By Arnold Chasaya
Government has increased constituency development fund (CDF) allocation for 2024 to K30.6 million—from the current K28.3 million.
“Madam Speaker, to ensure that more resources are directly provided to communities for local development, including basic services such as clean and safe water, maternity wings, and school desks, I propose to increase the allocation to CDF to K4.8 billion. With this increase, each constituency will receive K30.6 million from the current K28.3 million,” announced the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Situmbeko Musokotwane.
Dr. Musokotwane announced the increase on Friday September 29, 2023, in the capital, Lusaka, when he presented the 2024 national budget to the National Assembly.
The minister, who described CDF as a game-changer, added that “As at [the] end of August 2023, a total of 3,132 classrooms were built under the CDF.”
The ambitious increase comes at a time when many constituencies across the country have been seen failing to identify and dedicate CDF towards their respective competitive edges.
This failure has caused some of the constituencies to spend the funds on duplicate, expensive equipment, such as graders—which many of them do not even need to buy.
For instance, why would two constituencies sharing boundaries buy the same equipment separately?
Need for plan-based CDF allocation
One of the notable objectives of the 2024 national budget is to reduce government expenditure, which, according to Dr. Musokotwane, directly translates into fiscal discipline.
“Madam [Speaker], I am happy and proud to report that in the two years that this Administration has been in office, fiscal discipline has been very high. As I just reported, revenues and expenditures are nearly spot on as authorised by this august House,” he announced.
Talking of discipline. Is it discipline when a parent dishes out huge sums of money to his or her children without asking what their respective, immediate financial priorities are?
That’s where the issue is. Before the Government allocates a penny to any constituency for its development, it needs to compel the requesting constituency to undertake a development needs assessment.
This requisite assessment should understand threats, opportunities, areas of urgency, and identify possible project benefits.
The assessment should also produce a baseline document (which will act as a reference point after implementation), in addition to, finally, producing a justifiable, itemized budget.
Once these steps have been exhausted, that’s when the Government can decide how much a particular constituency actually needs for its development projects.
The Government should also make it a tradition for every constituency to produce progress reports either quarterly or after every fiscal year.
These reports should be a solid basis for releasing or not releasing additional funding to complete projects which would have not been completed.
Until such measures are introduced by the Government, the so-called fiscal discipline would be a far-fetched idea, which will only exist on paper.
In addition to strengthening fiscal discipline, plan-based CDF allocation will help ensure that the funds are allocated to projects that align with the central government’s priorities and timelines.
Otherwise, the current Good-Samaritan’s CDF allocation approach promotes only impulse shopping among constituencies.
Sending money by mobile person to person to be taxed. Why?
Money for cadres and Ministers….people are complaining no one knows where the money is going
I told you 2 years ago that cdf is upnds way of stealing tax payers money. Here we are today. I spoke with chushi kasanda who has revealed alot about the corruption under this government. Hh is involved in the gold theft
Ward and District Development plans are there my friend. Go to the field and check. You have to express your needs in those plans a year before. No need to add another layer of assessments which will just be eaten by consultants. The people on the ground know what they need. Do not think you Lusaka people are best placed to go and carry out a needs assessment to tell people who walk long distances to hospitals. In many cases, local people need schools, health facilities, clean drinking water and for rural based add farming input. In town you can add markets and garbage collection services. Period. Do not trivialize development and the power of local people
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CDF………by moving money away from Lusaka………
Has scattered and bewildered the clique of theives…………
Most of this money was being stolen in Lusaka…………
That is why the resident LT clique are always complaining……..
This is indeed a game changer……..
Can we have your talented zambians trained in project management and accounting to specifically manage these funds…….
Well done your exallency
Zambia would have been a different place had CDF been in place for 20 years. Thieves in Lusaka now have no money to steal
Ati alebwelelapo. Keep your morning jogging the chair is gone the is a new sherif in town
Why even refer to him unless you are afraid of him which is baseless. I see that you have even set fire to ECL Mall more so that you can completely eliminate him.
Deja Vu
You live in kitwe…..
have you got something to do with that fire ???
Game Changer has now become hackenyed
You are a suspect in the fire at ECL mall………
You live close by………
Wanting to blame UPND………..
CDF is a game changer in terms of sharing the national cake. However, a fairer way of sharing the cake should have been found. There’s no way you can give the same amount to all the constituencies. The government should study the Kenyan way of funding counties.
Twanwa again