By Isaac Zulu
Kapiri Central ward councilor Ronald Simwanza has said that people that want Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Stanley Kakubo to always be found in his constituency are being unrealistic.
And Simwanza has said that Ministry of Health officials who are saying that the government has distributed sufficient drugs to all health facilities across the country are being economical with the truth.
Speaking when he featured on Kapiri Mposhi’s KBC Radio programme dubbed “Voice it Out” on Wednesday, Simwanza said that people in Kapiri Mposhi constituency should be objective before concluding that their area member of parliament has abandoned them.
He explained that, currently, Kakubo holds a busy ministerial position, which requires him to be in Lusaka most of the time.
Simwanza he has a good working relationship with the area member of parliament, adding that he understands the parliamentarian’s desire to deliver development to the people in his constituency.
“I have a good working relationship with our member of parliament. I have interacted a lot with him and I know that is committed to delivering development to the people in his constituency. Mind you, the area MP is presiding over 18 wards in a vast district. And currently he is Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister, which is a very busy ministerial position that requires him to be in Lusaka most of the time,” explained Simwanza, who is a Patriot Front civic leader, during a radio programme listened to by Daily Revelation. “So people need to be objective before concluding that the area member of parliament has abandoned them. People that want the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister to always be found in his constituency are not being realistic. I have equally not seen him in a while in my ward, but I know he has been visiting other wards in the constituency.”
Simwanza said that Kakubo has always demonstrated his willingness to work with all the 18 civic leaders in Kapiri Mposhi, regardless of their political affiliations.
He also advised members of the community to use established governance structures such as the ward development committees, civic leaders and the National Assembly office each time they urgently needed to channel their concerns to their parliamentarian.
And Simwanza has charged that Ministry of Health officials that are saying that there are enough drugs in public health facilities are being economical with the truth.
“We have continued hearing Ministry of Health officials saying that they are enough essential medicines and other drugs in public hospitals and clinic. But when you go on the ground some drugs are not readily available,” explained Simwanza. “I have personally continued to see residents in my ward being given prescriptions from public health facilities so that they can go and buy medicines from private pharmacists.”
Simwanza also accused the local authority in Kapiri Mposhi of exhibiting inertia in the implementation of development projects.
“When you go to ask for the grader so that we work on the roads, they will tell you that the grader has broken down. But when someone buys a commercial plot, you will find the grader clearing the land. What kind of a council is this? What kind of government is this? This inertia is what is derailing development in this country,” said Simwanza.
