead but, up to now, the culprits have not been arrested because it took time for the police to get to the scene. What immediate measures is the Government putting in place to ease the operations of police officers in Mufumbwe?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I would like to assure the hon. Member that the Government and my ministry in particular, is fully aware of the challenges police officers are faced with in Mufumbwe, hence the construction of houses under Phase II of the project. Mind you, hon. Member, the issue of accommodation for police officers in Mufumbwe has not been addressed from the time it was declared a district. The people of Mufumbwe should have hope that this time around, the contractor will move on site to construct some houses for police officers before the end of the year.

 

Sir, it is regrettable that a life was lost. Nevertheless, we are trying to see how our officers can scale up by improving their mobility for them to react to incidents in good time. Unfortunately, we cannot perform any magic to ameliorate the housing problem. We have to rely on the project which is coming up in order for us to assist our officers.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, how possible is it that the Government is able to perform some magic and take police officers to peaceful areas like Namwala, Choma, Mazabuka and Monze, yet it cannot do the same to accommodate police officers in Mufumbwe?

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

I am not following your question, hon. Member. What do you mean by “magic”?

 

Laughter

 

Ms Lubezhi: Sir, I have used the terminology, which the hon. Minister used.

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Well, I want to find out what the question is.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister said that he cannot perform magic in order to accommodation for police officers in Mufumbwe. My question, therefore, is: How come the Government has performed magic in the Southern Province and deployed more officers than are needed at the stations there?

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Maybe, the hon. Minister has understood the question.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, that question is certainly off tangent and is not related to the substantive question posed by the hon. Member for Mufumbwe.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Miyanda: Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister how many police officers are stationed at Mufumbwe Police Station and how many are accommodated by the ministry.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, certainly, I appreciate the concern by the hon. Member for Mapatizya. Unfortunately, I cannot give the exact numbers of officers in Mufumbwe and how many are accommodated in police institutional houses off-hand. I may come back to the hon. Member for Mapatizya and share with him how many officers are at Mufumbwe Police Station. However, I am sure that the hon. Member is fully aware of how many officers are in the district.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Miti (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, Mufumbwe District has old houses just like many other districts which are occupied by police officers. Does the Government have a programme in place to rehabilitate old houses while we await the construction of the new houses?

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, it is true that the houses in Mufumbwe are extremely old and dilapidated. We have deemed it prudent to firstly, put up new housing units and later on rehabilitate the old infrastructure. We just have to raze some of them and reconstruct new ones because they are in such a state of disrepair. It may be more costly to work on an old house than to build a new one. So, we have opted to start with the construction of new houses and, then, work on the old ones that could be repairable later on.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister how long the contractor will take to mobilise resources to move on site in Mufumbwe.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, as the contractor will deal with many other sites in the North-Western Province, we shall only know when he moves to Mufumbwe District to commence works and present his schedule of works. At that juncture, I will come back to the House inform the hon. Member and the people of Mufumbwe when exactly the contractor will be on site.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Kufakwandi: Mr Speaker, I have taken note of the hon. Minister’s position on building new houses, and rehabilitating dilapidated ones.

 

Sir, police stations in both Sesheke and Katima have been declared unsuitable for human habitation. Does the ministry have any plans to improve such areas because the officers are really suffering? There is no sanitation and the outbreak of disease is quite imminent.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I only focused on Mufumbwe because that is what the hon. Member for the area asked about. I know that there are different challenges in the areas where every hon. Member in here comes from. However, for now, I would rather address the issue of Mufumbwe than start giving wrong answers to hon. Members.

 

I thank you, Sir.          

 

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, in an earlier response, the hon. Minister indicated that the programme for the construction of staff houses is in phases. This means that Phase I will be followed by Phase II. Is this an indication that Phase I was completed and the Government is embarking on the next phases?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, Phase I has already commenced, and you have seen some of the houses that we have handed over to officers in some places. Phase I is restricted to certain areas while Phase II is also meant for different areas. In short, there are some houses that have been completed under Phase I in places like Sikanze Police Camp and Chelstone. There are others on the Copperbelt that have already been completed and many more are still coming on board under the first phase. So, Phase I is ongoing, but Phase II is meant for other areas which were not catered for under Phase I.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Sir, in response to one of the follow-up questions concerning the programme of work for the contractor, namely AVIC International Limited, the hon. Minister mentioned that his office was waiting for the contractor to furnish the ministry with information. We have seen him and his friends on television commissioning housing units for police and immigration officers constructed by the said contractor. Has the ministry not found it prudent to also engage Zambian contractors to build housing units because there are many Zambians who are qualified to do the work? This would fast-track the work and empower our own people.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, ideally, we would have loved as many Zambian contractors as possible to undertake this work. However, this is a special contract which has come with a funding component. It is structured in such a way that the contractor for the project came with his/her own funding, unlike other contracts, whereby we get the funding straight from the Treasury.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Lihefu (Manyinga): Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Mufumbwe is concerned because the population in his area is growing big and most of the police officers ‘squat’ in villages. This makes it difficult for them to execute their duties. Therefore, he is asking why the Government is delaying to construct staff houses for police officers in Mufumbwe.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the concern of the hon. Member for Mufumbwe is the same as that of the Government. For so many years, we have been increasing the number of officers we send to Mufumbwe, yet there was no provision of housing to accommodate them. The population of Mufumbwe is growing. That is why the proactive and hardworking Patriotic Front (PF) Government …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Kampyongo: … has decided to walk the talk by ensuring that it provides houses for police officers in Mufumbwe District. The Government will do that because it is concerned about the welfare of officers who work under difficult conditions.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Jere: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister mentioned that this is a special project. Does it mean that the contractor will use his own funds to implement the project?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, at the expense of repeating myself, yes.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

BOREHOLE SINKING IN KALOMO CENTRAL

 

118. Mr Kamboni (Kalomo Central) asked the Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection:

 

  1. when the thirty boreholes which were planned for in 2015 in Kalomo Central Parliamentary Constituency would be sunk;

 

  1. what had caused the delay in commencing the project; and

 

  1. what the time frame for the completion of the project was.

 

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Ms Mulenga) (on behalf of the Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection) (Mr Kaziya)): Mr Speaker, in 2015, the Government, planned to sink thirty boreholes in Kalomo District. However, due to insufficient funds, the Government has procured a contractor to sink the first twenty boreholes in Kalomo District under the 2017 Work Plan. Out of these, eleven will be sunk in Kalomo Central Constituency.

 

Sir, the delay has been caused by insufficient funds to implement the project and the late release of funds from the Treasury. The time frame for the completion of the project is six months from the time the funds are released from the Treasury.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Nkombo: Sir, it is gratifying to hear that some work regarding the sinking of boreholes will be carried out in Kalomo this year. What is the unit cost for sinking each borehole since the hon. Minister indicated that a contractor has already been procured?

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, I might not know the total cost for sinking each borehole, but the total cost for all the 2,700 boreholes that will be sunk in 2017 by the ministry is K148 million. The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) will provide K57 million while our co-operating partners will provide K92 million out of the total cost.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Mazabuka Central wanted to know the cost for sinking each borehole, but the hon. Minister gave us the total cost for the 2,700 boreholes. Why is she failing to give us the unit cost?

 

Hon. PF Members: Just divide!

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, I think simple arithmetic of division will give the total cost of one borehole.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Mulenga: However, for sake of clarification, it is K55,000 per borehole.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, the most expensive commercial rate of sinking a borehole as of today in Zambia is K18,000. How has the ministry arrived at K55,000 per borehole?

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, we are looking at the total cost of sinking a borehole. Of course, as a Government, we do not want to do substandard work.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Chonya: Mr Speaker, certainly, the cost of K55,000 for one borehole is astronomical. Is this the reason the hon. Minister was reluctant to disclose the amount when we asked for the unit cost of sinking a each borehole?

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Chonya: Could she not have done the division herself?

 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, the cost of sinking a borehole includes the price of the pump. There is also the issue of mobilisation of materials and the distance to location of the borehole is to be sunk.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Chaatila (Moomba): Mr Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala has just given us an indication that the total cost of sinking a complete borehole is about K18,000. The hon. Minister has said that the total cost of sinking a borehole with all the parts is K55,000. Can the hon. Minister tell us what parts were missing from the amount given by the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala that made the amount come to K55,000?

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, there are variations in terms of distance to the location of the borehole. This amount depends on where the borehole is to be sunk. We have taken into account the mobilisation of materials, distance to the location of the borehole and the pump. Like I said, the Government does not want to produce substandard work.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

SERENJE DISTRICT TOWNSHIP ROAD REHABILITATION

 

119. Mr Kabanda asked the Minister of Local Government:

 

  1. why the rehabilitation of township roads in Serenje District had stalled;

 

  1. when the project would resume; and

 

  1. what the time frame for the completion of the project was.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, rehabilitation works for Serenje township roads have stalled due to delayed payments.

 

Sir, construction works will resume once the contractor is paid the outstanding balance.

 

Mr Speaker, it is hoped that the project will be completed ten months after the contractor resumes works.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Kabanda: Mr Speaker, how much is the outstanding balance?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the outstanding amount is K4.7 million.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

WHO’S RANKING OF ZAMBIA’S MALNUTRITION PREVALENCE

 

120.  Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa) asked the Minister of Health:

 

  1. what the ranking of Zambia by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in terms of malnutrition currently was;

 

  1. what criteria were used to determine the ranking; and

 

  1. what measures the Government had taken to improve the ranking.

 

The Minister of Higher Education (Prof. Luo) (on behalf of the Minister of Health (Dr Chilufya)): Mr Speaker, the WHO does not rank countries according to severity of the problem. It categorises them according to how they fare by different malnutrition measurements. For example, it may be based on levels of stunting. The countries with the highest levels of stunting are at 40 per cent for children below the age of fifty-nine months or 54 per cent for children below twenty-four months or 14 per cent for children below six months. Zambia falls in the medium category, which is 20 per cent to 29 per cent for children below fifty-nine months, twenty-four months and six months. This is also measured by weight of the child. For countries that are rated very high, the average weight for children is above 30 per cent. Zambia is still at medium level because the children are underweight, that is, between 10 per cent and 19 per cent. In fact, for Zambia, for children between twenty-four to fifty-nine months, we are at 15 per cent. The other measurement is wasting or thinness, where Zambia still falls in the medium category, which is 5 per cent to 9 per cent. We stand at 6 per cent for children below fifty-nine months and 6.1 per cent for children below twenty-four months. This situation is serious and calls for interventions that will reduce the levels of malnutrition in the country.

 

Sir, the Government has taken the following measures to improve the nutrition status of our population:

 

  1. review the Food and Nutrition Act to take care of emerging issues in nutrition, the National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan and the legislation on the Marketing of breast milk substitutes;

 

  1. put in place the 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme which needs to be scaled up to the rest of the country. The programme aims at reducing under-nutrition, with a major focus on reducing stunting;

 

  1. continue with other interventions such as promoting breastfeeding and complementary feeding, promotion of maternal, infant and young child feeding and counselling, control of micronutrient deficiencies, which is conducted through supplementation, food diversification and food fortification currently through sugar and salt fortification; and

 

  1. provide nutrition care for people living with human immuno-deficiency virus/acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), developing nutrition emergency programmes and nutrition education and counselling. 

 

Sir, all the programmes are implemented with the support of a well co-ordinated and effective strategy for growth monitoring and promotion. This will assist programme providers to identify malnutrition cases early enough for early intervention.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Mr Speaker, I want to make a follow up on the 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme, which is very important as far as the nutrition of young ones is concerned. What measures have been put in place for our mothers in the rural areas to understand this programme which is meant to improve nutrition for our young ones?

 

Prof Luo: Mr Speaker, let me repeat what I had said last week. The Ministry of Health has rethought its delivery framework for health in this country. This is why it has put up teams across all communities, some at implementation stage and others at programming stage so that health is addressed from the communities and on the home front. Therefore, this 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme is part of the effort our ministry is making to enable our public health teams, which consist of public health experts, community health nurses and nutritionists, to explain what we need to do on the home front. Nutrition will be an important programme because it is critical to the promotion of good health.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, I will start by commending the ministry for supporting the Mbala Office of the Nutrition Co-ordinator. It is a very active office. However, most stakeholders have argued that the Nutrition Commission, which is the co-ordinator of nutritional activities in the country, is wrongly placed in the Ministry of Health. Since it is a multi-sectoral commission, it would have been best placed under the Office of the Vice-President or Ministry of National Development and Planning, but I have not heard any objection even from most Government ministries about this proposal. How far are we in implementing this initiative of upgrading the Nutrition Commission from being a small unit in the Ministry of Health to being an important department under the Office of the Vice-President or Ministry of National Development and Planning?

 

Prof. Luo: Mr Speaker, it depends on how one understands nutrition. Earlier on, I said that the Ministry of Health has rethought the way it wants to deliver health, and nutrition is actually the backbone of health care delivery. What goes into someone’s body is critical for his/her total development in terms of immune response, which is very critical in protecting him/her from infectious diseases. The micro elements build on cells. So, I do not see the place of this component in the suggestions that have been made. We will miss the point, considering it is at a time when we have discovered that delivering health by building hospitals is not the best approach. We need to implement the programmes on the home front so that people realise how important nutrition is. The affluent think that when they have a lot of money the best thing is to drink fanta or coca cola. When people are given other foodstuff as a complement, they turn it down and say they just want nshima, yet we all know that there is no food value in nshima apart from starch. Many of them say that they cannot eat millet or sorghum because it is food for the poor, yet we know that there is more nutritional value in them. So, the Nutrition Commission should be well placed. The question we should ask is: How do we make it more visible so that the people who constitute it do their job and do go not sleep?

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Chisangano (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, I agree with the hon. Minister that the levels of stunted growth in Zambia amongst the under-fives are extremely high …

 

Mr Livune: Especially in Luapula!

 

Ms Chisangano: … and have been at 40 per cent for a very long time now. I would like to find out why it has taken so long for the ministry to reduce the levels of malnutrition among the under-fives. What are some of the challenges that the ministry is facing?

 

Prof Luo: Mr Speaker, one of the reasons is the way maize has been politicised that treated as the only source of food in this country. I said earlier on that all there is in maize is starch, especially if a person is eating breakfast meal. When the husk where there are some vitamins is removed, then, there are no other nutrients left in the maize except starch. So, we need to ensure that people start appreciating the importance of balancing food. I also mentioned earlier on that people tend to shun foodstuffs like beans. They think by eating beans, they are poor, yet it is a very important source of protein. If one cannot afford meat, the alternative is beans.

 

So, Sir, it is a matter of us, as a country, getting down to the drawing board and starting to appreciate which foodstuffs have the right nutritional value and eat them.

 

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Chaatila: Mr Speaker, may I find out whether the problem of malnutrition cuts across the country or are there some provinces whose nutrition levels are a bit higher so that other provinces can learn from them?

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Mr Speaker, I would request the hon. Member to file in a question so that I can give the correct information.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: However, I know that there are certain parts of this country where there is poor nutrition but, at least, they promote the drinking of milk because it is in abundance.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Mabisi!

 

Prof. Luo: So, it may be possible that those provinces may probably do better than others in terms of nutrition. However, I would like to come back to this House and give hon. Members the correct response.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

NANJILI BRIDGE REHABILITATION

 

121. Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma) asked the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development:

 

  1. when the rehabilitation of Nanjili Bridge between Nangoma Mission Hospital and Nangoma Primary School would commence; and

 

  1. what the cause of the delay in rehabilitating the bridge was.

 

Mr Chitotela: Mr Speaker, the budget for the construction of Nanjili Bridge between Nangoma Mission Hospital and Nangoma Primary School is not in the 2017 Road Sector Budget owing to ceiling limits. The bridge may be considered for construction in 2018.

 

However, Sir, after talking to the hon. Member of Parliament for Moomba, he expressed the need for the Government to work on the bridge. We agreed that we need to quickly dispatch our regional engineers to access the extent of the damage on the bridge so that we can look at it and see if there are emergency works that are required to be done so that the movement of people between the primary school and the mission hospital is not disrupted.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

FEIRA CONSTITUENCY TOWNSHIP ROAD REHABILITATION

 

122.  Mr Miti (Feira) asked the Minister of Local Government:

 

  1. when the tarring of township roads in Feira Parliamentary Constituency would commence; and

 

  1. what the time frame for the completion of the project was.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the ministry is planning for the upgrading of township roads in Feira Parliamentary Constituency to bituminous standard under the 2020 Annual Work Plan, subject to the availability of funds.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mwale: Sir, the ministry has adopted a phased approach in the implementation of road projects. There are many projects being implemented at the moment.

 

Sir, the project is intended to be completed within twenty-four months from the date of commencement.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

LOCAL FUNDING FOR HIV/AIDS PROGRAMMES

 

(Debate resumed)

 

112.  Mr Ng’onga asked the Minister of Health:

 

  1. what measures the Government had taken to mobilise funds locally for the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (HIV\AIDS) programmes in Zambia; and

 

  1. why Zambia was not a priority destination for researchers of HIV\AIDS vaccines.

 

Prof. Luo: Mr Speaker, there have been several attempts to set up the National Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome Fund. Like I said, the fund will come through health insurance as well as levies such as the airtime levy.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

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MOTION

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Chief Whip and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Musukwa): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

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The House adjourned at 1802 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 1st March, 2017.

 

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