Article 81, section 3 helps Zambia save over K20, 000, 000
BILL NO. 7 OF 2025, as submitted by Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha seeks to allow members of parliament to remain in office until a day before general elections.
Currently, article 81, section 3 of the Zambian Constitution Act No. 2 of 2016 requires that members of parliament vacate their office 90 days before the date for general elections.
A member of parliament in Zambia gets about 60,000 in monthly allowances.
This means that, if they are 156 members of parliament, each gets K60,000 per month. In a month, the total allowances tax payers pay their members of parliament is roughly K9,360,00 or nine million Kwacha.
If you calculate K60,000 by 90 days, you will get about K28,080,000.
So, if parliament is dissolved 90 days before, these figures in colossal sums are saved.
Article 81 section 4 of Bill No. 7 of 2025 further proposes that, even though members of parliament will be getting the over K60,000 in monthly allowances, they should not be sitting or conducting any business at parliament.
In simple terms, the Bill in the cited sections of article 81 seeks to have about 156 members of parliament to continue getting paid and enjoying the incentives that come with the office of MP, three months after.
This will further give sitting members of parliament an advantage over those vying for to take over. Sitting MPs will somehow use tax payers money to disadvantage aspiring parliamentary candidates.
Will the Zambian parliament, members of parliament reject this offer to stay in office and get paid for doing nothing?
The debate rages on! Are you for or against the Bill? What are your reasons?
#Bill No. 7 of 2025.
©️ TV Yatu June 4, 2025.
(5) The Electoral Commission shall, at intervals of not morethan ten years, review the names and boundaries of constituenciesand wards.(6) The names and details of the boundaries of constituenciesand wards shall be published in the Gazette and shall come into effect on the next dissolution of Parliament or councils.(7) A person may apply to the Constitutional Court for reviewof a decision of the Electoral Commission made under this Article.59. The Electoral Commission shall, in delimiting the boundariesof constituencies and wards—(a) take into account the history, diversity and cohesivenessof the constituency or ward;(b) have regard to population density, trends and projections;(c) ensure that the number of inhabitants in each constituencyor ward is reasonable, taking into account the means ofcommunication and geographical features;(d) ensure that constituencies and wards are wholly withindistricts; and(e) seek to achieve an approximate equality of constituencyand ward population, subject to the need to ensureadequate representation for urban and sparsely populated areas.
What is the problem? Have you seen the new delimations? No. The current law also provides for recourse where there doubt. What is the real issue here?
Citing the 2016 constitution #2 of the laws of Zambia
So if the law states that the ECZ can review and
And it has made recommemdations. Where is the flaw?