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—–Monze District Council Secretary, Tryson Chunga, says Constituency Development Funds must not be personalized and politicized because they are public funds meant for development that must benefit communities in constituencies.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Monze yesterday, Mr Chunga said that CDF was strictly public fund made available by Government for visible and viable projects.
He was reacting to concerns raised by some members of the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) during the previous stakeholders’ extra-ordinary meeting that the funds were being personalized and politicized by some MPs and councillors who were members of the CDF committee in their constituencies.
Mr Chunga said authority to disburse the CDF was vested in the council as stipulated in the Local Government and Housing Act section 45(1) of the Laws of Zambia.
He said that MPs and councillors were merely members of the CDF committees in their respective constituencies whose responsibility was to allocate funds to approved projects submitted by community members.
Mr Chunga said the composition of the CDF committees as per guidelines provided by Government included the area MP, two councillors, one chief’s representative, council Director of Works and four members from the civil society, NGO and Church organizations.
He said that the role of the DDCC in the management and implementation of CDF was to provide checks and balances through technical advice to avoid duplication of funds for same projects being funded through line ministries in the district.
Mr Chunga also called for improved coordination between the council and line ministries through the DDCC in order to ensure effective implementation of projects funded both through CDF and directly from ministries.
The Council Secretary, however, disclosed that the 2012 KR 3000,000 CDF allocated to Monze District had finally been approved for disbursement.
He said the funds will be disbursed to all three constituencies of Bweengwa, Moomba and Monze Central in amounts of KR1000, 000 each.
Mr Chunga expressed gratitude that some of the notable projects that had been approved under CDF will soon be implemented such as the purchase of a grader and tipper truck for maintenance of roads.
He said other important projects include the connection of certain institutions under the ministries of health, education and agriculture to the national grid from the Mwanza Kasaka electrification project currently being undertaken by the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) in Chief Chona and Chief Mwanza.
He also called for transparent implementation of the projects under the CDF because the funds were meant to deliver meaningful development to people in communities.
