Ndola Mayor Jones Kalyati has condemned Mongu Mayor Nyambe Muyumbana for returning back half of the two-night allowance from the recent Lusaka special meeting on local authorities chaired by President Hakainde Hichilema.
Mr. Muyumbana on 17th August, 2022 retired K1, 500 which was part of the daily subsistence allowance after his two-day meeting in Lusaka was cut short.
Some people saluted the Mongu Mayor for the gesture but his Ndola counterpart Mr. Kalyati has questioned whom Mr. Muyumbana wanted to impress by retiring the K1, 500.
The Ndola Mayor said he actually spends more than the council provides as he utilises his trips to Lusaka to lobby development for his city from various ministries.
“I want to mention that actually that the money I was given to go to Lusaka was not even enough. When I am in Lusaka I have got important things to do. He (Muyumbana) does not have anything to do and he must be ashamed of himself. When I finish my meetings in Lusaka I spend more days because I have so much to do with Ministries. The people of Ndola sent me to Lusaka to find out what is going to be done to Ndola roads. You know Ndola roads are so bad, they are pathetic, they are impassable. So I go to Ministries. I go to the Ministry of Local Government, I go to the Ministry of Health, and I go to all ministries,” Mr. Kalyati said.
“I take time to visit these ministries so when they give me three days sometimes I spend five days and I keep funding myself. What is supposed to be done is talk to these ministries so that development can come. An honourable that goes like him he even goes boasting that I have returned a K1, 500, what is a K1, 500 going to do? When I am in Lusaka I go to look for much more money to bring into Ndola. So taking back a K1, 500 is mediocre. It is a lack of thinking. Who do I want to impress by returning a K1, 500? By the way we were given money for three days then someone returned a K1, 500, our meeting ended at 20:00 hours that man left before the meeting was actually concluded. It means he is an absent mayor. It should never happen,” Mr. Kalyati continued.
“People of Ndola I want to assure you that whenever I go to Lusaka. I present all the questions you ask me. I know you ask me questions on the roads, I know you ask me questions on schools, and you ask me questions on every development in the city. I have no time to waste. Those people have every time to waste and that is why he can return the money. I cannot return the money. That is why I need much more money if the council cannot sponsor me. I am coming to reach out to well wishers in the city so that they sponsor my being in Lusaka, so that I can look for what they want. I need to bring food and put it on the table. I am their city father,” he said.
Mr. Kalyati concluded:”I have no time to waste, let them waste time, I will spend time talking to ministries and by the way we were talking to the President (Hakainde Hichilema) when he (Muyumbana) actually ran away. I don’t know what he took back to the people of Mongu. I have got so much coming through to my office and the President gave a very good address. I picked a lot of things I am running with like a baton. “
Meanwhile, concerned citizen Mupishi Jones has asked President Hakainde Hichilema to consider honoring Mr. Muyumbana for being honest.
“What an honest leader! I’m sure even where our Almighty God is sitting on his Holy Throne is happy to have such individuals still surviving especially in Africa and Zambia in particular. This act from the Mayor may appear to be very strange in Zambia because of the past PF regime environment where we’re coming from,” Mr. Mupishi stated.
