By PRINCE MABUMBA
CABINET Office has said the increased Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is critical towards enhancing service delivery hence being placed under local authorities.
Permanent Secretary for Special Duties at Cabinet Office, Patrick Mucheleka has also directed all civil servants in Lumezi to acquaint themselves with the 2022 to 2026 Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) to understand the new dawn administration’s policy direction.
Addressing civil servants on his tour of Eastern Province on Tuesday, Mr Mucheleka said CDF had been placed under the council’s deliberately because local authorities were closer to the people than the central government.
Mr Mucheleka said President Hakainde Hichilema had demonstrated political will by allocating huge resources under CDF to councils away from central government because it was the people’s money.
Mr Mucheleka said Zambians had the right to seek clarification from the local authority on the utilisation of CDF because it was Cabinet Office’s desire to enhance accountability, transparency and value for money through all government programmes and projects.
“We must not have a situation where people want to remain poor but we should strive to facilitate for the people to take themselves out of poverty through the services we provide. CDF is people’s money and they have every right to ask how it is being utilised” Mr Mucheleka said.
And Mr Mucheleka has reminded all civil servants that they are in government to serve by ensuring enhanced service delivery and that the Hakainde administration shall not condone anything inimical to service delivery.
“We will not condone anything inimical to the general public. Should we identify you as a bottleneck in the delivery of service to the public, we will remove you so that there are no impediments to development. You are here to serve the people of Lumezi to ensure that there is enhanced service delivery” Mr Mucheleka said.
And Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Paul Thole has advised civil servants to deliver according to the people’s expectations.
