STATEMENT BY OYV ON THE FLAGGING OFF OF THE CDF VEHICLES AND ON NEWLY LAUNCHED DECENTRALISATION POLICY BY PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA
Friday June 2, 2023
Zambia is poised for tangible development if the trajectory, agenda and political good will set by the Republican President – HE Hakainde Hichilema is not frustrated and/or hindered by any person or institution.
We at OYV, note with delight that the New Dawn Government is walking the talk as far as the CDF and decentralisation and empowering of citizens at local community level is concerned.
We are of the conviction that if Zambia is to witness real transformation in service delivery whose structures are strengthened and solid at local level there is need to be pragmatic on transfer of human resource across all Government Departments so as to complement the financial resources that have been dealt with already.
President HH’s flagging off of the vehicles to monitor the CDF implementation in all the 156 constituencies coupled with the launch of the Decentralisation Policy and the Zambia Devolution Support programme is precedence of the greatest magnitude meant to share the national cake and resources equally regardless from which part of the country one emanates from.
The policy pronouncement to further increase the CDF to close to 60 million kwacha for each constituency means that regarding the CDF and citizens’ wellbeing benefiting from the resources Zambia has, it looks like the UPND has found the formula.
With the foregoing and in light of the success of the CDF and the Decentralisation Policy and the country’s Devolution Support programme OYV recommends the following:
That all manner and form of rigidities and bureaucracies in disbursement from central Government to Constituencies of the CDF be unlocked;
That transparency at every level including that of access by projects and businesses and individuals for their use in various undertakings be promoted;
That the spirit of pay back loans that are due and accountability for the grants or any funds received from the CDF by anyone be cultivated, practiced and seen to be practiced; and
That there be no sacred ‘cow’ for erring recipients regarding CDF or any other resources meant to advance community development and wellbeing.
OYV is of the conviction that every constituency is poised to become paradise, however for this transformation to become reality, the only and best secret is, for every citizen that reside therein, to remain patriotic.
For and on behalf of:
Operation Young Vote (OYV): Guess Nyirenda – Executive Director