VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda yesterday told Parliament that the disbanded Taskforce on Corruption raised K92.4 billion from the sale of assets seized during its investigations while it spent K23.3 billion provided by the Government on operations and US$11.8 million (about K57 billion) from the United States of America (US) as donor support.
Responding to Lukulu East Member of Parliament (MP) Batuke Imenda who wanted to know how much was realised by the Taskforce on Corruption and how much was spent on operations between 2002 and 2009, Mr Kunda said K92.4 billion was raised while the Government spent K23.3 billion on operations, with $11.8 million coming from the US as donor support.
The vice-president said of the K92.4 billion raised, K72.7 billion was realised from the sale of real estate and K5.8 billion was from movable assets while cash at the Bank of Zambia amounted to K1.6 billion.
He said the Government remitted about K12.3 billion to the Ministry of Health for the construction and rehabilitation of labour wards country-wide.
And Agriculture and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Allan Mbewe told Parliament that more than K75 billion had been spent on construction and rehabilitation of grain storage facilities in various parts of the country from 2006 to date.
Mr Mbewe said the Government was not happy with the current storage arrangements, as it was inadequate.
He said the country had about two million tonne grain storage capacity but only 1.3 million was being utilised while the other was not in good condition.
Mr Mbewe was answering a question from Kanchibiya MP Davies Mwango who wanted to know how much the Government had spent on repairing grain storages country-wide from 2006 and whether the Government was satisfied with the current storage facilities.
And Agriculture Minister Eustarckio Kazonga has urged the business community to assist the Government in leasing out and building new grain storage to secure the grain that the country had yielded and is expected to harvest in the next farming season.
He said the Government was in the process of constructing and rehabilitating more storage facilities in the phase two project this year.
Mr Kazonga said the Government would construct six extra silos and rehabilitate the existing ones, and that would construct 98 extra sheds country-wide.
And responding to Itezhi-Tezhi MP Godfrey Beene, who wanted to know why the Government was concentrating on maize storage facilities and not for other crops, the minister said storage for all other crops was being considered and the emphasis on maize was because it was the staple food.
And the Water Resources Management Bill number 50 of 2010 yesterday passed through the second reading after the MPs unanimously voted for it.
The Government approved the revised national water policy in February 2010, which would provide for streamlined and focused guidance to the water sector in the country.
Energy and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga said the Bill sought to repeal and replace the Water Act of 1949 through a comprehensive review due to the nature and scope of issues that had developed over time.
Meanwhile, Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister Moses Muteteka said the ministry had entered into public-private partnership to develop parking spaces in Lusaka central business centre to ease parking problems that the city had been experiencing.
Mr Muteteka said the business community had expressed interest to embark on the exercise and land had been identified within the central business district for the exercise.
He was responding to a question from Pambashe MP Benard Chisha who wanted to know if the ministry had any plans of creating more parking areas in Lusaka city centre.
[Times of Zambia]
:o
Imwe ba kabalwe after spending such colossal sums of money you just raised a paltry net figure of K12.1 Billion?
This could actually be a cover up as the true net figure may be in the negative. Never trust this govt
so if they made proffit what was the hurry of disbanding them. they raised more than they spent. so they were not a drain on the economy but they helped cleanse this rotten society of corruption which is now on the upswing. just to protect their corrupt friends.
if anything the major expense was donor funded. ba corrupt MMD kuya bebele this year.
How do u seize your own assets
iwe ka kunda what about kafupi and his big MAMA’s property. shut up gumbe
So there were cases for them to sell seized property? What nonsesical hypocricy
Thanks for the information Hon. Vice President George Kunda
this imformaton is important to know. it make us ask if this whole task force is wealth it
this imformaton is important to know. it make us ask if this whole task force is worthy it
What about 8 million Dollars(about 40 billion ZK) FTJ cash in our Zamtroop Account
Oohh!!!
And President Banda and Kunda frustrated the Task Force’s anti Corruption work, what a shame on RED lips Kunda.
Shame on you Kunda, history will bring shame on you and Zambians will remember you as a cook Lawyer.
Here we have real facts, and I have been waiting to see how many bloggers would be commenting on this and three days later only 11!
This is the kind of people Zambians are, but come to chat about politics and theories, there would have been more than a hundred and longer by now! We have government answering to our elected reps in the august house, and Zedians are not interested. If this was an editorial from a named paper… I just don’t know what to say!