…Brian Mundubile says CDF projects are not financed by the UPND as a private political party but by government to which Mr Imemnda does not belong
By SHERRY CHABALA
BATUKE Imenda is not a government official to have embarked on the monitoring and inspecting of developmental projects under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and should therefore curtail his marathon tour across the country, Brian Mundubile has said.
Mr Mundubile, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament says Mr Imenda should instead expend his partisan energies on mobilising the ruling party, for that was his main mandate as the chief executive officer of the UPND.
Mr Mundubile said Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Gary Nkombo was the one with the mandate and responsible for monitoring CDF projects and that the UPND officials should not have usurped his responsibilities.
He said Zambia had long dispensed with the philosophy of the party and its government and that government functions should never be performed by party functionaries such as Mr Imenda.
“My dear comrade Imenda may have been tipped privately that he is the next Minister of Local Government but I want to advise him that no matter how strong that rumour is, for as long as he has not been sworn in, for as long as he has not taken oath, let him take it easy and wait.”
“That is how people have lost positions in the past because of being excited. Somebody comes to you and they tip you and you begin to carry out the functions. Mr Imenda, we are pleading with you. I know that the rumour is strong. We have been hearing these rumours that you are about to be appointed, but you have not yet been sworn-in my brother. So just stay home until you are sworn-in,” Mr Mundubile said.
Mr Mundubile said Government was not using funds from the UPND as a private political party to build infrastructure using CDF and Mr Imenda should not be the one to inspect government financed developmental projects.
Mr Mundubile advised the UPND not to politicise CDF because the money being used to empower members of the ruling party was public.
He was reacting to Transparency International Zambia’s call to Mr Imenda to desist from politicising the CDF programme through his nationwide tour of projects.
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