By Abubakar Kanjoka

Kasungu, March 25, Mana: Chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance, Gladys Ganda, says strict adherence to projects implementation and spending guidelines is key to ensuring that taxpayers get the value for their money in projects implemented in councils.

She said this in Kasungu on Sunday during the committee’s visit to appreciate funding and spending compliance and Constituency Development Fund (CDF), District Development Fund (DDF) and Government to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) projects under the district council.

She said: "Ours is a fact finding mission, as per our mandate, to carry out oversight role on institutions that operate on taxpayers’ money. We want to see value for the money that government invested.

“Out their people have a view that Members of Parliament (MPs) abuse funds such as CDF. So, we want to follow up on what is on the ground and also appreciate levels of adherence to guidelines for DDF, GESD and CDF.”

Ganda expressed satisfaction with most of the development projects taking place in Kasungu saying they are being implemented in accordance with the projects guidelines and the required set of standards.

She said the good relationship that is there between the council secretariat and MPs as well as the involvement of the community from project identification up to implementation phase, have made Kasungu deliver quality projects.

District Commissioner for Kasungu, James Kanyangalazi, said delayed funding and the devaluation of the currency have affected implementation of some projects in terms of both costs and completion time.

“For example, the committee questioned the costs of Kasikizi Bridge. It met the same fate that when we were sourcing another contractor after the first one had failed to complete the work; the Kwacha was devalued by 44 percent. 

“Likewise, when funding is delayed, work plans and budgets are somehow affected and this affects implementation of the projects,” he said.

Among other projects, the committee visited a K32 million Belere Bridge in Kasungu Central Constituency under CDF, a new administration block being constructed at the council under DDF and a K73 million Kasikizi Bridge which connects Kasungu East and Kasungu South East constituencies.