Tuesday, 23rd November, 2021

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Tuesday, 23rd November, 2021

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER

 

ACTING LEADER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, I have received communication to the effect that in the absence of Her Honour the Vice-President, who is attending to other national duties, theMinister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, has been appointed Acting Leader of Government Business in the House from today, Tuesday, 23rd November, 2021, until further notice.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

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MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

 

BY HON. N. CHILANGWA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FORKAWAMBWA CONSTITUENCY, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECURITY, OVER ALLEGED UNITED PARTY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT MEMBERS THREATENING VIOLENCE ON PATRIOTIC FRONT MEMBERS

 

Mr Chilangwa: On a matter of urgent public importance.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

 

Mr Chilangwa (Kawambwa): Madam Speaker, I stand on a matter of urgent public importance pursuant to Standing Order No. 134.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: You can proceed.

 

Mr Chilangwa: Madam Speaker, the security of this nation is under severe threat due to the unbecoming conduct of some of our colleagues from the United Party for National Development (UPND).

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Question!

 

Mr Chilangwa: Madam Speaker, there have been a number of voicemails and voice notes that have been circulated across the country. If the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, and the Government at large do not attend to this issue, the nation will degenerate. I, therefore, seek the Government’s intervention in ensuring that the perpetrators of these vices and crimes are brought to book.

 

Madam Speaker, firstly, it is illegal in this country to propose violence. Secondly, it is a cybercrime to continue flashing and circulating such material.

 

Madam Speaker, this is what I am talking about.

 

Mr Chilangwaplayed a recording on his mobile phone.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

We cannot get what is being said in that audio file.

 

Mr Chilangwa: Madam Speaker, what is being said in this audio, of which I will prepare a copy and submit to your office, is: “If the members of Patriotic Front come to Kabwata, we are going to chop off their hands. We are going to beat them. We are going to kill them. We are not joking.”

 

Madam Speaker, for whatever reason, what is being broadcastin this audio is chilling, and people are going to react to it in different ways. People in Kabwata are living in fear because of this audio. So, is the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, and the Government in order to continue allowing this kind of conduct by its members?They have continued sending voice messages threatening the peace and stability of this country, and I would like to believe this is compellingbecause it can degenerate. The peace that we enjoy should not be taken for granted. If we go into history, we will find that the Rwandan genocide was started by people broadcasting such things on air. So, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, seated there (indicated the Frontbench) should not keep quiet because he is the one who has been fighting heinous crimes. Why is he keeping quiet? Everywhere you find UPND members listening to this, they are clapping. Even the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security was clapping. So, this is really compelling, and I rely on your ruling for this to be dealt with.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Indeed, that is a serious and urgent matter of public interest. However, social media cannot be relied upon. We need something that is really authenticated because with social media, anybody can come up with anything anytime. So, it is very difficult to admit this urgent matter of public interest.

 

I thank you.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

BY HON. B. LUSAMBO, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR KABUSHI CONSTITUENCY, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, OVER THE AWARDING TO ALPHA COMMODITIES OF A CONTRACT TO SUPPLY FARMING INPUTS

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, on a matter of urgentpublic importance.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker:A matter of urgent public importance is raised by the hon. Member for Kabushi Constituency.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, firstly, I want to register my presence to hon. Members of the United Party for National Development (UPND). I am here. I am back. The same Bowman Chilosha Lusambo, bulldozer and the Lamba Bull.

 

Madam Speaker, I rise on a very serious matter of urgent public importance.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, you can continue.

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, the matter is directed to the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

 

Madam Speaker, it is in the public domain that the Ministry of Agriculture awarded a contract to a certain Zambian under a company called Alpha Commodities.

 

Madam Speaker, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, is on public record saying the following: “We will never, as the UPND Government, procure fertiliser that at not less than US$400 per tonne.” However, the contractor in question has been given a contract to supply fertiliser at more than US$1,000 per tonne. The same contractor is a well-known person to the UPND and the Government, and the husband of one of the UPND Ministers appointed by His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. The contractor in question was single-sourced instead of being awarded the contract through a public tender.

 

Madam Speaker, if this matter is not handled carefully, there will be hunger in this country, as farmers will fail to produce what we really need as a country, as the contractor has failed to supply fertiliser to the nation. Further, the money involved is the colossal amount of US$50 million, which has been paid in advance against us, the people of Zambia, because it is taxpayers’ money.

 

Madam Speaker, our hon. Colleagues in the UPND may think this is a simple matter, but it is very serious. That is why some of us are serious when dealing with matters concerning the wellbeing of this nation.

 

Government hon. Members: Question!

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, when we called the UPND members thieves, we knew what we were talking about.

 

I need your serious advice on this important matter, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, do you have evidence over what you are talking about?

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Agriculture is here. That is my evidence …

 

Laughter

 

Mr Lusambo: Unless I am lying to the nation – If you need physical documents, tomorrow, I will forward them to the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly.

 

Interruptions

 

UPND hon. Member: Time waster. He is confused.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Indeed, that is in the public domain. In fact, it was reported in one of the newspapers. However, while the matter is important, it is not urgent. So, it is not admissible under our rules. I advise you that this is not the end of it all; you can file in, maybe, a question of an urgent nature or a question under Standing Order 74, and the matter will be dealt with very well.

 

BY HON. L. LUBOZHA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR CHIFUBU, ON THE STATE OF THE NDOLA/LUSAKA ROAD

 

Mr Lubozha: On a matter of urgent publicimportance, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A matter of urgent publicimportance is raised.

 

Mr Lubozha: Madam Speaker, I raise a matter of urgent public importance under Standing Order No. 134. I rise on this Standing Order because of the deplorable condition of the Ndola/Lusaka Road, which has continued to claim lives and contribute to the statistics of disabilities in our country, and this is a source of concern because some of the people who are being crippled are supposed to be productive people who could contribute positively to economic development.

 

Madam Speaker, what is the Government doing over the deplorable Ndola/Lusaka Road, which has continued to claim many lives and contribute to loss of goods in transit almost every day of every week? What is the position of the Government, and what is the Government doing to improve the situation? The rainy season is just around the corner and more lives are likely to be lost.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, from your statement, it is apparent that this is not an urgent issue, as it has not just occurred, but rather a longstanding situation. So, the matter cannot now be admissible under this Standing Order. I will advise you, since it is a very important matter, to file in a question under Standing Order 74 or as a question of an urgent manner. You can also take the chance of asking Her Honour the Vice-President.

 

Hon. Members, we have a lot of work to cover today. So, the hon. Member for Mpika Central is the last hon. Member I will allow to raise a matter of urgent public importance.

 

BY HON. KAPYANGA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MPIKA CENTRAL, ON THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECURITY, OVER ATTACKS ON LUSAKA RESIDENTS BY CRIMINALS MASQUERADING AS BUS DRIVERS AND CONDUCTORS

 

Mr Kapyanga: On a matter of urgent publicimportance, Madam.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A matter of urgent publicimportance is raised.

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, I rise on a matter of urgent public importance quoting Standing Order No. 134(1) and (2). Can I proceed?

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: You can go ahead, hon. Member.

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, in the recent past, there have been reports of members of the public in Lusaka being attacked by criminals masquerading as bus drivers and conductors, WHO drive public service buses while committing the heinous crimes that the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security hates with a passion. The criminals have been terrorising the people of Lusaka everywhere. I would like, with your indulgence, to draw the attention of the hon. Minister to this issue because people are being killed, robbed, raped and harassed, and their property is being stolen. Yesterday, I was almost attacked by the criminals and they almost got away with my vehicle.

 

Madam Speaker, this is a very serious matter that borders on national security. So, I seek your serious guidance on it.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: This is, indeed, a serious issue that the people of Zambia, especially the people in Lusaka, have been commenting on or experiencing. Is the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security able to give a response over that now or we get back to him later?

 

The Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security (Mr Mwiimbu): Yes, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: It is about the rising levels of crime in Lusaka, where people are being raped and attacked. Some people are pretending to be bus drivers and then they attack individuals.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Speaker, –

 

Mr Chitotela: On a point of procedure, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: I think, let him answer.

 

Mr Chilangwa: But it is about procedure, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chitotela: I want to –

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: According to Standing Order No. 134, if the hon. Minister is around, he can either answer straightaway or say when he will be available, and then we give him a future date.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chitotela: I know, Madam Speaker. I have a procedural issue.

 

Mr Mutelo: When the hon. Minister is speaking?

 

Mr Chitotela: No, it is a procedural issue. Greenhorns, please, learn. It is a procedural issue.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minster of Home Affairs and Internal Security, are you able to answer now?

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Speaker, with your indulgence, my office needs to investigate the issue that has been raised and give the House and the nation a prudent and responsible answer. In this light, I request that I be allowed to come back on Tuesday and respond to the issue.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. Minister. We will expect a ministerial statement on this issue next week on Tuesday.

 

Mr Katakwe: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Lusambo: On whom?

 

Just sit down, iwe.

 

Mr Katakwe: It is a serious point of order.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Let us take our business seriously. According to the programme, this time is for matters of urgent public importance, which are not supposed to be points of order. I think that we should get that very clearly. At this point, we are not looking at points of order. The points of order will come immediately after we finish this section of our business. I hope I am loud and clear.

 

We move on.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Madam Speaker, on a matter of urgent public importance.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: I think I had mentioned that we have a lot of business to transact. So, the last hon. Member I called upon is the last one for today.

 

UPND hon. Members: Yes!

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: So, we move on.

 

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

 

ON THE STATE OF THE CHIBULUMA CENTRAL ROAD IN NKANA PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY OF KITWE DISTRICT ON THE COPPERBELT PROVINCE

 

The Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development (Eng. Milupi): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to update the House and the nation on the state of the Chibuluma Central Road in Nkana Parliamentary Constituency of Kitwe District, Copperbelt Province. This is as a result of the matter of urgent public importance that was raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Nkana Constituency, Mr Binwell Mpundu, on Tuesday, 16th November, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member stated, and I quote:

 

“Madam Speaker, the matter I raise is directed at the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

 

“Madam Speaker, this morning, I received a very disturbing report of criminals being captured attacking a moving truck in broad daylight, obviously, in an attempt to get away with goods, and that has been the pattern in that section of our constituency over the last almost one month. Not a day passes without a report of criminals attacking moving trucks and other vehicles. One Member of this House, the hon. Member for Lufwanyama, was equally attacked. Today, the criminals are walking away with goods; tomorrow, there will be a loss of lives.

 

“Madam Speaker, the criminal activities are happening on a stretch of the road called Chibuluma Central Street because of the poor state of the road, which makes vehicles to move at not more than 10 km/h. The road passes through a very dangerous community whose young people, because of a lack of things to do, are pouncing on truckers”

 

Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, recognises the critical contribution of a good road network and infrastructure to national development.

 

Madam Speaker, our road network facilitates the movement of goods and people, thereby supporting productivity in key sectors of our economy, such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, commerce and tourism. The New Dawn Administration is, therefore, focused on developing the critical road network across the entire length and breadth of this country to support economic activity and socio-economic transformation. However, this must be done at the correct price, to a high quality and in a timely manner.

 

Madam Speaker, the Chibuluma Road in Kitwe District – that is the correct terminology, not “Chibuluma Central” – is, indeed, in a deplorable state, and the Government is aware of this fact. In this regard, the House may wish to note that the rehabilitation of the road was planned as part of a variation under the Zambia Township Roads Project, which was initially financed using a contractor-facilitated initiative (CFI) mode of financing. That was to be financed by the Government of the Republic of Zambia. However, the project has stalled due to financing challenges being faced by the Government resulting from the previous Government’s overcommitments in the road sector, as elaborated by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning in his ministerial statement to this House last week.

 

Madam Speaker, in view of the importance of the road, and in consideration of the current occurrence of thefts from trailers due to the slow movement of trucks, as stated by the hon. Member, my ministry has already engaged the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to consider funding that critical road rehabilitation project, and rehabilitation works on 6.6 km of a section of the road will be carried out under the Zambia Township Roads Project as soon as funds are made available by the Treasury, which I am sure will be very soon.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to conclude by stating that the funds available to the Road Sector Annual Work Plan (RSAWP) remain grossly inadequate to meet the commitments entered into by the previous Government. Again, as indicated by hon. Colleagues in their ministerial statements last week on commitments in the road sector, dismantling of the road sector debt will take many years.As the ministry and Government, we remain resolute in our plans to bring the sector to sustainability by among other means, rescoping of projects and cancellation of those that cannot be sustained by the Government. Dismantling the huge road sector debt is critical for achieving road sector investment sustainability and continued improvements to the national road network.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government will prioritise the preservation of the existing road network and investment by focusing more attention and resources on maintenance works. Substantial rehabilitation construction works on critical, but commercially-viable roads will be undertaken using public-private partnership (PPP) models of financing. We hope that increased private sector participation through PPPs will help to ease the burden on the Government.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

 

Mr Lusambo (Kabushi): Madam Speaker, the road in question, the Chibuluma Road, is very strategic not only to the people of Nkana Constituency, but also to those heading to Chingola, Kalulushi, Solwezi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as it is the main road for trucks. That road is an economic one.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government of His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, ...

 

Government hon. Members: Question!

 

Mr Lusambo: ... had planned to upgrade the road. As Minister for the Copperbelt Province then, I engaged the Road Development Agency (RDA), companies on the Copperbelt and other stakeholders to see to help us work on that stretch, which is a very important, and we expect the hon. Minister –

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

It is like you are now debating. Can we hear the question.

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, thank you for your guidance. I hope –

 

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order on my right!

 

Hon. Member for Kabushi, please, continue.

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, I am very shocked by these greenhorns who are just opening their mouths as if they do not know what they have come to do in here.

 

Mr Mutinta: He is confused.

 

Mr Lusambo: This is a very serious House where we do serious business.

 

Madam Speaker, what is the Government’s position on this matter? When will the Government find the money for works on that stretch? The hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning is here, and that stretch is very important not only to the people of Nkana Constituency, but also to the nation at large.

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, firstly, a little education.

 

Madam Speaker, ‘greenhorns’ means people who have less experience. In that regard, when I analyse the House, I note that the longest-serving hon. Members in this House are from the right.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, in my statement, at the dispatch box, I stated very clearly that we are in serious consultations and engagements with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning through the hon. Minister. We understand what the problem is and, alongside other key road sections, funds will be released for that particular section to be attended to.

 

Madam Speaker, when the hon. Member talks about the previous Government and President, it shocks us because the deterioration of Chibuluma Road, critical as it is, did not happen over the last three months; the road was already in a terrible state when we took over Government. Where were our colleagues? We are trying to correct the wrongs that they did; we have not said that we are not going to do it. We are going to do it.

 

Interruptions

 

The First Deputy Speaker: Order!

 

Allow the hon. Minister to respond.

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam, I, perhaps, know more about that stretch of road than even the hon. Member who has asked the question because I am a Kitwe person. So, we shall do the work and we shall do it as soon as funds are available. As the Government, we have told you that funds will be released very shortly.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, please, let us try to avoid using words that may provoke the other group because what we say will go round; it will go to one side and then get back again. So, let us just stick to the rules of this House, the Standing Orders, and use parliamentary language. If we do that, I think we are going to have a smooth day.

 

Mr Mumba (Kantanshi): Madam Speaker, maybe, the hon. Minister can clarify his statement. I heard him mention contractor-financed initiative arrangement; where the contractor does the work and then the Government pays much later. Is that the case with the road in question? If so, how much will the road cost in the new funding that he is expecting the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to release?

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Kantanshi, who always asks very penetrating questions.

 

Madam Speaker, there are two issues here. The first one, which I have to state, is that in terms of the Budget cycle in which we are; the 2021 Budget, the funds are exhausted, hence the statements by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning on the overall road sector and the statement from the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on township and feeder roads. The funds are exhausted.

 

Madam Speaker, the road which the Member for Nkana, Hon. Binwell Mpundu, has expressed concern comes to us as an emergency now, and that is why we have to get some emergency funding to ameliorate the situation. It is not the proper funding that the hon. Member for Kantanshi is talking about. The aim is to get that issue cleared so that the issues raised by the hon. Member for Nkana are resolved in a positive way.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mushanga (Bwacha): Madam Speaker, I got the hon. Minister clearly when he stated that his ministry is in talks with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to secure resources so that the road is attended to. However, his statement did not take into account the hon. Member’s question about whether there is an immediate solution to the state of the road in question. The hon. Member who raised the matter wants to know whether there is any immediate solution even as the ministry is in discussions with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, this is the immediate solution we have. The road which is in a bad state, and I have seen trucks move at very low speeds on it as they go to Ndola, as the hon. Member for Kabushi said, using the road as a by-pass through Kitwe.

 

Madam Speaker, when we say that there are no funds, it means the funds have been exhausted and the ministry cannot do anything. No ministry can do anything of that nature without funds because these are big jobs. So, the first stop is at the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to report this emergency situation we have, and that is what we have done. All we are waiting for are funds so that we can undertake the repair works required on that stretch. An easier answer would have been that we will wait for the next Budget, but that is not what we have done because we have recognised the importance of the road, as explained by the hon. Member for Nkana, and we are doing what we are doing so that we can allow traffic to flow at a higher speed than is currently obtaining.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chitotela (Pambashe): Madam Speaker, I sympathise with the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development because of the allocation of grossly insufficient funds to his ministry. However, I have a great concern about our colleagues in the Executive. The Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct provides that a Backbencher can politick, but not a Minister, because one Government takes over from where another left off in a continuous process; there is no passing the buck. However, I note with great concern that each time some hon. Ministers stand, they want to politick as though they were Backbenchers, thereby breaching the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct. Maybe, they have not been tutored in that area.

 

Government hon. Members: Question!

 

Mr Chitotela: I think Hon. Mutati needs to speak to our friends who are serving in the Government now because that is a breach. I have noted this with great concern.

 

Madam Speaker, I understand the hon. Minister has been allocated a grossly small amount of money, looking at the works he is supposed to do. Further, in his statement, the hon. Minister clearly stated that the road project was under the Urban Roads Rehabilitation Project under the contractor facilitated initiative (CFI) model. The contractor was AVIC International Holding Corporation (AVIC International),which worked on quite a number of roads in Kitwe. However, this Government decided to suspend that good initiative due, we understand, to the review and evaluation of road projects.

 

Madam Speaker, bearing in mind the importance of that stretch of the road, does this Government intend to engage the very good hon. Minister for whom I have a lot of respect, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane – I know the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development is from the Copperbelt, and is a Kitwe resident – to vary that contract, since the road is still under that contract? Varying the contract will allow the contractor to complete the remaining more than 6 km stretch so that the people of Kitwe, the travelling public, the mining companies like Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and Chibuluma Mines, and trucks exiting to Chingola can have a relief as we continue tolling the trucks at the Kalulushi and Garnetontoll plazas? The trucks that pass through that road are contributing to the fees that will be used to rehabilitate the road. Is it the hon. Minister’s wish to engage the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to reconsider his position and allow the contractor to complete that stretch?

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, for a start, this Government will not take lessons on good governance from those to your left.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

Eng. Milupi: When the time elapses and we carry out an assessment of who would have governed well between them and us, I think the people of this country will unreservedly point to us as having been far better than our colleagues.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, as regards to the substantive question, …

 

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Can we have some order!

 

Eng. Milupi: … when he says that this Government suspended the AVIC International contract on the road, that is not true because the contract was suspended by the previous Administration, which decided that any project that was below 80 per cent was to be suspended.  On the road in question, Chibuluma,, no work had been done, and the hon. Member for Nkana can attest to that. So, the project fell below the threshold of 80 per cent.

 

Madam Speaker, in terms of what we plan to do, we can couch it in many words, but the bottom line is that funds have to be found; we have to squeeze funds from somewhere and see what can be done, as that is not the only road that needs repairs. There are others as well, but I do not want to mention them here, and that is why we are engaging the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. I do not think we can do more than that.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to ask a question on the issue of the Chibuluma Road.

 

Madam Speaker, in the statement, the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development indicates that a variation order was issued on the Zambia Urban Roads Rehabilitation Project. The kilometres for the project are 300 while the variation order is only for 6.6 km. By implication, the variation order is part of the contract. So, my understating is that in the statement, there is a solution. The only requirement is that the variation order is activated. When will the variation order be activated so that our people could have a durable Chibuluma Road? I am asking this question because I am familiar with the procedures that were followed in the Chibuluma Road Project, having been privileged to serve as Mayor of the city of Kitwe.

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, this is a straightforward issue. On a number of roads that have not been funded, contractors have been demobilised because they are owed vast sums of money, and they include the contractor the hon. Member is talking about. So, whether we vary the contract or not, the key issue is that we have to pay for interim payment certificates (IPCs) in order for any contractor to go back on site. When we come to this House and lay on the Table the full magnitude of what we owe the contractors, engineers and consultants, we are laying the genuine problems that the road sector network finds itself in. So, when we have a crisis like the Chibuluma Road, with all that was reported by the hon. Member for Nkana, we have to look at it as an emergency and to not deal with it in a business-as-usual manner.That is why, outside whatever has happened, whether it is variation or the contractor continues, we have to sit down with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and find something for addressing this emergency. That is what we are doing.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking you for being a good mother and delegation leader when you led a team of parliamentarians to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker, the road that is being talked about has a history, and it is very important in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. If you look at the state in which the road is today, you will see that it points to one thing, and that is, many things were not taken into consideration when the road was worked on the last time, especially in terms of the scope. That road bears the weight of trucks that are not less than 30 metric tonnes each. As I speak, the bitumen has made ridges in the middle of the road. Looking at our resources, which are so scarce, and the fact that the Government is trying to spread them across competing needs, as we embark on rehabilitating the road, is the hon. Minister, who is an engineer, going to take into consideration the scope or bill of quantities (BOQs) to ensure that the road will stand the test of time by factoring in the volume that it will be meant to be carrying? What I mean is: How is the hon. Minister going to come up with the scope, looking at the nature of the road?

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, I have to thank the hon. Member of Parliament for Roan, who also has one or two issues on one of his roads.

 

Madam Speaker, what I know about the road we are talking about is that it starts from the traffic lights on Central Street in Nkana West, which are the first traffic lights as you get into Kitwe, goes all the way past the Nkana Plant area, goes on in the direction of Mindolo and turns into Chibuluma.

 

Madam Speaker, some years back, I think it was Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) which worked on that stretch and, for a number of years, the road was passable. However, in no time at all, it failed.  The problem we have on the road is that trucks naturally slow down and, when they do that, the torque created in the wheels causes a lot more damage. Even where there are roadblocks, there is greater damage because of the torque that is generated when trucks start or slow down. We are aware of that. Therefore, when we sit to correct the situation, we will have to consider those matters that the hon. Member has raised so that we have permanent solutions to the roads that we will rehabilitate.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: I will take the last two questions from the hon. Members for Chifubu and Nkana. 

 

Mr Lubozha (Chifubu): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has clearly indicated that the Government does not have the money to immediately work on the Chibuluma Road. As an interim measure, is he considering engaging the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security to intensify security on the said road, which has been infested by criminals, to protect the trucks and other road users, since lives continue to be threatened and trucks attacked?

 

Mr Katakwe: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order citing Article 73, Section 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia, which deals with matters of petitions of elections of Members of Parliament, and reads:

 

“A Member of Parliament whose election is petitioned shall hold the seat in the National Assembly pending the determination of the election petition.’’

 

Mr Lusambo:Tulelanda pa misebo ifwe.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, I read this in line with Standing Order 239(1), which reads:

 

“Where a procedural question arises on a matter that is not expressly provided for by these Standing Orders or by other Orders of the House, the Speaker shall decide the question.’’

 

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member for Kabushi Constituency in order to be in the House following the nullification by the High Court of his election pursuant to Article 74 –

 

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, nabamulembela.Alebelenga, uyu.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, please!

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, I repeat: Is the hon. Member for Kabushi in order ...

 

Mr Sing’ombe: This one is a doctor!

 

Mr Muchima: Medical doctor.

 

Mr Katakwe: ... to be in this House when his seat was nullified by the High Court, pursuant to Article 73, Section 4?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Since this is a constitutional matter, I am going to reserve my ruling so that we get more information.

 

Mr Lusambo:Ninjisa epondi. Mumbone. Nipano tuli.

 

Laughter

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

 

We move on.

 

The hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development is supposed to answer the question from the hon. Member for Chifubu.

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, I beg your indulgence. As a result of a very interesting point of order raised, my attention was distracted because I think the point of order will yield positive results.

 

Laughter

 

Eng. Milupi: Could the hon. Member please repeat the question.

 

Hon Government Members: Hear, hear! 

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Can we have some order!

 

Hon. Member for Chifubu, please, repeat the question.

 

Mr Lubozha: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Nkana indicated that trucks moved slowly, at the rate of almost 10 per cent, and that the hon. Member for Lufwanyama also came under attack on the same road.  The hon. Member then observed that if the road is not worked on, more trucks are likely to be attacked and lives to be lost. Following the answer given by the hon. Minister to the effect that the Government currently mobilising resources to work on the mentioned road, we, the people of Chifubu, are concerned because lives and goods in transit may continue to be lost on that road. Is the hon. Minister considering engaging the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security to intensify security on the road to protect goods and lives?

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, the provision of security in this nation is the responsibility of this Government. So, wherever there is an instance of insecurity, without even being reminded, our men and women in uniform carry out their duties and ensure that security is restored. I am sure, without any shadow of a doubt, that the instances that the hon. Member referred to were reported to respective police stations and, even without consulting the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, who is seated in front of me, I am sure security has already been put in place to ensure that the goods and people who use that road are protected. However, we have taken note of the point the hon. Member has made, and I will consult the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security in the unlikely event that our men and women in uniform have not already moved on site to protect the people who use that stretch.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr B. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, let me start by registering my displeasure. We ought not to trivialise matters, especially if they are of urgent importance. So, I take great offence at the comments meant to trivialise the matter I brought up, which the Hon. Madam Speaker qualified as one that required the urgent attention of the Government. It is not right to continue referring to what happened in the previous Government because the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is gone and the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government is now in charge.

 

Government hon. Members: Question!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr B. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, let me ask my question now.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

You are only supposed to ask a follow-up question.

 

Mr B. Mpundu: Yes, I am asking a follow-up question.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: If you have something to say, you can raise a point of order instead of combining the two. Can you, please, go straight to the question. You can always bring up the other matters separately.

 

Mr B. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, my question to the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development is: Considering the nature of the matter that I brought up in this House, should the hon. Minister not be pursuing other avenues for urgently addressing the matter at hand, such as engaging our co-operating partners and stakeholders? The road in question passes through Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), which is the major stakeholder that can help us rehabilitate that dilapidated infrastructure. There are also some companies in this country that supply cement, and we can fall back on them in terms of their corporate social responsibility. Should the hon. Minister not be pursuing other avenues to make that road passable rather than saying that he will look for funds?

 

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, when we remind people of the things that they have done, it is not out of the desire to trivialise issues.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Eng. Milupi: It is just that we have to form the foundation upon which we can build this nation.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member for Nkana, who is my Member of Parliament, because I have interests in his constituency, was a District Commissioner (DC) in the previous Government when that road was already in that deteriorated state. That deterioration did not happen in the last three months.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Can we have order!

 

Eng. Milupi: We are taking steps, Madam Speaker, to repair the road. The hon. Member talked about engaging stakeholders and companies that operate in that vicinity, and we expect him to be in the forefront of approaching those companies. Our role is to look for public resources to repair the road. Many hon. Members of Parliament have engaged particular stakeholders in their constituencies to undertake certain works, and we thank them for that. There is nothing strange in doing that. So, we ask the hon. Member to be involved and to go and see management at Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), Chibuluma Mines and whoever needs to be seen. However, as the Government, we shall find the resources to undertake the repairs, which our predecessors failed to do over many years.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

________

 

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

SHORTAGE OF WATER IN KAWAMA WEST TOWNSHIP

 

95.    Mr Mwila (Mufulira) asked the Minister of Water Development and Sanitation:

 

  1. whether the Government is aware that there is a critical shortage of water in Kawama West Township in Mufulira Parliamentary Constituency, thereby compelling the residents to depend on unclean water from the nearby stream; and
  2. if so, what urgent measures are being taken to ensure that the residents are supplied with clean water to avert water-borne diseases.

 

The Minister of Water Development and Sanitation (Mr Mposha): Madam Speaker, the Government is aware of the critical shortage of water in some parts of Kawama West Township, especially the areas around Kawama Primary School and Kansuswa Hydro Electricity Sub-Station in Mufulira Parliamentary Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, Kawama West Township has 560 house connections, of which only 169 are able to receive water through the existing network. The critical shortage of water in the area has been compounded by the increased demand for water, which has exceeded the capacity of the twelve water kiosks that the Government installed in 2010.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government, through the Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company, is in the process of commencing delivery of clean water to residents of the affected areas, in particular, Kawama West Township, using water bowsers as a matter of urgency to avert water-borne diseases. As a long-term intervention, the Government is implementing a project to rehabilitate and extend water supply to about 8,900 residents in Kawama West Township. The project, which commenced in August, 2020, is at 75 per cent and is expected to be completed in March, 2022.

 

I thank you,Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Lusambo (Kabushi): Madam Speaker, I know Kawama and Kansuswa areas very well.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister hasindicated to this august House that the Government will supply water tothe 8,000 people in that area using waterbowsers. How many water bowsers will be used to cater for the 8,000?

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, I indicated that the area in question has 560 house connections, of which169 are able to receive water. So, it is not true that all the 8,000 householdsthat the hon. Member talked about do not have water. However, in the interim, one water bowserwill be making frequent trips to the affected areas.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Madam Speaker, I sympathise with the residents of Mufulira Central.I fully understand the extent of the problem because I think it is not only in Mufulira Central where there is a project that has not yet been completed.

 

Madam Speaker, my question is in line with the question asked by the hon. Member,regarding the solution to the problem.According to the hon. Minister, there is a project that will be completed in March, 2022. Do the ongoing works cover things like the sinking of industrial boreholes, which would have been sunk immediately as we wait for the completion of the bigger ongoing project in March, 2022?When industrial boreholes are sunk, our people in the affected areas will quickly access water as the Government waits to commission the works that the previous Government started.

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, we are currently not sinking boreholes in that area. However, like I said,a K3 million project is being implemented in there and will be completed in March, 2022.We hope that when the project is completed, water supply will improve radically. However, in the interim,like I said, we have put in place measures, through Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company, to supply water to the people of Mufulira.

 

Madam Speaker, I must say that as the Government, we really sympathise with the situation obtaining in Mufulira, and with the citizens who do not have access to clean and safe water in many other parts of the country.

 

I thank you,Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Madam Speaker, the question asked by the hon. Member for Mufulira borders on a problem that is common in many areas. Having been privileged to be on the Committee onParastatal Bodies in the previous Session, I know that according to theinformation contained in the report of the Committee, most water utility companieshave challenges of capacity, which include the staff complement and infrastructure. The issue that came out prominently, which is not absent from the water utility company that we are talking about is the unmetered water because of dilapidated infrastructure.Has the Governmentcome up with a solution in the Budget we are currently considering for building capacity in water utility companies that are grappling with poor infrastructure and a lack of staff?

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, I will not debate the Budget because I will be availed that opportunity later. Suffice it for me to say that building capacity, rehabilitationof water infrastructure and the expansion of the network are on-going. The hon. Member of Parliament may wish to note that our population is growing and that, therefore, we need to continue investing in the water sector and expanding the network so that we can cover the many areas that are coming up in terms of development.

 

Madam Speaker,as I indicated,there is aK3 million ongoing project, which is at 75 per cent. Once the remaining 25 per cent of works are done, hopefully in the first quarter of 2022,water supply will improve in that area. We hope to continue expanding the network and improving capacity in many other districts in the country so that our people canhave access to clean and safe water.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Mwila: Madam Speaker, I asked this question with a lot of passion because, as we know, water is life, and one day without it is a danger to the lives of those who are affected. So, I thank the hon. Minister for the answers he has given so far.

 

Madam Speaker, the solution, in the interim, that the hon. Minister has provided is to send a water bowser to the area, and I know that Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company, which caters for three districts, Chililabombwe, Chingola, and Mufulira, has only one water bowser. Before the permanent solution is found in March, 2022, how sustainable is the use of one water bowser to supply clean water daily to the affected area?

 

Madam Speaker, I also note – Sorry. Please, allow me to ask two follow-up questions as the person who asked this question, as provided for by the Standing Orders.

 

Madam Speaker, the area we are talking about, as the hon. Minister stated, has twelve water kiosks that were put up in 2010 by the previous Government. I inspected the area and found that none of the twelve kiosks functions. My second question is: In the interim, should we not be making the water kiosks functional? For me, that is a longer-lasting solution than taking a water bowser to that area.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: The hon. Minister, in answering the question, take into consideration the fact that two questions have been asked.

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, the measure to send a water bowser is an emergency one. It is a temporary measure to ensure that the people have clean and safe water. We shall do everything possible to ensure that the exercise starts by tomorrow, and I can only ask the hon. Member of Parliament to be vigilant. If the exercise does not start by tomorrow, 1200 hours, let us communicate. Otherwise, measures have been put in place for the water bowser to be in Mufulira by tomorrow to assist in that area. Unfortunately, due to resource constraints, that is what we can do in the meantime.

 

Madam Speaker, as regards the issue of the twelve water kiosks, I have taken note of it and I should be able to sit down with the hon. Member of Parliament and my officers at the ministry to see what can be done.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mwambazi (Bwana Mkubwa): Madam Speaker, can the hon. Minister to shed more light on the works in Mufulira. Are they part of the €110 million project or are they part of a different programme? Kindly put us up to speed so that we understand as we sympathise with the people of Kawama. Is the K3 million just for the expansion of the network or is it part of the bigger contract, the €110 million? What is the position on that project, which has been going on for some time?

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: The hon. Minister of Water Development and Sanitation may pick one question.

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, I confirm that the project is part of the €110 million project and that the K3 million component I am talking about is just for the township I mentioned in Mufulira. Like I said, in the Kawama area, the project is at 75 per cent.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mumba: (Kantanshi): Madam Speaker, apart from the one bowser my hon. Colleague from Mufulira Central talked about, Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company has only one tractor. So, I do not know how attainable the ultimatum the hon. Minister has issued about tomorrow 1200 hours is. Kantanshi and Mufulira share a boundary and similar water challenges.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to know more about the €110 million project the hon. Minister referred to. Considering that the population in Kawama has increased, does the hon. Minister think that K3 million is going to be enough for a response to the needs of that population through a project that is supposed to improve water and sanitation in three districts? Whether or not the population rises or investments in housing grow, the water and sanitation situation should remain adequate in the three districts. Does the hon. Minister think that the amount that has mentioned for that area will be adequate? 

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, the K 3 million I spoke about is just a smaller component addressing the challenge of water vis-à-vis the rehabilitation and, to some extent, expansion of the water network in that township of Mufulira Constituency. So, in that area of the constituency, for now, yes, that is what was allocated in the contract and that is the contract that was signed. However, obviously, over time, the population will continue to grow and we may have to look at the new challenges that will arise and see how we can deal with them.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, the situation that is obtaining in Mufulira’s Kawama Compound is exactly the same as that obtaining in Kawama of Mpatamatu in Roan Constituency, where people have gone for three weeks without water.

 

Madam speaker, I appreciate that in the case of Kawama, Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company has managed to send a water bowser there. My question is: Does the ministry engage water utility firms to consider procuring more water bowsers when resources are in place so that when there are such emergencies in various compounds, people are not subjected to drinking water that is not fit for human consumption?

 

Madam Speaker, the people of Kawama in Roan Constituency want a bowser as soon as yesterday because they have gone without clean water for some weeks now.

 

Mr Mposha: Madam Speaker, my answer will be pretty similar to the one I just gave a few minutes ago.

 

Madam Speaker, yes, in the recent past, my ministry did assist our utility companies to procure water bowsers. Obviously, the population is growing and, as we face new challenges, we may have to look at the option of looking for funds and procuring more water bowsers so that when we have such emergencies, we can fall back on our utility companies to provide water bowsers to the communities that are affected by water blues. So, it is an option we may want to look at, resources allowing.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

________

 

MOTION

 

DEATH OF MR L. MKANDAWIRE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR KABWATA

 

The Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mwiimbu): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that this House do place on record its deepest regret at the death of Mr Levy Mkandawire, hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata Constituency, together with its appreciation of his distinguished and patriotic service to the country and the people of Zambia, and that the deepest sympathies and condolences of the National Assembly be conveyed to his family.

 

Madam Speaker, in moving this Motion, I wish to place on record our regret, sorrow and anguish over the death of Hon. Levy Mkandawire, who passed away on Thursday, 18th November, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to use this very sad moment to say a few things about the late Hon. Mkandawire, whose demise is not only a great loss to the United Party for National Development (UPND) and the people of Kabwata, but also to the entire nation.

 

Madam Speaker, the late Hon. Levy Mkandawirewas born on 5th May, 1961, in Lundazi District in the Eastern Province, and did his secondary school education at Hillcrest Secondary School in Livingstone from 1976 to 1980. Upon completion of his secondary school education, Hon. Mkandawireproceeded to Erfurt College in the then East Germany where he obtained a Diploma in electrical installations in 1985. The late hon. Member then pursued further studies at Cavendish University,Zambia, from 2007 to 2009, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. His desire for academic excellence made him go back to Cavendish University,Zambia, from 2010 to 2012, where he studied for a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

 

Madam Speaker, with regard to his working life, the late Hon. Mkandawirehad an illustrious career. Starting as an Electrical Technologist at the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) in Mufulira, where he worked from 1986 to 1988, he later worked for RDS Business Machines as a Service Engineer from 1989 to 1991 before moving to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in the same year, where he worked as a Technician.

 

Madam Speaker, in terms of politics, the late Hon. Mkandawirestarted his political career in 2001when he joined the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) and was elected Councillor in Kabwata Constituency in 2001. In 2004, he was elected Mayor of Lusaka and served in that position until 2005. In 2006, the late Hon. Mkandawirejoined the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), in which he held the position of Vice District Information Secretary. Thelate hon. Member joined the UPND in 2007 and, in 2014, served as the Vice Provincial Chairperson in charge of administration. He then became National Trustee in 2016 and was elected Member of Parliament for Kabwata Constituency in the 12th August, 2021, Tripartite Elections on the UPND ticket and served in that position until his death.

 

Madam Speaker, as a Parliamentarian, Hon. Mkandawireserved on the Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources and the Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technologies.

 

Madam Speaker, Hon. Mkandawirewas a very humble, sober-minded and objective debater. The House will surely miss this gallant hon. Member.

 

May his soul rest in peace.

 

Madam Speaker, I beg to move.

 

Mr Mwene (Mangango): Madam Speaker, the death of our colleague, the late Hon. Levy Mkandawire, is a great loss to this nation. Currently, most hon. Members of Parliament are living in fear because wherever we are, we feellike we are being trailed, pursued and wanted by various people. As such, I ask the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security whether the Government is considering providing State security to all hon. Members of Parliament, especially at our homes.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chitotela (Pambashe): Madam Speaker, it is a solemn moment that today, the Patriotic Front (PF) joins the United Party for National Development (UPND), the people of Kabwata and the people of Zambia in mourning the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata, by the name of Mr Levy Mkandawire, who was elected by the people of Kabwata and expected to provide proper representation. Alas, death cut short his life barely three months after coming to Parliament. He thereby goes on record as one of the shortest-serving Members of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, the people of Pambashe, in particular, and the PF, in general, join the UPND and the people of Kabwata Constituency in mourning their beloved hon. Member of Parliament. Going by the eulogy given in this House by the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House, you can see the passion Mr Mkandawire had to serve the people of Zambia and the community. This shows that this is a man who sacrificed his life tothe service of humanity, and this is service above self; the service I usually refer to as leadership of thecandle, which burns itself in order to give light to others. We have heard that at one stage, he reduced himself to serving as Councillor, the lowest level of service to the community. That shows how much he was willing to serve and sacrifice for the community in which he lived.

 

Madam Speaker, we have also heard that the late rose to the position of Mayor for the Greater City of Lusaka. That also shows the great passion in him to serve the people of Lusaka. That is what is being said of Hon. Mkandawire, and that is what he is known for. As stated by the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House, Hon. Mkandawire applied to be elected on the UPND ticket, and the people of Kabwata Constituency deposited their authority in him, wishing him to represent them. Alas, he met his fate on the day and time he never planned to.

 

Madam Speaker, when we learnt of his death, personally I had just had an interaction with him. As you may be aware, he was from Eastern Province and, at times, I would joke with him by calling him ‘Mkanda wire’, as he was my tribal cousin and a man who liked to smile and say, “Yes, cousin”. So, we began developing a relationship but, death being what it is, Hon. Mkandawire is no more. Therefore, we encourage the people of Kabwata, the Mkandawire family and the UPND to stand strong and pray for the soul and spirit of our departed honourable brother. 

 

Madam speaker, death is a mystery; nobody understands it. So, we leave all in the hands of God, and it will be a wonderful story that day when we shall meet and ask difficult questions of ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’ These are some of the questions that in our human endeavour, we may not answer. We may not understand why, but I remember the statement of one man of God, Pardon Mwansa, one of the leaders of the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church. In one of the sermons, he said:

 

“You prepare as though we live 100 years, but live as though you are dying today, because you may not know the day and the time when you may answer the Lord’s call. We will go to our Father in different ways; we will be called in different manners and circumstances”.

 

Madam Speaker, I call for unity of purpose and togetherness. In difficult circumstances like these ones, in which a leader, father, grandfather and husband who was expected to provide leadership to the people of Kabwata is no longer there, obviously, there will be much finger-pointing statements but, as leaders and people who are mourning, we must hold together, look up to heaven and say, ‘Yes, there are questions that we may not understand, but God, in his own wisdom, and at the appointed time, will call us, and all of us will answer His call.

 

Madam Speaker, before I concluded, I want to place it on record that I am grateful to the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House, then Leader of the Opposition, who stood here, where I am standing, and persistently called for a benedictory service to be introduced for Members of Parliament and that it be held for them no matter where they went. I am impressed to see that Hon. Mkandawire, no matter how sad the situation may be, becomes the first Member of Parliament to be given that honour. For the information of those of our friends who may not know, this has happened because of the persistent call of the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, currently the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House. He kept calling for that service to be held; for that honour to be given to Members of Parliament, until Parliament agreed to amend the Standing Orders because, previously it was taboo for the Speaker to even visit the funeral house of a deceased Member of Parliament and attend the burial. The Speaker merely appointed a Member of Parliament to represent him.

 

Hon. Mwiimbu, that is how progressive reforms must be. Leaders must be accorded the respect that they deserve.

 

 Madam Speaker, as we join hands with people of Kabwata, the Mkandawire family and the UPND in mourning, we, members of the PF, send our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray that the spirit and soul of our departed honourable brother rests in eternal peace.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.         

 

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (Mr Nkombo): Madam Speaker, I join the mover of the Motion in passing condolences to the family of Hon. Levy Mkandawire, Member of Parliament for Kabwata Constituency, here, in Lusaka.

 

Madam Speaker, fear has never been part of my deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ever since I knew myself as someone who had come of age. However, the news of the passing of Hon. Levy Mkandawire at the point the President of this Republic and I were officiating at the Annual General Conference of the Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) sent a chill down my spine and, to this moment, I am still very unsettled.

 

Madam Speaker, I am more unsettled by the death of Hon. Mkandawire because barely a fortnight ago, there was a hoax in the form of news to the effect that the hon. Member had died, and I do recall watching him on WhatsApp in a self-made video dispelling the rumours. So, I was debilitated and defeated when I was informed by one of the senior members of State House to tell the President that just an hour earlier, Hon. Mkandawire had been crushed in what appeared to be an accident at his residence; at his gate, as he was trying to get access into his home around 1100 hours. In my response in writing, I said, “You must have read the hoax that was created two weeks ago. This news can never be true. Alas, it turned out to be true. My sincere condolences go to the family of this great man.

 

Madam Speaker, like many of us, Hon. Mkandawire was the product of an election. Most of his life, he lived for service and, like some other people have said, he served at the lowest level of civic leadership. He was a Councillor and a Mayor, and he became a Member of Parliament.

 

I had very close interactions with Hon. Mkandawire, Madam Speaker, having been members of the same political party as him and having been privileged to be Chairperson for Elections in our party. Hon. Mkandawire, being who he was, from the party side of things, was always on hand to grow the party, and he did not become a Trustee in the United Party for National Development (UPND) by accident. I do recall many times, when there were elections far and near, together with his friend, Adrian Bauleni, he would jump into their car and say, “Chairman, where do you want us to go? We will gladly go”, without even asking for money for them to support themselves on an election trail. What a loss!

 

Madam Speaker, there are many ways in which we can honour Hon. Mkandawire. As we seek to replace him, because it is a constitutional matter, Lusaka being what it is, and speaking to both sides, your left hand side and us, one sure way we can honour Hon. Mkandawire is by conducting a peaceful election when the time comes to replace the giant hero who was meek, steadfast, humbleand settled. He was firm, and an extremely strong man. What a miss! 

 

Madam Speaker, in this House, I do recall him making a contribution. You could see how settled the mind of an individual who alighted from what one would, maybe, term an underdog status, in the election that just passed. Lusaka being what it is, many kept saying, “Mr Mkandawire is not strong enough to marshal a win in Kabwata.” The odds were against him and, on the several occasions I sat with the seven candidates in Lusaka District, everybody kept saying, “We are all fine, but we are not sure about Kabwata.” So, it was such a delight to get the results for Kabwata Constituency in the just-ended election and see that Hon. Levy Mkandawire had emerged victorious.

 

Madam Speaker, to the family of Hon. Mkandawire, I am very sorry, and I pass my condolences. To the United Party for National Development (UPND) family, I am very sorry. We have a duty to emulate the fallen hero. Looking back, in more ways than one, I would describe Hon. Mkandawire as a cat which, when it passes, you can hardly hear it, yet his political acumen was gigantic. So, it is my fervent hope that we, in the UPND, can retain a bit of Hon. Mkandawire. To the great nation of Zambia, again, I say, ‘Sorry’. As I said earlier, and as I conclude, may his soul rest in eternal peace. Further, as we seek to replace him, let us commit ourselves to conducting respectful, peaceful and non-violent campaigns.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, allow me to thank the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security for moving the Motion on the Floor, as we remember the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, the late hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata, as has been indicated on this Floor, once served as Councillor, later served as Mayor and, at the time of his death, was serving as a Member of Parliament. As we remember the life of this hon. Member who has died, we must recollect that he had a family. Therefore, allow me to convey my sincere condolences to the family of the late Hon. Levy Mkandawire. Beyond his family, there was his political family and beyond that, there was the Parliament family.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to indicate that there is always a way in which a Mayor of a city is honoured and looked after in a city. It is quite unfortunate that a person who rises to the position of Member of Parliament has no defined security at his or her residence. I have learnt, since coming here as Member of Parliament for Kamfinsa three months ago, that my residence is not guarded. However, when I served the people of Kitwe as Mayor for five years, I had two council police officers, one on a morning shift and the other on an afternoon shift, who guarded my residence at the cost of the local authority. I was, therefore, surprised to learn that with all the huge responsibilities, arguments we sometimes have on the Floor of the House and the altercations that we are likely to come into in the community, our homes are not guarded.

 

Madam Speaker, given all the privileges and conditions of services we have as Members of Parliament, we are not guarded. Yes, someone can say, ‘Pay a guard from your income’, but here we are, discussing an issue that could have been prevented had there been security at the residences of Members of Parliament. I know we have no control over when someone dies, but I think we must deliberately find a way to define the security of Members of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, we are Parliamentarians and politicians and, in our duty, it is possible that we will find ourselves in confrontations. Clearly, the residences of Members of Parliament must be guarded just like those of Ministers are. Speaking from experience, I believe that the cost is manageable, and we can find the formula to make the cost manageable because, at the end of the day, our families are vulnerable and so are we. So, as we reflect on this untimely death on the Floor of the House, I hope that the Executive arm of the Government will take some of our proposals very seriously.

 

Madam Speaker, I know the Committee on Privileges, Absences and Support Services will discuss some of these pertinent issues, and I hope that these are some of the issues we can deliberately consider. Further, I am aware that there is a prime burial site that is reserved for Mayors of a city. However, I do not think that consideration is made in respect of the privileges of Members of Parliament and Ministers in the State. I am sure Hon. Kabuswe, having been privileged to serve as Mayor of Chililabombwe, will agree with me that we are not demanding privileges, but demanding that some of these things be defined on record the same way we have clearly defined other things. Some issues are clearly defined, but I think we need to go a step further and define what happens; we should provide for other conditions that will raise the profile of a Member of Parliament. I think that we are called honourable Members of Parliament because we are honourable individuals whose role in this society deserves to be honoured.

 

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I want to borrow the words of the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, who has made very important observations that, in my opinion, are not controversial and are worth living up to as we get into the process of replacing the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata; that we make a commitment to all rise above our partisan interests and ensure that we have a very peaceful election. That is a commitment we need to honour not only on the Floor of the House, but also beyond this House to our respective political parties. By and large, the two major political parties in this country are the United Party for National Development (UPND) and the Patriotic Front (PF). So, we need a commitment from the two parties at the highest level, and we need to put that commitment on record by calling a press briefing and assuring our residents in Kabwata that we are not going there to cause further bloodshed, but to pick a replacement Member of Parliament. That should be done in a very peaceful manner.

 

Madam Speaker, I do hope, as we remember the life of Hon. Mkandawire, the former Councillor, Mayor and late Member of Parliament, we will honour the process of electing the new Member of Parliament by doing so in a very peaceful manner.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, it is very difficult to wind up this Motion. So, I will not call on the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House to wind up the debate. Further, on such a Motion, a question is never put. I will, therefore, not put the question to the House. The Motion is carried nemine contradicente.

 

________

 

BUDGET 2022

 

(Debate Resumed)

 

The Hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (Mr Nkombo): Madam Speaker, thank you very much.

 

Madam Speaker, let me commend the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, for a very well-thought-out and clearly presented 2022 Budget.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget presented a true reflection of the New Dawn Government, a Government that cares for the well-being of every Zambian regardless of the region they come from; caring for the poor, the unsettled, the underprivileged and the unfortunate in our society.

 

Madam Speaker, in a very poorly performing economy, the hon. Minister did his best to come up with a progressive Budget.

 

Madam Speaker, the proposed Budget for 2022 reinvigorates the hope that was lost; the hope of a brighter future for our citizens through proposed policy, revenue and expenditure measures.

 

Madam Speaker, this Budget presentation was preceded by a very inspiring speech by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on which the hon. Minister rode.

 

Mr Chitotela: On a point of procedure, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised by the hon. Member for Pambashe.

 

Mr Chitotela: Madam Speaker, I apologise to my brother, the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, whose debate I have interrupted.

 

Madam Speaker, I rise on a serious point of procedure. As quoted by someone who rose on a point of order on the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabushi, the Standing Orders allow the Speaker to rule even on issues that are not provided for in the Standing Orders.

 

Madam Speaker, going by the Order Paper that has been circulated, which is a guide on the business for today, it is very clear that after the Motion on the late hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata, we are supposed to consider individual Heads in the Budget as circulated on the Order Paper. I am at sea to see that despite the Order Paper clearly indicating the business that we are supposed to consider today, the House has gone on and begun entertaining debates on the Budget, against what is circulated on the Order paper.

 

I seek your guidance on whether the House is in order to proceed in the manner it wishes to proceed.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Yes, the Order Paper indicates that after the Motion on the death of Hon. Levy Mkandawire, we are supposed to go straight to the resumption of debate on the Motion of Supply. After the debates, that is when we will break into Committee and then start debating the individual Heads. For now, there are still hon. Ministers who have to wind up debates and then there will be a report from the Chairperson of the Expanded, Planning and Budgeting Committee. Thereafter, we are going to start on the individual Heads.

 

May the hon. Minister for Local Government and Rural Development continue.

 

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, this Budget was aimed at settling the many uncomfortable people in our land and in the same token, unsettling the very few comfortable people.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget is meant to reduce poverty. The speech by the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, set the tone for the 2022 Budget and the address by the Hon. Minister augmented the President’s Speech. I, therefore, support the measures proposed by the hon. Minister. Notwithstanding the challenges highlighted by the President in terms of the state of our economy, as occasioned by our brothers and sisters in the Patriotic Front (PF), the 2022 Budget provides hope, for it also proposes to take resources from the centre to the bottom in form of decentralisation, thereby allowing people to determine their own development.

 

Madam Speaker, the theme for the Budget is “Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People”, which is what this country has been fighting for from 1964, when we became independent. The word decentralisation has been on people’s lips, and it was revisited in 2013 under the PF. Unfortunately, the power, both administrative and fiscal, did not descend to the people. Instead, it remained at the top for the comfortable few at the expense of the unsettled many in this country. This Budget addresses the issue of participatory decision-making and people shaping their own destinies.

 

Madam Speaker, it surprises me, today, to hear PF hon. Members of Parliament, especially those who have admonished this Government, tell us that they have no capacity in their councils and offices to administer K25.7 million meant to take development closer to the people. It is very shocking. This is a group of hon. Members of Parliament who ran the Government for ten years, more or less, yet they are still talking about having no capacity. Ironically, my fingers are tired of signing approvals in my office of their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) committees so that they can administer the same fund, whose amount has been increased from a paltry K1.6 million to a whopping K25.7 million for them to save the people whose interest and aspiration we were voted to represent.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: If this is not hypocrisy, what is it? Can somebody give me a different definition of hypocrisy? Our colleagues are taking from one pocket and putting into another. In the meantime, they are busy admonishing us for an act that makes them leaders who are more responsible and enables them to get that Ward Chairperson and Branch Chairperson to be part of the decision-making process that shapes their destiny? Is that not hypocrisy of the highest order?

 

Mr Chitotela: Order!

 

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, this Budget –

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1640 hour until 17:00 hours.

 

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, in the one minute I have left, I will say that I have proved the point that the speech I am giving is unsettling the formerly comfortable people and comforting the unsettled people in society. They are not here today (pointing at the Opposition Bench) because they have decided to not hear me remind them how they annihilated and fractured the economy of this country. It is now up to us, and we are brave and equal to the task of suturing what they damaged.

 

Madam Speaker, I must say this as I close. In order for us to correct what the PF did wrong, Zambians must walk with us and sacrifice, but there will be sunshine after the rain. There is no gain without pain. There will be a small dip as we engage the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to correct what the PF damaged. They are not here, as you can see, and I heard one say, “Tatwaiseko pantu ni uyu ulelanda”, meaning ‘We will not come back because it is this one speaking’. However, the truth has no disguise; it can germinate even on solid rock. The point is that they can stay out if they want and never come back so that we can heal this country fiscally, economically and socially. They did too much damage to this country for them to be let scot-free and open their foul mouths to try to demonise President Hichilema and the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, who are trying to repair what they damaged.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, but he was unavailable.

 

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (Mr Muchima): Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to appreciate the unprecedented Budget that was presented by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. I have been in this Parliament for the past fifteen years. So, I know that none of the Budgets we have been passing supersedes this one.

 

Madam Speaker, members of the Patriotic Front (PF) should be the last people to utter say anything pertaining to this economy because they damaged it to the extent that if they were given another five years, this country would have been auctioned to foreigners. These people had no mercy. No wonder, they have run away. They meant to enrich themselves, and the kind of debt they left behind is alarming. They had no human face; they are just what I can call ‘cruel people’ to Zambians.

 

Government hon. Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Mr Muchima: So, they should wait and see the implementation of the Budget that has been presented by Hon. Dr Musokotwane to the people of Zambia, who have acknowledged it. The Budget has stipulated many issues hinging on what President Hakainde Hichilema mentioned during the Official Opening of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, Zambians should be shy, especially those who damaged the economy, because Zambia is not poor, but there was poor management. I was surprised to hear one hon. Member say we should not be referring to the PF. Why should we rub off history so early? I head the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and what I found in that ministry is a shameful sight. Whole pieces of land have been shared among cadres and some officers.

 

Government hon. Members: Shame!

 

Mr Muchima: There is no land left to talk about, as most of the land, including the Lusaka East Local Forest No. 27, which is under investigation, was shared among the leaders.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: Kawena Protected Forest Area No. 42 was also shared. The leaders have all the land in the country. They were getting pieces of land, sub-dividing them and selling them. So, PF members should be the last people to talk about how President HH (Mr Hakainde Hichilema) is going to manage the economy of Zambia because the people of Zambia rejected them. They are just supposed to wait for a year and then compare.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, if you could indicate the full names of the President instead of “HH”.

 

Mr Muchima: Madam Speaker, I oblige. He is President Hakainde Hichilema, Commander of the Defence Forces, and commonly known by the youths as ‘Bally’.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: Madam Speaker, this Budget has highlighted many issues in terms of land appropriation and what will happen to the people of Zambia. President Hakainde Hichilema, also called ‘Bally’, said land belongs to the people of Zambia first, before others. At the moment, a poor Zambian cannot own land, and much of the land is owned by a few people, especially those who were in the previous Government. The poor person is crying because much of the land was grabbed by cadres, sub-divided and sold. So, this Government is revisiting all the actions of the PF starting from 2018 onwards. We shall come and inform the House what will be decided to be done.

 

Madam Speaker, we are happy that this Government wants to re-examine the international boundaries, resolve the issues involving chiefdoms and audit all the land throughout the country. We will also revisit the currentZambia Integrated Management Land Information System (ZILMIS) and bring in a new system that will be transparent, thereby removing corruption.

 

Madam, Hon. Dr Musokotwane did his level best after ten years of watching how the economy was being mismanaged. Today, he is on the Government side of the House, but our colleagues are condemning him for borrowing. Where can he get the money when they over-borrowed and this country is on the verge of being taken away by the lenders? The hon. Minister is trying to negotiate a better way of managing the debt, yet they come here and oppose him. Where do they think the money is coming from? If the hon. Minister does not borrow, this country is going to collapse. However, he is going to borrow for a good purpose, which is to benefit the people of Zambia, not for a few individuals who have become very rich. I have been in Parliament for fifteen years, but you cannot compare me with these (pointing at the Opposition Bench), whom I have seen acquire or built countless mansions within five years. Where did they get the money from?

 

Madam Speaker, we are talking of crime increasing. The reason is simply that cadres had taken the economy into their pockets. Now, that has been curtailed and cadres cannot steal Government money anymore. So, they are resorting to crime. We are going to fight that day and night, and we need to fight them because they are wrongdoers and wrong people.Zambia belongs to the poor people, and this Government wants to work for the poor, not for the wrongdoers.

 

Madam Speaker, our colleagues should wait and see how we are going to perform, rather than stand here without shame and attack this good and honourable Government, which was voted for by the majority of Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I assure the people of Zambia that their land is in safe hands and that every Zambian will be accorded the chance to own land. In that regard, I commend Hon. Dr Musokotwane for the good Budget he presented.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

The Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (Mr Mubanga): Madam Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to contribute to the debate on the Motion of Supply on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the period 1st January to 31st December, 2022, moved by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, on 29th October, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to congratulate the hon. Minister on presenting a well-articulated Budget aimed at addressing the challenges we are faced with and thereby transforming the Zambian economy. I also thank all the hon. Members of the House who have debated the Motion, particularly in relation to small and medium enterprise (SME) development, which is key to the development of our nation. Therefore, I will talk about how best to improve the performance of this sector, as the growth and performance of the sector will greatly contribute to the creation of employment across the country, and is, therefore, of interest to all Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker, SME development is key in achieving the goal of the 2022 Budget, whose theme is ‘Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to Our People’. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the vehicles through which jobs will be created and development taken to the people throughout the country. As the hon. Minister clearly indicated, SMEs are important in increasing economic growth and job creation, and that is why my ministry was created to focus on developing this important sector of the economy.

 

Madam Speaker, to develop, support and promote SMEs throughout the country, and ensure that their grow and sustainability, there is a need for co-ordination and partnership with various stakeholders, who include the co-operating partners, financial institutions and the private sector. Co-ordination and partnership with various stakeholders will enable my ministry to access resources beyond what has been allocated in the 2022 National Budget. Having said that, I also inform the House that adequate resources have been provided for the sector in the Budget, which shows an increase in the allocation to the empowerment fund managed by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC), from K41 million in the 2021 Budget to K350 million in the 2022 Budget, as well as in the allocation to the operations of the ministry to provide business development services.

 

Madam Speaker, the SME sector will also benefit from the increased Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which was at K1.6 million and is now at K25.7 million. The increase in the allocation has provided for a wider scope of beneficiaries to include empowerment schemes for youths and women. This will enhance the ministry’s effort to improve access to SME funding. Within the CDF, the hon. Minister has allocated over K800 million to youths and women empowerment schemes. The widened scope of the CDF will also provide business opportunities for SMEs.

 

Madam Speaker, the improved micro-economic environment will improve investor confidence and attract international organisations to provide appropriate funding for the SME sector. In addition, the commitment to improving access to electricity, especially in the rural areas, will contribute to the development of the sector.

 

  Madam Speaker, with the improved Budgetary allocation to the development of SMEs, my ministry will be able to move away from the traditional way of providing financial support to start-ups to a more inclusive approach. The support will also include management skill, business development services, market access, and information and knowledge. In this regard, the Government will implement measures to promote the growth of the existing SMEs in the formal sector whilst carefully graduating the informal SMEs to the formal sector. I urge the hon. Members of this august House to support the Government in its effort to promote the growth of SMEs.

 

Madam Speaker, let me conclude by stating that the New Dawn Government will need the co-operation of all stakeholders in order to succeed in growing the SMEs, the backbone of our economy in the near future. I assure the House that the Government is committed to ensuring the growth of SMEs in a manner that will create decent jobs and take development to all parts of the country.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

The Minister of Community Development and Social Services (Ms Mwamba): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this rare opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Budget Speech for the period 1st January to 31st  December, 2022, delivered to this august House on Friday 29th October, 2021, by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to congratulate the hon. Minister on delivering an inspirational and forward-looking Budget. It is very clear from this Budget that the New Dawn Administration, under the able leadership of His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, the President of the Republic of Zambia, has a vision for this country and lays a strong foundation for a prosperous and middle-income nation. It is also well-aligned to the aspiration of the United Party for National Development (UPND) programmes, which will certainly ensure sustained and continued protection of the poor and the most vulnerable in our society.

 

Madam Speaker, my ministry is mandated to facilitate the provision of basic social protection services to the poor and vulnerable. I am, therefore, delighted that the allocation to the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme has been increased from K2.3 billion in 2021 to K3.1 billion in 2022, and will support over 1 million vulnerable households. In addition, the transfer value for households has been increased from K300 to K400 bi-monthly, and from K600 to K800 for households with severe disabilities. These proposed interventions are highly commendable, as they will increase the disposable income for the beneficiary households.

 

Madam Speaker, I reiterate the Government’s resolve to ensure that the SCT Programme covers the intended beneficiaries without any form of interference. Therefore, my ministry will put in place appropriate measures to ensure transparency and accountability in the administration of the SCT funds. The measures will include strengthening the targeting and identification of beneficiaries, and payment mechanisms, as well as enhancing oversight systems for the programme.

 

Madam Speaker, I am further pleased to note that the allocation to the Food Security Pack (FSP) Programme has been sustained at K1.1 billion in 2022. This allocation is meant to support over 290,000 vulnerable, but viable farmers. The intervention will enhance household food security and significantly contribute to poverty reduction.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government’s plans to scale up other social protection interventions, such as the Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihood Programme (GEWEL), the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme (PWAS) and the child welfare programmes, is a step in the right direction, and they should be commended because the interventions are critical in poverty and vulnerability reduction, and inclusive development.

 

Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Administration believes that the surest way of delivering development programmes closer to the people is through decentralisation, and that remains one of the priority areas of the Government. To demonstrate its commitment, the Government made the bold decision to increase the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from K1 million per constituency to K25.7 million per constituency. This development is welcome, as it will ensure that development is delivered to all parts of the country, including rural areas.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Mwamba: My ministry will facilitate linkages with community structures and support the identification of community-based projects that could be implemented using the CDF. The significant increase in the CDF allocation will result in the implementation of more empowerment programmes in communities, especially for women and the youths.

 

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I support the proposed Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the period 1st January to 31st December, 2022, as presented to the National Assembly, and I recommend to hon. Members of this august House the favourable consideration of the Motion.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

The Minister for Southern Province (Mr Mweetwa): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing the good people of the Southern Province to join the general debate on the 2022 Budget, which will mark in earnest the grand entry of the United Party for National Development (UPND) into office and leadership, something which the Patriotic Front (PF) never imagined or dreamt would happen in 2021.

 

Government hon. Members: They have run away!

 

Mr Mweetwa: They have run away, but a few of them are here.

 

Madam Speaker, the last time we were on the Floor of this House, we told our colleagues that come August, 2021, whether they liked it or not, they would be out of power, but they laughed at us for saying that. I am asking them to laugh at me now. The people of Zambia have taught them the lesson that arrogance in leadership does not pay; our colleagues paid the price. We, as the UPND, will continue to listen to the people; we shall not be as arrogant as they were.

 

Madam Speaker, I congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on his resounding and unquestionable victory. There was no petition because that was a clear game; a landslide victory with more than 1 million votes separating the victor from the defeated. That was pure condemnation of corruption and arrogance. The message has been delivered by the people of Zambia, and we thank them. As the new Administration, we learn from this to not be like the PF and never take the people of Zambia for granted because of the luxury, temporary as it is, that we may enjoy.

 

Madam Speaker, let me join the many who have congratulated you on your appointment to your very important office. Unprecedentedly, you and the First Deputy Speaker are both women while the Second Deputy Speaker is an Independent. This shows that the New Dawn Administration wants women to be at the centre of the governance of this country. It also demonstrates inclusiveness through the appointment, for the first time, of an Independent among the Presiding Officers of this House. Under the PF, that never happened, as our colleagues would say, ‘You did not vote for us’. They were bad people these PF members.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mweetwa: Madam Speaker, let me now come to the Budget. On account of time, I will speak on very few issues.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

 

Hon. Ministers are expected to read prepared speeches.

 

Government hon. Members: He is reading!

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: That is just a reminder.

 

You may continue, hon. Minister.

 

Mr Mweetwa: Madam Speaker, thank you for your guidance. I was just giving the prelude because I am speaking for the first time since I was elected back to this House. The last time I spoke here, I was being asked to apologise, but I refused.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mweetwa: Madam Speaker, let me commend his Excellency the President, through the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, for having brought to this House a Budget that is unprecedented, under the theme, “Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to our People.”

 

Mr Muchima: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mweetwa: For a very long time now, successive Governments of Zambia have spoken about diversifying the economy from overdependence on mining to agriculture. However, that was not done. Now, through the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) amount from K1.6 million to K25.7 million in this Budget, there is a window of opportunity for people to decide on their own and, there is a component for the empowerment of women and youths, the people who are at the centre of the growth of agriculture in this country. We believe that this component funding will enhance the capacity of women and the youth to participate genuinely in this sector of our economy.

 

Madam Speaker, we thank the hon. Minister for this increase in the CDF because, unlike in the past, when the CDF was at K600,000, K800,000, K1.3 million and K1.6 million, the youth will now be moved away from committing acts of political violence in exchange for Chibuku at the behest of the PF. They will also be moved away from cadreism and calling themselves commanders because there is an opportunity youth entrepreneurship empowerment under  the CDF and under the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development. This is progress.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mweetwa: Madam Speaker, were this Budget we are talking about today a PF Budget, we would have been arguing about the largest sum of money going to the purchase of teargas and armaments, as if we were at war.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

PF hon. Members: Question!

 

Mr Mweetwa: We were wondering why our colleagues were buying so much teargas and artillery. Now we know that it is because they wanted to silence the people who were holding them to account on corruption, which was associated with the PF.

 

Madam Speaker, you now have a Government that has responded to the cry of young people; the employment of 30,000 teachers will make a meaningful dent in the 60,000-teacher deficit. To us, as a province that is largely rural, it is a great incentive to be able to staff rural schools that have been starved of teachers because of the teacher deficit. Further, in the funding through the CDF, we have also seen an opportunity to electrify rural schools so that the teachers who are deployed there do not clamour to go back to town in search of better living. We commend the New Dawn Administration on that.

 

Madam Speaker, we also place on record our gratitude for the planned employment of about 11,000 health workers through the 2022 Budget, thereby addressing the shortage of nurses and doctors in our health centres, especially in the rural areas.

 

Madam Speaker, let me end by congratulating His Excellency the President, through the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, for presenting a Budget to which, for the very first time, all experts, technocrats and commentators have given all-round approval, except for a few in the PF.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mweetwa: The majority of PF hon. Members still agree with it because it will give them relevance in their constituencies.

 

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

 

The Minister for Muchinga Province (Mr Sikazwe): Madam Speaker, allow me to express my appreciation to you for giving me this opportunity to say a few words on the 2022 National Budget.

 

Madam Speaker, it is my profound pleasure and privilege to address the House at this revolutionary time of the New Dawn Government, as we debate the 2022 Budget, which was presented to this House by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning on Friday, 29th October, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, I express my excitement, as Minister for Muchinga Province, as the Budget presented to this august House will address the various developmental challenges that the people of Muchinga Province, and Senga Hill Constituency, in particular, have been experiencing, given the fact that the region is primarily rural.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: Madam Speaker, some of the challenges affecting our people, especially in the rural areas, are unemployment; a lack of access to quality social services, such as water, education and health facilities; and the adverse effects of climate change. In this regard, I applaud the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government for hearing the cry of Zambians and coming up with a Budget that is aimed at responding to the many challenges they are facing.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: Madam Speaker, the Budget is unprecedented, as it will transform positively the socio-economic landscape of Zambia, in general, and Muchinga Province, in particular.

 

Mr Muchima: Including Chama.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: Including Chama, indeed.

 

Madam Speaker, for instance, the proposed allocation of resources under the newly created Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development will provide more job opportunities to our people, especially the youth, as they will be engaged in various business activities, such as value addition to agricultural produce in most rural areas, as well as commodity trading.

 

Madam Speaker, the availability of basic social services is cardinal to the human and social development of any country, especially in the areas of education and healthcare which, currently, in rural areas, leaves much to be desired. It is against this background that I express my appreciation to the New Dawn Government, especially our President, …

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: … for taking the necessary steps to plan for the recruitment of 30,000 teachers and 11,200 health personnel in 2022.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: This measure will go a long way in improving access to quality education and health services in most parts of the country, including Senga Hill.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: Madam Speaker, further, I commend the Government’s decision to increase the allocation of resources to programmes meant to address issues affecting mostly vulnerable households in the country. The Budget, for instance, has provided more resources under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), the Famer Input Support Programme (FISP), the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme, as well as the dismantling of arrears owed to retirees.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chikote: Left by whom?

 

Mr Muchima: PF.

 

Mr Sikazwe: The bold step taken by the New Dawn Government to allocate more resources to social programmes will go a long way in uplifting the living standards of our people.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sikazwe: Madam Speaker, more funds have also been allocated to economic sectors like tourism, energy and infrastructure development. This decision will make Zambia a more economically competitive country and increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of this nation.

 

Finally, Madam Speaker, I urge all the hon. Members of this august House to support the 2022 Budget so that, together, we can move Zambia forward.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

UPND hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Information and Media(Ms Kasanda): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on this progressive Budget Speech delivered by Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning, which will positively affect the social and economic status of our people.

 

Madam Speaker, this being the first National Budget prepared by the United Party for National Development (UPND) Administration, I state before this august House that I am in support of the agenda to transform this nation into an economic hub for the region in line with the Budget’s theme of “Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People”.

 

Madam Speaker, you may recall that during the previous regime, the nation witnessed increased violence against journalists in the in the line of duty while some media houses were threatened by cadres from a named political party for hosting opposition political party members as guests. Then, we were in the Opposition. That was very unfortunate and an affront on our democracy.

 

Madam Speaker, the nation saw some broadcasting stations lose their licences, be threatened with closure or get closed down.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kasanda: In the last decade, in particular, in the last regime, the media space was squeezed, and there was unprecedented hostility from the people who supported the sitting Ruling Party then.

 

Madam Speaker, democracy is not about listening to one side of the story; there is a need to give an opportunity to those with different views and opinions to express themselves as well. That platform the UPND did not get from the Patriotic Front (PF) Administration. That is the reason my ministry will work tirelessly to present to the House the Access to Information Bill and a Bill to support media self-regulation for enactment.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, my ministry is in support of the Government’s commitment to bridging the information gap between the rural areas and the urban areas by bringing into the limelight all the developmental activities that will be undertaken with the increase in the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) amount from the K1.6 million that we used to receive from the PF Government to K25.7 million. In case members of the PF did not hear me, maybe, I should repeat myself: The increase in the CDF allocation from K1.6 million to K25.7 million is unprecedented; it is a huge leap, compared with the very erratic CDF of the past regime. For example, instead of getting K1.6 million in 2017, we got K500,000; in 2018, we got K700,000; in 2019, we got nothing; and in 2020, we got K1.6 million because we were heading towards the elections. That is the story of the Government that has just been kicked out of power. This is all in the name of taking development to the marginalised rural areas of our country.

 

Madam Speaker, the increase in the CDF amount in the 2022 Budget will entail the creation of more job opportunities and taking money closer to the people, not into the pockets of individuals.

 

Madam Speaker, my ministry will also ensure that information on all Government programmes and projects implemented by the New Dawn Administration is in line with our campaign promises.

 

Madam Speaker, finally, I state that I am in full support of the 2022 National Budget and that the increase in the CDF amount from K1.6 million to K25.7 million will definitely remove our youths from the streets, and we will see them get empowered.

 

Madam Speaker, with those few words, I support this Budget.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Fisheries and Livestock(Mr Chikote): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this chance to also contribute to debate on the 2022 Budget Address by Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Madam Speaker, from the outset, let me declare that I totally support this Budget. The reason I say I totally support the Budget is very simple. I have the experience of being on the other side, and what we used to get from the previous Government was terrible. Lip service is all we were getting from these guys.

 

Mr Chitotela: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Chitotela: Madam Speaker, it is an established practice –

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Chitotela: Greenhorns, please, listen.

 

Hon. Ministers come to give policy statements for their ministries.

 

Mr Chikote: That is what I am doing.

 

Mr Chitotela: Is the hon. Minister in order to waffle and talk about the CDF repeatedly when the people of Zambia –

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Chitotela: Listen friends.

 

Madam Speaker, the people of Zambia, who elected the United Party for National Development (UPND) into Government, are listening and eagerly waiting to hear the policy statement on livestock and fisheries so that they can prepare themselves to invest and emancipate themselves from poverty. It is an established practice. It is not about what our colleagues want, but about a standard practice of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, I have been a Minister before.

 

Government hon. Members: What is the point of order?

 

Mr Chitotela: I seek your serious guidance on whether it is in order for an hon. Minister to stand and begin politicking instead of reading a policy statement from the ministry.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: What the hon. Ministers are doing right now is responding to issues that were raised when hon. Members were debating. Soon after this, when we get to the respective Heads, each hon. Minister will be expected to give a policy statement for their ministry. Right now, we are just finishing up the whole process.

 

We can continue.

 

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for that guidance. You have corrected the former hon. Minister who said that I was waffling when I was responding to what our colleagues said in their debates.

 

Mr Mutinta: No wonder, they lost.

 

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, this Budget was presented by our able hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, who represents a rural constituency and understands what we are going through as hon. Members of Parliament who represent rural constituencies. So, it was really very painful to see what our people were going through in the previous regime. Therefore, in no way can we allow people who are not thinking straight for the betterment of the citizens in this country.

 

Madam Speaker, –

 

The First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

 

‘Not speaking sense’ is unparliamentary. Can you withdraw those words and replace them with better ones.

 

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I withdraw the words, “not thinking straight” and replace them with ‘people who caused pain to our people’.

 

Madam Speaker, on pages 2 and 3, the hon. Minister addresses this august House with a word of passion that made me and, I believe, other people who are for this country, that the people of this country, whom we are serving, need to be supported and listened to.

 

Madam Speaker, the valuable lessons that we drew from the speech of the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to this House are the ones I am going to implement in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. It is clear from the hon. Minister’s address that the first thing he has done is to actualise the UPND Manifesto into the National Budget that he presented. It is important to understand that his approach aims at addressing rural poverty, which has persisted due to insufficient Budgetary allocations.

 

You may wish to note, Madam Speaker, that the previous regime failed to understand the challenges that rural constituencies were facing. Now, the New Dawn Government of His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, has deemed it fit to allocate money to constituencies in the rural areas. That is why we have seen an increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), from K1.6 million to K25.7 million. That is taking money directly to the constituencies. So, I feel that my hon. Colleagues on your left, especially those from rural constituencies, must be the first to support this Budget instead of the negative comments they have been making concerning it. This Budget will see many people benefit and their livelihoods change.

 

Madam Speaker, the theme for the 2022 Budget Address, “Growth, Job Creation and Taking Development Closer to the People” captures what we have been crying for. The New Dawn Government has responded in accordance with what we were promising the people of Zambia. We have decided to take the services closer to the people, which is going to change their livelihoods.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me now to react to some of the contributions from hon. Members of the Backbench.

 

Madam Speaker, under the previous Government, the animal restocking and stocking exercise was undertaken selectively. The Government was giving animals only to those who were members of the Patriotic Front (PF). The exercise, which has not yielded the intended results, was supposed to benefit every citizen of this country. As the UPND Government, in our National Budget, we have put interventions in place to start the stocking and restocking of animals for all our citizens in this country.

 

Mr Fube: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, you can see even from the reaction of these hon. Members. An hon. Member who comes from a rural constituency like Chilubi must understand that the Budget is there for the people he represents.

 

Mr Fube: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chitotela: On a point of procedure, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised by the hon. Member for Chilubi. I think he was the first to indicate.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, I anchor my point of order on Standing Order No. 65(b), which states that an hon. Member should ensure that he or she provides information to the House which is factual and verifiable.

 

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Minister in order to mislead the House that cattle restocking was mainly in the strongholds of the Patriotic Front (PF) when the exercise was actually first launched in the Southern Province? Was that a stronghold of the PF?

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, the point of order is that he is misleading the House. What he is presenting are not facts.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Being the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, I think he has read many reports about his ministry. However, I ask him whether he has evidence of what he is saying.

 

Government hon. Members: He has!

 

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I am the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, and I speak from what is on my desk. When I took over office, the first thing I did was to go through what was happening in the ministry. So, the hon. Member should know that what I am providing here are facts.

 

Madam Speaker, we are going to correct the situation of empowerment through animal restocking and stocking. If the hon. Member wants to know more, he is free to come to my office ,and I will help him to know which part received the –

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Minister’s time expired.

 

Mr Chitotela: On a point of procedure.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised by the hon. Member for Pambashe.

 

Mr Chitotela: Madam Speaker, I have great respect for you, being a Parliamentarian with us, and I have been in Parliament for eleven years. I have also served as a Deputy Minister and Cabinet Minister.

 

Madam Speaker, I need to be guided on whether it is the new standard practice of this Parliament in this House for hon. Ministers to debate generally and respond before the House gets to the individual Heads. My understanding is that the mover of the Motion is the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, and he is the one who will be at liberty to make general comments on the debates of different hon. Members before making his contribution.

 

Madam Speaker, hon. Ministers have portfolio functions stated in the Gazette Notice and responsibilities given them by the President. So, as they respond, they can respond generally, but based on their portfolio functions. Responding to general debates by hon. Members of Parliament is the responsibility of the hon. Minister responsible for finance before he gets to his individual Head. Now, I am at pains to hear that today, we will turn Parliament into a kindergarten; that anyone can stand and say anything without following the laid-down procedure and standard, because the hon. Ministers’ debates are go into the Hansard and will be a reference point for Parliamentarians who will come after us in the future, maybe, 100 years from now.

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious guidance.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: This point of order has already been raised and a response was given. According to our Standing Orders, you cannot raise a point of order twice.

 

The Minister of Health (Mrs Masebo): Madam Speaker, –

 

Mr Mweetwa: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mweetwa: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for according me this opportunity to raise a point of order ...

 

Mr Chitotelaleft the Assembly Chamber.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mweetwa: ... on a matter bordering on the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia, and the procedures and practices of this House. The practices of this House include the customs and traditions of this House.

 

Madam Speaker, in the last Assembly of this House, when there was a Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, and an Opposition Whip, Hon. Gary Nkombo, hon. Members of the Patriotic Front (PF) rose on diverse days on the Floor of this House demanding that one of the two steps down because the two came from one tribe. This is about the management of this august House.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mweetwa: Now, riding on the provisions of Article 259 of the Republican Constitution, which provides that in appointments to public office, consideration must be had to gender equality, 50/50, as far as it is practicable, and regional or ethnic balance, and that is read in tandem with Article 173 of the Republican Constitution.

 

Madam Speaker, arising from the PF’s demand, Hon. Nkombo stepped down in honour of this House.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: On moral grounds!

 

Mr Mweetwa: Given the provisions of Article 259 that appointments to public office, such as Leader of the Opposition and Opposition Whip, should take into account gender and regional or ethnic balancing, is the PF in order to bring to this Parliament Hon. Mundubile as Leader of the Opposition and Hon. Kampyongo as Opposition Whip when the two are, firstly, from one ethnic conspiracy and, secondly, of one gender definition?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mweetwa: This is in direct contravention of the Constitution and an apparent attempt on the part of our colleagues to forget what they demanded to be part of the practice and customs of this House.

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your very serious ruling on this matter, which borders on ensuring that tribalism is fought in this House.

 

Mr Nkombo: You must nullify one.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much for this point of order. However, that is an internal matter for the party, in this case, the Patriotic Front (PF). It has nothing to do with Article 259 of the Constitution. Therefore, the point of order is dismissed.

 

Opposition hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to add my voice to the debate on a very well-articulated Budget Speech from His Excellency the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Head of State of the Republic of Zambia, through the able hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Musokotwane.

 

Madam Speaker, the theme of the 2020 Budget is “Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People”. This theme is aligned with the aspirations of the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government of putting the people of this country at the centre of the socio-economic development agenda.

 

Madam Speaker, the proposed Budget has the overall objective of ensuring the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, which include eliminating gender inequality, reducing poverty and hunger, ensuring healthy lives and promoting the wellbeing of all. On behalf of the Ministry Health, I commend the hon. Minister coming up with a very progressive 2022 National Budget in the face of the current economic challenges created by the previous regime.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister’s speech highlighted a number of issues that negatively affected economic growth, among them the effects of extreme indebtedness, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and climate change. Despite these challenges, this Government is committed to ensuring that the economy recovers.

 

Madam Speaker, this Government should be applauded for committing to increasing output in agricultural, tourism, mining, manufacturing, energy and transport sectors in an effort to grow the economy and create employment opportunities, especially for the  youth.

 

Madam Speaker, a number of progressive reforms in many sectors of our economy are worth taking note of. In the energy sector, for example, the Government will implement renewable energy investment planning in the electricity sub-sector to improve the energy mix and reduce the country’s vulnerability to climate shocks. The Budget, therefore, has proposed harnessing our vast solar resources, which will benefit other sectors, including health, as some health facilities will be able to utilise solar energy to minimise disruptions in power supply and reduce expenditure on electricity. Currently, hospitals and health centres spend a lot of money on electricity bills. Therefore, using alternative sources of energy will free up funds for the improvement of health service delivery.

 

Madam Speaker, the rehabilitation and upgrading of feeder roads proposed in the 2022 Budget will not  only benefit the country economically, but also ensure access to health services, as some health facilities are not always accessible due to the bad state of the roads, especially in the rainy season. Having good roads will also lead to quicker referral of patients from health centres to hospitals, which can result in a reduction in maternal deaths.

 

Madam Speaker, this Government has made significant allocations to the social sectors in recognition of the fact that the sector is one of the key drivers of human and social development. I am encouraged by the vigour to sustain and continue the protection of the poor and vulnerable through the various social safety net programmes. Investment in programmes like food security and nutrition is an effective way of reducing stunting and wasting among our children.

 

Madam Speaker, the 2022 Budget has amplified the importance of decentralisation by taking resources and decision making closer to our people. As a sector, we fully support the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) amount from K1.6 million to K25.7 million per constituency. This will enable communities to identify their priorities and implement developmental programmes in their communities. We are delighted because these funds will also support health service delivery and address social determinants of health, such as water supply and sanitation. As a sector, we will fully support decentralisation and provide the necessary technical support to ensure the participation of our people in national development efforts. Further, as a sector, we are prepared to begin the process of devolving some functions, such as malaria prevention programmes, health promotion and vaccination, to lower levels. The devolution will be done in a phased manner in order to prevent disruptions to health service delivery.

 

Madam Speaker, access to clean and safe water is critical in the prevention of water-borne diseases. In this UPND Budget, which is the first, a provision of K2.3 billion has been made for water supply and sanitation. In addition, the cost of drilling boreholes for domestic use will reduce since the application, registration and annual fees have been scrapped off. This move will ensure access to water in communities.

 

Madam Speaker, the proposal to recruit 11,200 health workers is a clear demonstration of how this Government considers health as a key economic investment. Since human resource is a critical input in the provision of quality health services, this proposal must be applauded by all of us. Alongside efforts to recruit additional health workers, this Government is determined to devote significant resources to the procurement of drugs, vaccines and medical supplies in order to put an end to the issuance of prescriptions to our people when they visit health facilities in the country. So, shortages of essential medicines will become a thing of the past. This Government will work towards achieving universal health coverage in line with SDG No.3, which seeks to ensure healthy lifestyles and promote the wellbeing of all by 2030. So, the ministry will continue to recognise the importance of key determinants of health in addressing health problems and achieving better health outcomes.

 

Madam Speaker, I remind this House that the hon. Minister sounded the warning that our economy is currently at a crossroads due to the huge debt burden amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Government, we are going to work with all stakeholders to ensure heightened epidemic and pandemic preparedness, prevention, and disease surveillance and response to protect our people from COVID-19 and other public health threats.

 

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, let me take this opportunity to profoundly thank all our partners for their support in the fight against COVID-19. I also thank our frontline healthcare workers for their dedication and sacrifice in saving the lives of people during the pandemic.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chaatila (Moomba): Madam Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as set out in Order No. 157(4) of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021, the Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Financial Year 1st January to 31st December, 2022. During its deliberations, the Committee interacted with stakeholders from various sectors of society, including the academia, research institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs), selected ministries and the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

 

Madam Speaker, since hon. Members are privy to the contents of the report of your Committee, I will merely highlight a few salient issues of concern.

 

Madam Speaker, while commending the Government for enacting the Planning and Budgeting Act No.1 of 2020 and for the progressive provisions therein, the Committee expresses grave concern over the fact that the Act omits a serious element of sector budget analysis by Parliamentary Committees. The Committee is of the view that the current form of Budget scrutiny by the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee is ineffective due to the limited time allocated to the assignment and the increasing complexity of the Budget. Therefore, it strongly recommends that the Government considers reviewing the Act to provide for sector budget analysis in order to strengthen parliamentary oversight on public financial management and the budget process. It further recommends that the Act provides for fiscal rules aimed at legally binding quantitative restrictions on fiscal deficits and debt contraction.

 

Madam Speaker, the Committee observes, with extreme concern, the non-prioritisation of the revision of the Loans and Guarantees Authorisation Act, Chapter 366 of the Laws of Zambia, in line with Article 207 of the Republican Constitution. The Committee is of the view that the absence of this piece of legislation grants express authority to the Executive to contract debt without subjecting it to public scrutiny and approval by Parliament. It is also convinced that the non-amendment of the Act to incorporate constitutional provisions relating to debt contraction has largely contributed to the current debt situation. In light of this, it strongly urges the Government to fulfil the assurance and table the Bill to repeal and replace the Act in order for the debt situation to be adequately managed.

 

Madam Speaker, while appreciating the increase in Budgetary allocations to most sectors, the Committee expresses concern on the poor performance of the Budget due to untimely releases and, in extreme cases, non-release of resources, coupled with expenditure deviations. The Committee is of the considered view that this has the potential to threaten progress made towards achieving the development plans and other international commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In light of the above, it strongly recommends that the Government release resources, as much as possible, on a timely basis and sticks to Budget commitments in order to adequately deliver public services and achieve development objectives.

 

Madam Speaker, the Committee observes that public spending in the agricultural sector is skewed substantially towards subsidy programmes, in particular, the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and output subsidies through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), which have had very little impact on productivity, agricultural diversification, nutrition, rural poverty reduction and sustainable job creation. The Committee, therefore, recommends that in order to attain meaningful development of the agricultural sector, particularly in view of climate change and the need to develop climate-smart agricultural technologies and seed varieties, more resources should be allocated to research and development (R&D), extension services and rural infrastructure development, such as the development of feeder roads, market infrastructure, irrigation and power.

 

Madam Speaker, the Committee and the stakeholders generally welcome and commend the New Dawn Administration’s unprecedented increase of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). However, while noting that the revision of the CDF Guidelines is in process, the Committee observes that no timeline has been given for the completion of the process and that in the absence of the guidelines, there is a heightened risk of wasteful expenditure even beyond what has been documented in previous reports of the Auditor-General on accounts of local authorities. In this vein, the Committee strongly recommends that the exercise be completed before the disbursement of the funds. It further recommends rapid building of the capacity of local authorities to manage, monitor and evaluate CDF resources and projects.

 

Madam Speaker, as I end, I, on behalf of the Committee, thank you and the Clerk of the National Assembly for your guidance and support throughout the Committee’s deliberations. I also pay tribute to all the stakeholders who made both oral and written submissions to the Committee at short notice.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Government hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Finance and National Planning (Dr Musokotwane): Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to wind up the debate. The Motion was presented on 29th October, 2021, and we have been debating it since then. Today is the day to wind it up.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank all the hon. Members who have debated this Motion with a lot of passion. I also thank the Committee for the report that it has rendered and the comments contained therein.

 

Madam Speaker, I just want to make a few general comments as I wind up the Motion.

 

Madam Speaker, you heard my hon. Colleagues on your left, the Patriotic Front (PF), state that the Budget was not balancing. However, the Budget balances perfectly. Budgets are not made with pencils and calculators; they are made by computers, and there is no way a computer would agree to process the numbers if they do not balance. What they did was look at the table in the speech, specifically on the economic affairs, where they said the numbers were not balancing. Those numbers were not intended to balance in the speech. It was basically about economic affairs and within that, there were examples of some major items we could give. That was all. I have a similar presentation, an excerpt from the 2012 Budget Speech that is exactly in the manner that I have described, and that was a PF Budget. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, the presentation was also exactly the same, and those were PF Budgets, too. So, I urge my hon. Colleagues to not forget so quickly the things that they were doing, which we have just continued as far as this presentation is concerned. So, the Budget balances.

 

Madam Speaker, you were told that the United Party for National Development (UPND) is borrowing more than what the PF borrowed. That is also not true. Of the roughly US$2.5 billion that is said to be external financing, about UD$700 million is the provision to borrow in order to repay the US$700 million that our colleagues borrowed in the first Eurobond that will fall due next year. So, this is not borrowing that raises the level of debt of the country; it is a provision to borrow to pay back what they borrowed, which they said they were going to use to improve Zambian Railways Limited. Today, we ask ourselves the question, ‘Did they improve Zambia Railways Limited?”, and the answer is ‘No’. Another US$750 million or there about does not involve borrowing, but using the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave to us. So, it is just using what we have. For accounting purposes, it is designated as external financing but, in reality, it is our money, and it is never to be paid back.

 

Madam Speaker, the amount of money that we are borrowing this year is less than US$200 million, compared with an average of more than US$1 billion that our colleagues borrowed every year.

 

Interruptions

 

Dr Musokotwane: The US$200 million or thereabouts that we are borrowing is for the health sector and constructing high schools, unlike the money that was borrowed by our colleagues to buy teargas, guns to maim the police or to cameras to put on the streets so that the Government can spy on its citizens. This is money for building high schools.

 

Mr Mutale: Madam Speaker, on a point of procedure.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, I think we are running out of time. We are supposed to have started on the individual Heads, and the days are moving very fast. So, if you continue interrupting –

 

Mr Mutale: Madam Speaker, it is very compelling.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Yes, but can the hon. Minister continue.

 

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, the balance of what is being borrowed is basically –

 

Mr Chilangwa: Madam Speaker, on a point of procedure.

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, maybe, as you debate –

 

Mr Chilangwa:Nga speech yabo ilikwisa palya? Tumone speech.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: No, no, no! Hon. Member, can we have some Order in the House.

 

Hon. Minister, maybe, as you debate, just avoid any provocative words, if at all they are there.

 

You may continue, since we are running out of time.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

 

UPND hon. Members:They are drunk.

 

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, the last point that I want to respond to is the assertion that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is not enough because it is now required that the CDF finances many items that were being financed by the ministries at the district level.

 

Madam Speaker, in the last Government, the tendency was for the Ministry of Education at district level to be funded, but the Ministry of Education would not fund all the constituencies equally. Some constituencies were favoured while others were not. Similarly, in the previous Government, when the Youth Empowerment Fund was given to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, certain constituencies where favoured while most did not get anything. Now, every constituency is given the same amount of money for the regular CDF, youth empowerment, bursaries, et cetera. Those who are complaining that the CDF is now not enough are doing that because in the last Government, they got CDF like everybody else and, on top of that, had the privilege to go to the ministries, sit in their offices and be given the youth empowerment and women empowerment funds. Now, because we have given everybody the same amount, in a sense, it is like when people are eating nshima and some are swallowing very quickly. At some point, those who cannot swallow very will hold the hands of those who are swallowing too quickly and say, ‘My friend, you are swallowing too quickly. Wait for us to also eat’.

 

Madam Speaker, this is equalisation without any favouritism; everybody is going to get their share. Those who were not being favoured will discover that the amount of CDF that is going to them is, in net terms, more money than they ever got before. So, I believe that the assertion that the CDF is not enough is not accurate because the CDF is more for the average hon. Member of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you, once again. I also thank all the hon. Members of Parliament who debated, as we go into the various Heads.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker. 

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

_______

 

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

 

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE (INCLUDING CAPITAL AND STATUTORY EXPENDITURE) FOR THE YEAR 1ST JANUARY, 2022, to 31ST DECEMBER, 2022

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Hon. Members, ordinarily, we should have started the consideration of individual Heads of Expenditure with Head 01 – State House, followed by Head 02 – Office of the Vice-President. However, Her Honour the Vice-President, who should present the policy statement on Head 01 – State House and Head 02 – Office of the Vice-President is attending to other national duties outside the House. Therefore, the Committee of Supply will commence with the Heads of Expenditure indicated on the Order Paper for today, Tuesday, 23rd November, 2021.

 

Thank you.

 

Mr Chilangwa: On a point of procedure, Mr Chairperson.

 

Government hon. Members: On whom?

 

Mr Chilangwa: It is not a point of order; it is a point of procedure.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Chilangwa: The Government does not come to a standstill because Her Honour the Vice-President is not here. There is an Acting Leader of Government Business in the House. So, we should proceed procedurally.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Hon. Member for Kawambwa, there is nothing wrong with that. A decision has been made. So, resume your seat.

 

Interruptions

 

The Deputy Chairperson: The Order Paper was already circulated and you have it. Today’s order of proceedings is as follows: –

 

Mr Chilangwa: Much obliged, Sir.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

 

We do not have time.

 

VOTE 26 – (Ministry of Information and Media – K59,466,509)

 

The Ministry of Information and Media (Ms Kasanda): Mr Chairperson, I am delighted and honoured to be given this opportunity to present the policy statement on the 2022 Budget Estimates for the Ministry of Information and Media to this august House.

 

Mr Chairperson, this being the first policy statement since the coming in of the New Dawn Government, I take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for his commitment to a free and independent media anchored on self-regulation.

 

Mr Chairperson, the portfolio functions of the Ministry of Information and Media, as outlined in the Government Gazette Notice No. 1123 of 2021, are as follows:

 

  1. broadcasting and television services;
  2. information and media policy; and
  3. information services.

 

Sir, the ministry is also responsible for the following seven statutory bodies and institutions:

 

  1. the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA);
  2. the Times of Zambia;
  3. the Zambia Daily Mail;
  4. Times Printpak  Zambia Limited;
  5. Zambia Printing Company;
  6. Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation; and
  7. Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) Educational Trust.

 

Mr Chairperson, the vision of the ministry is to foster a well-informed public through a media that is objective, responsive and responsible in reporting national issues. 

 

Mr Chairperson, during 2021, the ministry achieved the following:

 

  1. developed guidelines on communication strategies for ministries and institutions;
  2. facilitated the development and broadcasting of Government programmes and projects on various media platforms;
  3. facilitated the provision of public address (PA) services during various Government events;
  4. published over 7,000 news articles on various Government programmes and projects;
  5. commenced the development and review of various pieces of legislation related to media development, such as the Zambia Public Relations Association Bill and the Zambia Media Council Bill; and
  6. reviewed the ministry’s 2017 to 2021 strategic plan and balanced scorecard.

 

Mr Chairperson, the impact of the above achievements include a streamlined Government communication system, awareness raising on Government programmes and projects through news and documentaries, and provision of the ministry’s strategic direction.

 

Mr Chairperson, despite the achievements the ministry made during the period under review, various challenges were also encountered, among them the following:

 

  1. none release of funds towards the construction of six provincial broadcasting studios under the Digital Migration Project since 2019, leading to the stalling of the construction of the provincial broadcasting studios, which are under an Export-Import (Exim) Bank loan, at different stages. Three of the six studios, namely Kasama, Mansa and Chinsali, are at 100 per cent in terms of the civil works, while the other three, namely Chipata, Mongu and Kabwe are above 80 per cent. In addition, the construction of the Choma and Solwezi studios has stalled at slab level due to a lack of funding from the Treasury. The construction of the two studios is a wholly Government-funded project. However, the studio equipment is provided for in the digital migration contract under the Exim Bank loan;
  2. inadequate motor vehicles, motorcycles and water transport in the ministry, particularly under the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS), whose presence is in 116 districts countrywide, has hampered the gathering and dissemination of news and information on Government projects and programmes to the public;
  3. inadequate professional video and photographic cameras, computers and public address (PA) systems has limited ZANIS in providing media coverage on Government projects and programmes being implemented across the country. Therefore, the department has failed to achieve this mandate;
  4. limited broadcasting space for the ZANIS News on the existing channels has hindered the department’s maximisation of the use of most news gathered countrywide; and
  5. the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic negatively affected the timely completion of the Digital Migration Project, as most engineers and technical personnel from China could not travel due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

 

Mr Chairperson, in the 2022 Budget, the ministry has been allocated K59.5 million, focusing on three programmes, namely:

 

  1. Media Development, Standards and Regulations;
  2. Information Services and Management; and
  3. Management and Support Services.

 

Mr Chairperson, out of the said figure, the Media Development, Standards and Regulation programme has been allocated –

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

 

(Debate adjourned)

 

________

 

HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

(Progress reported)

 

______

 

The House adjourned at 1841 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 24th November, 2021.

 

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