EVENTS surrounding the misapplication of funds at the Ministry of Local Government and Housing amounting to K3.3 million which included K1.3 million Constituency Development Funds (CDF) package for Rufunsa Constituency have continued to generate anxiety among stakeholders.
The development has caused outrage among concerned members of the public with Rufunsa MMD Member of Parliament Kenneth Chipungu calling for the arrest of culprits involved in the scam.
Mr Chipungu observed that the misapplication of funds deters development and in this case specific developmental programmes that the CDF allocation was supposed to have been channelled to have suffered.
Mr Chipungu said the pilfering of funds meant for development should be curbed through constant monitoring of the disbursement process to ensure there were no loopholes.
“Time and again, we have expressed concern over the misapplication of CDF. This latest development could only be an iceberg of how these funds are being misapplied and it leaves a lot of questions, however, there is need for the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to put in place strict measures that will deter public workers from engaging in this practice,” he said.
The outcry by Mr Chipungu is genuine and responsible public officials in-charge of public funds need to realise that the diversion of such funds for personal use, frustrates not only developmental goals or people’s expectations in the affected areas but also erodes confidence in the manner public funds are handled.
Other readers wrote-in to express themselves on the matter, with Michael Chipili stating that this matter reflected negatively on how public funds ended up in wrong hands.
Mr Chipili of Livingstone said he was dismayed with the alleged involvement of six junior officials at the Ministry of Local Government and Housing in the misapplication of the funds.
He questioned how senior authorities at the ministry could not have been aware of the scam judging by the number of officers involved and the transactions to withdraw the funds.
“This development is very sad in that it is really taking us backwards and hindering developmental progress in the country but the question is how did senior officials not know about this to allow it to go on over time unnoticed? Surely there must have been some top officials who knew about this but have been dusting it under the carpet,” he said.
Expressing concern over the missing K1.3million CDF for Rufunsa, Mr Chipili said the electorate in the area had been deprived because of selfish individuals who did not have the interest of the people at heart or the affairs of the nation that benefited the rural population.
Agness Nayande of Ndola also expressed her concerns on the matter urging authorities to put an end to abuse of public resources.
Ms Nayande said that it was shocking to still read about articles regarding the misappropriation of resources at a time when the country needed such resources to help develop the country.
She said the reports at the Ministry of Local Government raised concern in that such dealings could have been taking place over a long period without being discovered.
“It is possible that such things have been happening for a long time, the CDF coffers could have been misused by officials at the Ministry over the years, this has to come to an end,” she said.
She hailed the Auditor General’s office for moving in to investigate the matter and hoped that those involved would be brought to face justice if found guilty for the alleged misappropriation.
Her sentiments were shared by another reader, James Zimba also of Ndola who said that the tendency of corrupt engagement was denting the country’s image and urged investigative wings to be proactive to help stop the conduct.
Mr Zimba said it was important that investigative wings did not wait until such cases were exposed but that there was need for high levels of alertness to avoid public officers from engaging in deep corruption which drained Government coffers.
“The investigative wings should be on high alert as regards to the use of public funds. They should not wait until such cases are uncovered, they need to move-in before funds are siphoned and used by public officers,” he said.
Mulenga Kapesa also of Kitwe appealed to Government to ensure that corrupt activities are contained as this hindered development in the country.
Ms Kapesa noted that the development at the Ministry of Local Government and Housing was saddening especially at a time when the Government is pushing various developmental projects.
“We have a lot of projects going around the country and wonder why some people are getting their hands on public resources and using it for personal reasons. This is morally wrong and public service workers should be oriented on these issues,” she said.
She said it was important for institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to undertake a deliberate programme to engage public officers on the need to adhere to the principals of transparency which uplifted good governance.
She applauded Local Government and Housing Minister Emmanuel Chenda for showing impartiality and ensuring that the matter is investigated to the later.
John Mwale of Lusaka said corruption is a drain to public resources and measures to curb the vice need to be implemented by officials at every ministry.
Mr Mwale proposed that the ACC should engage in a vigorous campaign and be attached at respective ministries and that this would instill fear from stealing public funds.
“The ACC can do better by ensuring their presence is felt in these public institutions especially ministries. These workers would fear engaging in theft because they know that they are being watched. So I feel the ACC and other offices including the Auditor General and the DEC can do better to become more effective than they are now,” he said.