By Isaac Zulu
Kapiri Mposhi traders who were beneficiaries of the government’s Marketeers Empowerment Grants have lamented that they have not received their money.
Recently, local government and rural development minister Garry Nkombo visited Kapiri Mposhi district and announced that government has given K500, 000 to 41 cooperatives belonging to marketeers in the area.
However, sometime down the line, marketeers have disclosed that they have not accessed the said monies.
Some marketeers talked to complained that they have been duped by the local authority.
Speaking on behalf of other marketeers, Mirriam Nkosi, who sells vegetables, said that marketeers are disappointed with the delayed disbursement of the grants to them, saying marketeers now feel duped by the local authority.
“The minister of local government came here in Kapiri Mposhi at Tambalale market where he announced that the UPND has decided to put the Marketeers Empowerment Grants component in the CDF. He went further and announced that government is giving out K500,000 to 41 cooperatives belonging to marketeers in Kapiri Mposhi district. However, it has been three weeks since that pronouncement was made, and the marketeers have not accessed this money,” said Nkosi in an interview. “As things stand, marketeers feel duped by the local authority.
Another trader by the name of Patrick Kangwa said that the decision by the local authority to delay the disbursement of the said funds is making the UPND government unpopular.
“The government has done its part but the council is delaying to give out these monies. By delaying to disburse this money, the government is being made unpopular,” said Kangwa.
But when reached for a comment, Kapiri Mposhi Town Council chairperson Brilliant Munyeke said that the delay to disburse the said monies is due to the delay to grant them treasury authority.
