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The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) in Choma will soon embark on the public sensitization on how people can access and monitor Constituency Development Funds (CDF) in order for to know it’s usage and enhance accountability.
Choma PF District Information and Publicity Secretary Siamalonga Siachoona said his party in the district is aware that councillors were trying to hide information about efforts government is putting in place to eradicate poverty in communities through the release of huge sums of money under CDF.
Mr Siachoona said the civic leaders were doing this with impunity for fear that their opposition party will be an popular when people gets to know that government is striving hard to ensure that their lives are improved through interventions it is making.
“These councillors think that just because this is their stronghold if people are made to know about what government is doing then they will lose support, so that’s the reason why they want to keep people in darkness,” said Mr Siachoona.
He said CDF is non partisan hence the need for the opposition civic leaders in Choma not to take advantage of the fact that they control the expenditure at the local authority and champion their specific agenda of tarnishing the image of government to the people especially those in rural areas.
“I’m advising all the councillors in Choma to start calling for public meetings where members will suggest projects they want to do with CDF money other than conducting meetings in dark corners with their preferred members,” he said.
Mr Siachoona further thanked Non Governmental Organizations like YDO, SACCORD, YWCA and CARITAS Zambia for embarking on public sensitization on how to access CDF and monitoring it.
The Choma PF official said there is need to encourage the media in the district to highlight some of the projects being carried out under CDF for people to appreciate efforts government is making to alleviate high levels of poverty.
He said it is the duty of civic leaders to explain the expenditure of CDF to the public because they are the ones who sit in the council when resolutions are passed.
And speaking at a sensitization meeting held at Singani West Basic School organized by four non government organizations namely SACCORD, YWCA, CARITAS Zambia and YDO, Partner Siabutuba said if people are made to know about CDF they will help reduce the suspicions people have on councillors and will also help them realize the importance of choosing projects that can have a direct impact on their lives.
Siabutuba also said that people in the past were making wrong choices of projects done under CDF because of the high levels of ignorance hence the holding of a public sensitization meeting.
