Chasefu North Independent Member of Parliament Captain Towani Chipeta has returned K7,600 to Chasefu Town Council after questioning the legality of allowances paid to her in her capacity as an ex-officio councillor.
Chipeta says the payments were made despite no duly constituted council meeting having taken place.
She argues that accepting the money would amount to improper double remuneration, citing Section 28 of the Local Government Act and the role of the Emoluments Commission in determining councillors’ allowances.
The returned money includes K1,600 paid as a purported partial allowance for September 2026 and K6,000 described as a monthly allowance for October.
Chipeta says the money could instead help provide essential services to residents of Chasefu District, where many communities continue to face significant development challenges.
The lawmaker says her conscience would not allow her to keep money she believes she was not entitled to receive.
She has pledged to challenge irregular payments and other wrongdoing, including involving relevant authorities where necessary, and says bank deposit slips are available to confirm that the money was returned.
God bless you madam. These are the levels of integrity that are lacking in our country.
If we had 25% such people in the civil service, Zambia would make tremendous progress in advancing the standard of living of our people. Zambia is a looter’s paradise and people like Ms. Chipeta are rare as a dog’s horns.