Legislators start accessing Constituency Development Fund
MEMBERS of Parliament have started accessing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said.
In an interview, Adv Mudenda said the Members of Parliament started receiving $50 000 each for their constituencies.
He said Government had given Members of Parliament guidelines on the use of the CDF to avoid embezzlement and misappropriation of the funds as was the case with previous allocation. “Members of Parliament have started receiving their CDF,” Adv Mudenda.
“Some received their allocations last week and some will be getting them this week. We have come up with some guidelines and parameters on the utilisation of CDF.
“This will curb the abuse of the funds. We are not telling them how to utilise it but guiding them on how to spend the money.”
A snap survey by The Herald shows that most Members of Parliament in the Midlands province had received their allocations.
Cde John Holder from Zvishavane–Ngezi constituency confirmed receiving the CDF, adding that they had put in place a board of directors to oversee the use of the money.
He said the board was going to supervise projects so that the money would be spent on programmes that benefited the constituency.
“Yes, we have received the $50 000 from Government for developmental projects in Zvishavane –Ngezi constituency,” said Cde Holder.
“We have set up a board to oversee the projects for accountability purposes. We have a lot of projects like construction of bridges and dams which we want to do and we are grateful to the Government for the money.”
Zhombe legislator Cde Daniel Mackenzie Ncube commended the Government for the CDF, saying the fund would go a long way in bankrolling developmental projects across the country.
The fund was first introduced by Government in 2009 to direct additional funding for programmes and projects unique to constituencies and is managed by Members of Parliament.
A year after it was unveiled, the fund collapsed due to budgetary constraints and the absence of a legal framework to govern it.
At the time, a number of Members of Parliament were accused of abusing the funds, with many of the lawmakers failing to account for the funds.
About $10,5 million will be required for disbursements to the 210 lawmakers in the National Assembly.