UPND THREE YEARS ON CDF – A SAD STORY OF A GOOD PROGRAM- Rev Chilekwa Mulenga

CDF is a disaster

UPND THREE YEARS ON CDF – A SAD STORY OF A GOOD PROGRAM:

By Rev Chilekwa Mulenga
Wed 14th August, 2024

We commend H.E the President Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his party the UPND for increasing the CDF allocation from where the PF administration left it, at a very low figure of K1.6m to the current allocation standing at K30.6m per constituency this year. Zambia has a total of 156 constituencies.
We must however be quick to state that the UPND administration has encouraged the mismanagement of the program and used CDF for PDF in the last three years.

The following figures represent a picture of CDF for the last three years under the UPND in Government.

(1) Year 2022 CDF was placed at K25.7m
Total across constituencies;
K4,009,200,000 Billion

(2) Year 2023 CDF was placed at K28.3m
Total across constituencies;
K4,414,800,000 Billion

(3) Year 2024 CDF was placed at K30.6m
Total across constituencies;
K4,773,600,000 Billion

The grand total so far as at this year 2024 CDF stands at;
K13,197,600,000 Billion
(trillions in unrebassed kwacha)

According to the UPND Administration, a total of K84,6m (25.7 + 28.3 + 30.6) CDF is what would be spent in each constituency by end of 2024.
A quick check on the ground, sadly reveals that CDF has not changed the majority constituencies in terms of serious development, but a few connected to those in power or committee members. It is even more concerning to hear that women are being sexually manipulated to access CDF under the UPND administration going by lamentations from the Ndola Mayor Hon Jones Kalyati as was reported by some section of the media.

To date, hardly no constituency can point at any reasonable developmental projects under CDF apart from a few unplastered toilets and small class room blocks at inflated figures which still can not equate to the amounts injected into each constituency so far. In some cases, they’ve also kept purchasing second hand graders which are parked at Local Authorities gathering dust and not benefitting the locals, how sad !

The CDF under the UPND is a sad story of good program. The intended impact of CDF has not been realised due to partizan lenses and has not been appreciated by majority Zambians. A lot of our people don’t even know how CDF looks like later on how it tastes. There is nothing much on the ground save in a few people’s pockets which won’t last as it keeps going to waste, what a shame !

Further, on a sad note, the Church has been sidelined at the table of decision making (CDFC) and has not benefitted much due to corruption and unnecessary partizan elements. The three years of CDF under the UPND is a sad story and a conduit for serious corruption. The CDF annual absorption rate remains on average below 20% in the last three years, which is very unfortunate and sometimes makes us feel for President Hichilema whose desire was to see CDF work as a game changer but alas the results are poor.

Finally, we urge H.E President Hichilema to call for the audit of CDF for the last three years and review the program. We have reason to believe that CDF has become one of the means for deep corruption. The ACC should also move in and do their job. We hope and trust that the CDF program would improve in the coming year as the UPND first term of office nears expiry as Parliament dissolves in May 2026 in readiness for tripartite elections in August of the same year.

Ndola, Copperbelt, Zambia.

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