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The ruling UPND in Eastern Province has criticised Chipangali Council Chairperson, Max Nkhoma, for reportedly spreading unverified and misleading information regarding the hunger situation in the District.
Nkhoma on Saturday, December 15, 2024 raised serious concerns over the worsening hunger situation in Chipangali District, following the government’s reported halt of relief food distribution.
In response to Nkhoma in a statement issued in Lusaka on Sunday, UPND Eastern Province Deputy Information and Publicity Secretary, Davy Kapwata, said contrary to the claims, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had not halted the distribution of relief maize.
Kapwata said the current process involved allocating 600 bags of maize to each selling depot, which were given 14 days to sell to the community and once the sales period ends, depot clerks reconciled the sales records before additional consignments can be dispatched.
“As a ruling party under the visionary leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, we are committed to transparency and accountability.
“It is therefore important to set the record straight regarding the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) operations,” he stated.
Kapwata encouraged stakeholders like Nkhoma who was a high profile official and concerned parties to verify the facts.
He stated that a review of the satellite depots would reveal that most of them had maize available until only a few days ago, and that the reconciliation process was currently underway.
“The queues at the District Commissioner’s office are due to community members registering in advance for the next consignment, as has been the norm,” Kapwata said.
He explained that this year, to improve access, all satellite depots were participating in sales, unlike in the past when Mgubudu Depot was the sole seller.
Kapwata stated that this clearly demonstrate that the UPND government, led by President Hakainde Hichilema, was dedicated to ensuring a continuous supply of maize to communities in need.
“We urge Mr. Nkhoma to refrain from making statements that are likely to incite public unrest and undermine the hard work of this government,” he advised.
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