By Isaac Zulu
UPND secretary general Batuke Imenda despite not holding any public office any public office has continued dishing out directives on the usage of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Questions have been raised about Imenda’s role in directing public works even when he does not have any discernible public portfolio, but the UPND SG argues that he is a tax payer who is also carrying out President Hakainde Hichilema’s directives.
He said that the Zambian people have a right to know how Constituency Development Funds are being utilised in Constituencies.
Speaking when monitoring projects being executed using Constituency Development Fund, in Kapiri Mposhi district, Imenda said that CDF comes from tax payers’ money, hence the need for citizens to know how public resources are being spent.
He stressed that Constituency Development Funds should be used for the intended purposes.
Imenda said that, as chief executive officer of the ruling party, he has a right to know how money coming from the National Treasury is being utilised.
He said that opposition political party leaders and individuals who are lamenting about his involvement in the monitoring of government of projects being implemented using the Constituency Development Funds are those that taking pride in seeing public resources going to waste.
“To start with, I am a Zambian. Secondly, I am a tax payer. Thirdly, I voted for the UPND in 2021 and I would want my government to deliver development to the Zambian people. And Constituency Development Funds come from the National Treasury, which is tax payers’ money. So the Zambian people have a right to know how public resources are being utilised,” Imenda said.
He said that the UPND administration has decided to increase the Constituency Development Fund and decentralise its approval as well as the identification of projects, saying “there should be no excuse to delay the implementation of projects in Constituencies.”
Imenda further directed the Constituency Development Fund committee in Kapiri Mposhi district to actualise the manufacturing of desks for all government schools, saying that no “child should be sitting on the floor in class by December.”
“This is a Presidential directive…it is a decree. I am just a messenger of the President,” said Imenda.
The UPND secretary general said after being informed that Kapiri Mposhi requires that 330,000 desks that should be distributed to all schools in the district, with an estimated cost of K39.6 million.
Imenda said that priority for the making of desks for government schools in Kapiri Mposhi district should be awarded to the local carpenters and contractors, so as to support local entrepreneurs.
He also directed the Constituency Development Fund committee in the area to ensure that the number of beneficiaries on the skills development component is increased.
Imenda is monitoring Constituency Development Fund implemented projects in Central Province.
While in Kapiri Mposhi district, Imenda inspected the construction of Kapisu health post, which is at 90 per cent completion, Kabowa health post; whose construction started in February and is now at 85 per cent completion as well as Ndeke Police Post, which the Constituency Development Fund committee said were approved in the 2021 allocation.
And Imenda expressed satisfaction on the quality of work on the projects being executed using the Constituency Development Fund, saying one of projects he inspected while in Chitambo and Mkushi districts, he realised that there were some shoddy works.
