CDF is not Decentralization-CDF has become a looting frenzy!
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
The Auditor General’s Report for CDF for the financial year ended 31st December 2023 reveals a sad pattern. It has confirmed what we already know.
That the Constituency Development Fund is but a looting frenzy for the UPND and its self-created and affiliated cooperatives.
The Fund has evolved into a looting spree and should no longer be regarded as a development initiative or tool but an illegal access to public funds to loot paved by Ward Development Committees and Councils!
The CDF has evolved to a fund to buy expensive yellow machines that are parked the whole year, to the Centre using it to buy ( using illegal procurement methods) monitoring, police and ambulance vehicles, to payments for projects that can’t be traced.
The grants and loans have become a pilfering instrument spread to appease a larger group of cadres.
And by the way, Hon.Mulambe Haimbe and Lusaka Central Constituency have received flowers for only using 15% of CDF in 2023 !🤣
It must be stated that CDF is not decentralization.
The policy is far broader than CDF. Infact CDF is a small component in what was designed to deliver development at local level.
President Hakainde Hichilema must restore and implement what has been thoroughly researched, planned and designed by the decentralization policy.
For the last 3 years, UPND has been throwing money to be planned and soent as directed by Ward Development Committees (WDCs).
These Committees are just supposed to be part of the consultative process by the local authority experts.
President Hichilema should allow the councils and municipalities, that have expertise, town and development planners, procurement committees, engineers and other technical staff to plan and spend this money for the districts.
Infact recognising that local authotities may not sustain these qualified individuals and deliver development, the government releases the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF) to local authorities to support their operations and capital expenditures.
The fund is intended to help local authorities deliver services. The Fund is also used to subsidize local authorities’ recurrent and capital expenditures.
Further the LGEF is subject to the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Procurement Act and we may not see the looting currently taking place.
The concept of developing the country by taking financial resources from the centre to the periphery will be achieved.
CDF is NOT decentralization.