UPND MP TAKES CHITALU CHILUFYA TO TASK OVER $17 MILLION HONEY BEE MONEY…as Musokotwane says govt will acquire loan to build schools

By Kamuti Muyambela 

Katombola member of parliament (UPND) Clement Andeleki has asked Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane what the government is doing to recover US$ 17 million Honey Bee money from those within and outside parliament.

And Dr Musokotwane said government will get a loan that will go towards equalising some developmental projects in the three provinces that were left out previously , namely North-Western, Western and Copperbelt provinces.

Debating the ministerial statement delivered by Dr Musokotwane on the country’s debt situation, whose current external stock stands at just over $14 billion (including the debt of quasi government institutions), Andeleki asked Dr Musokotwane if the government was putting in place interventions to recover the $17 million Honey Bee money.

Andeleki said some of the people who benefited from the money were in parliament, saying the only action taken over the matter was the dismissal of Dr Chitalu Chilufya as Health minister by former president Edgar Lungu.

As he continued mentioning Dr Chilfuya’s name, Andeleki’s debate was curtailed by Speaker Nelly Mutti saying the matter was under investigation and that members were not allowed to debate other members.

Andeleki said he heeded the directive but insisted that the matter was not under investigation.

And Dr Musokotwane said the investigative wings were the appropriate people to handle the matter.

The Ministry awarded US$17 million contract for the supply of health centre kits to a company called Honey Bee Pharmacy Limited, which did not exist at the time in June 2021.

And Dr Musokotwane said government will acquire a new loan for the construction of secondary schools in North-Western, Western and Copperbelt provinces to equalise the development, something the new administration has consistently said they will undertake.

Leader of the opposition in parliament Brian Mundubile said lamentations day after day was not the reason the UPND was elected into office, but to solve challenges. But Dr Musokotwane said it was not lamentations but accepting what the reality was as the previous government left the country in a lot of debt, saying the PF got into office with the debt at less than $2 billion but had raised that to over $14 billion.

He said some of the things that were bought from the borrowed money were unnecessary and aimed at harassing, and tormenting citizens, such as the armory bought for the police.

But Chilubi member of parliament (PF) Mulenga Fube advised the government against seeming to embrace, own and even commission projects which were left by the PF, like the juice plant in North-Western Province, while conveniently lamenting over the debt at the same time.

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1 Comment

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  • Chrispine Ngoma , October 8, 2021 @ 12:30 pm

    The issue of hooney bee must be taken so serious because we are not going to allow it to rote like that…
    Of course everyone in Zambia is aware of hooney bee and fire terndercy… Investigation must on by now… These people who are involved let them repay what they stole from us…

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