YALI demands forensic audit of CDF

GOVERNMENT should conduct a forensic audit on the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) and institute punitive measures on all individuals who have abused the resources, Young African Leaders Initiative ( YALI) has said.

YALI said the audit of CDF should go beyond partisan lines because it was about the development of the country.

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Public Accounts revealed that there had been a serious abuse of CDF by Members of Parliament (MPs), some of them ministers across the country.

YALI President, Andrew Ntewewe, said MPs must be ready to give a fair account of how CDF had been utilized in respective constituencies.

Mr Ntewewe said in an interview with the Daily Nation that the MPs had been given a mandate to deliver development to the expectations of the people.

He said it was the expectations of the Zambians that public funds must be utilized prudently and correctly.

"As YALI we want to call for a forensic audit of the CDF that has been given to all provinces and we want to believe MPs who have got a responsibility to deliver to the expectations of the people must be ready and willing to give their fair account of how CDF have been utilized," he said.

Mr Ntewewe said punitive measures should be instituted on all those that would be found wanting in line with the Public Finance Management of Act of 2018.

He said councils countrywide should also give an account of how the constituencies in their localities had been utilising resources.

He said this was so because CDF was not managed by MPs alone but also by the Ministry of Local Government through the councils.

Mr Ntewewe said CDF was meant for capital projects therefore, the constituencies should be able to account for the funds.

"You must be able to understand that CDF is not managed by MP alone it is managed by officers at ministry of local government through various councils and I want to believe that those various councils also must be able to give account," he said.