Africa-Press – Zambia. Government has disbursed the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to all the 156 constituencies in the country. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development,Gary Nkombo has therefore advised both the new and returning members of parliament to acquaint themselves with the CDF Act of 2018.
Mr. Nkombo, who called for prudent utilisation of the funds, emphasised that transparency, accountability and equity are among the principles that should be embraced when using the funds. He said this today when delivering his ministerial statement on the allocation of the Constituency Development Fund in the National Assembly.
“All the constituencies have received the allocation and this calls for strict follow up of the guidelines as prescribed in the CDF Act of 2018 and failure to do so will attract the wrath of the law enforcement agencies. Transparency, accountability and equity should be among the principles to be observed,” he said.
The Local Government and Rural Development Minister, who is also Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament, said implementers of the fund should prioritise completing old CDF projects before embarking on new ones.
He has since urged new Members of Parliament (MPs) to fully complete developmental projects that were initiated by their predecessors in order to attain maximum value for money.
Mr. Nkombo has meanwhile warned Members of Parliament to desist from interfering with the utilisation of the CDF. Meanwhile, Zambezi East MP Brian Kambita asked whether the government has plans to check the competencies of council workers and increase the CDF allocation.
In response, Mr. Nkombo underscored that government will professionalise the local government and will consider increasing the CDF from the current K1.4 million.
