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President Hakainde Hichilema says government is working on resolving the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) hitches to ensure that decentralisation takes place.
The President has therefore challenged all stakeholders to utilise the CDF funds and not focus on complaining about the challenges that may arise.
Some stakeholders in Zambia have expressed concern with the unresolved implementation challenges for the CDF given the tight fiscal space while others have encouraged government to promote transparency, accountability, and continue strengthening of internal controls in the utilisation of CDF.
The President on Tuesday in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka responded to these concerns by assuring citizens that the challenges arising from the implementation of the CDF were currently being resolved.
He said during an end of year press conference that government was keen on ensuring decentralisation took place.
“We are aware of these challenges and they are being resolved because we want to promote decentralisation which was previously just a word of mouth with no implementation.
“CDF is available in all constituencies, thanks to our partners. Previously, CDF was not available in other areas but this is not the case now. This time, we are applying equity. So work on how to utilise it, do not complain about it,” Hichilema said.
Decentralisation, he said, was meant to take funds to rural areas
where there was not corruption.
“Through decentralisation, we want to take the money away from the big thieves in Lusaka. So I hope you will not also become some thieves,” Hichilema said.
On Monday this week, Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUT) acting Centre Coordinator Angela Mulenga urged Government to urgently resolve the implementation challenges for the CDF given the tight fiscal space.
Mulenga emphasised the need to also accelerate the review of relevant framework such as the CDF Act No. 11 of 2018 and its guidelines to address the implementation bottlenecks.
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