Bwana Mkubwa PF member of parliament Dr Jonas Chanda says Constituency Development Fund Guidelines of 2006, which are currently in use, are outdated and causing MPs make false promises to the people.

In a statement, Monday, Dr Chanda stated that at the moment, Local Government Authorities were religiously adhering to the 2006 CDF guidelines which involved too many unnecessary “Back-and-Forth bureaucratic” processes, resulting in delayed planning, implementation and monitoring of CDF-funded community projects.

“Delays in execution of CDF-funded projects has led to people in constituencies losing confidence in Members of Parliament and Councillors who were seen as making false promises which never materialise,” Dr Chanda stated.

Dr Chanda called on government to urgently revise the modalities and administration of CDF by cutting out the red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy.

He cited the fact that despite Bwana Mkubwa Constituency having received the full 2017 CDF amount of K1.4 million by November 2017 which has been sitting in the Ndola City Council bank account, no single project had been implemented, which may lead to Ministry of Finance mopping up the funds because another CDF amount was due to be released in the 2018 Fiscal Year.

“Development projects like construction and renovation of health centres in Kaloko, Katondo, Kantolomba and Mwenye townships, construction of toilets at Kansengu market in Mushili, and Empowerment of Women’s and Youth Clubs have all been delayed.”

Dr Chanda stated that the situation was worsened by an amendment in the Republican Constitution of 2015 which removed Members of Parliament from sitting in the Councils, thus excluding them from participating in development matters affecting their own constituencies.

“This also needed to be corrected when Government brings Constitutional Amendment Bill to Parliament.The CDF was approved by Parliament in 1995 to finance micro-community projects for poverty reduction, with the Ministry of Local Government through the Councils administering the channeling and utilisation of CDF,” stated Dr Chanda.