PASTOR WEIGHS IN ON POLITICAL LEADERS

….address people’s problems instead of waiting to lobby for votes during elections

A NDOLA clergy man has urged parliamentarians and political leaders to regularly visit electorates in their respective localities and address challenges they face as opposed to showing up during election time to lobby for votes.

In an interview, with the Daily Nation, chairperson of the Mapalo Community Churches Network Peter Chikoselashi said politicians ought to build trust in the electorates by touring regularly as opposed to waiting for polling day to solve problems.

He bemoaned the tendency by some MPs to neglect their constituencies and only returned to lobby for votes during the campaign period.

Pastor Chikoseleshi said most communities in Ndola were facing challenges in accessing clean water, quality education and health services, among others.

He said it was the desire of the communities that leaders elected into office strived to uplift living standards their living standards by addressing challenges which people were facing.

“The status of many communities today is that people are living on US$2 a day and are falling to have three meals per day. It can only take concerted efforts of the elected political leaders and community leaders to put ideas together and find solutions to various challenges faced by people. “Every community faces unique challenges, hence a whole different approach in needed to solve problems in different areas.

“The common aspect is empowerment, by identifying business avenues that can be best to drive the agenda.

“Others can be empowered with farming inputs and pieces of land for cultivation while others can benefit through introduction of a revolving fund scheme,” Pastor Chikoseleshi said. “The increase of street children we are witnessing today is because parents are failing to fend for them hence they are forced to assist by going on the streets. But when you look at it critically you will find that this problem is partly because of leadership inadequacies,” Pastor Chikoseleshi said.

Meanwhile, Pastor Chikoseleshi said the network has donated foodstuff to Mapalo and Chifubu communities respectively valued at K11, 840.

He said the network had adopted 85 homes where breadwinners were bedridden due to illness and HIV/Aids and tuberculosis related complications.

The Pastor said the project required other stakeholders to come on board as it was limping because of lack of resources.

He said last year, the network empowered needy households with farming inputs amounting to 80 50 kilogrammes of maize.

He said it was the desire of the network to see to it that women and youths in communities were empowered.