Mutotwe Kafwaya Exposes Contradictions in 2026 National Budget
_By Michael Zephaniah Phiri Political Activist_
Lusaka — Lunte Member of Parliament, Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya, has emerged as one of the most courageous and articulate voices in Parliament, fearlessly dissecting the 2026 National Budget presented by Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane.
In his hard-hitting submission on the floor of the House, Hon. Kafwaya accused the government of presenting a budget full of contradictions and unrealistic projections, especially on domestic and external borrowing and the management of arrears owed to local suppliers.
The outspoken lawmaker questioned how the government could claim to promote job creation while withholding billions of kwacha owed to small and medium enterprises that depend on timely government payments.
“Madam Speaker, how do you create jobs when you are holding back money owed to suppliers and contractors who employ Zambians? The Minister said arrears have increased by K3.3 billion to K84.1 billion, yet there is no clear plan on how to dismantle this debt,” Hon. Kafwaya charged.
He added that instead of building a sustainable economy, the government was creating dependency and poverty, hiding behind inflated social cash transfer allocations while the productive sectors continue to starve.
“When you increase social cash transfers, what you are really telling the people is that you have created so much vulnerability that the only way they can survive is through handouts. Pay the suppliers including our farmers so that they can maintain and expand jobs,” he said.
Hon. Kafwaya, who also sits on the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee, exposed the government’s aggressive borrowing appetite, revealing that the UPND administration plans to borrow a staggering K106 billion locally and K12.87 billion externally in 2026, bringing the total borrowing to K118.87 billion.
He compared this to the 2021 borrowing levels, noting that the government now intends to borrow the same amount in one year that previous governments borrowed in an entire fiscal cycle.
“In just five years, the UPND will have spent K1.13 trillion, while the Patriotic Front government spent only half that amount in ten years , yet delivered visible infrastructure such as the Mongu–Kalabo Road, Kafulafuta Dam, and KK International Airport. Where are the equivalent UPND projects?” Hon. Kafwaya asked.
The Lunte lawmaker further warned that the figures in the budget were not consistent, saying the Minister of Finance’s statement on the fiscal deficit was misleading.
“The Minister claims the deficit will be 2.1%, but when calculated correctly, it’s nearly 3%. This budget doesn’t balance, Madam Speaker. It’s full of contradictions that betray poor fiscal discipline,” he stated.
He pledged to push for amendments to the 2026 budget so that realistic amounts are allocated to dismantling arrears and supporting local businesses.
“I want to help this government by ensuring we allocate meaningful numbers to dismantle arrears. If they reject this help, I will go back to the people and tell them how they were considered,” Hon. Kafwaya declared.
The Lunte MP concluded his powerful debate by reaffirming his commitment to people-centered leadership and fiscal accountability, saying Zambia’s progress depends on those who think and act for the people, not for political expediency.
“We have a problem, but it can be solved by people who think not for themselves but for the people,” he said. “With these few words, Madam Speaker, I submit.”
Analysis:
Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya’s contribution stands out as a wake-up call for those in government to realign the national budget with the realities on the ground. His message is clear, a government that delays payments to local suppliers and overborrows without corresponding development is mortgaging the future of its citizens.
It’s simple really. The money is for paying all those teachers, health workers and those who hv been employed by the uniformed services. The number of people who hv been employed is not small and the government often boasts about it. The financial cost is what Mutotwe Kafwaya is lamenting in his speech. Add free education to that and the result is the numbers we are seeing in the budget. The tax collected and GDP ratio is not as good as it should be.
Kafwaya has looked at only one side of the story. He should have mentioned the brand new trade school in Lunte constituency, new classrooms, new housing for teachers, new maternity sections at every health centre, doubling of the rural electrification budget etc. Kafwaya should know more about these things than I do because as a backbencher, he tours the country on parliamentary business.