Speaker wants corrupt MPs named

Speaker of Parliament has said a report that has names of Members of Parliament (MPs) accused of abusing Constituency Development Fund (CDF) should be presented in Parliament.

It was revealed in June this year that 20 MPs in 16 district councils abused CDF amounting to K80 million.

When reacting to President Peter Mutharika’s speech on Thursday, Mwanza Central MP Davis Katsonga wondered why Parliament was quite on the issue and he urged the Speaker to act.

“There is a report from the Auditor General that 20 MPs abused CDF. Despite that information being available, Parliament is quiet. Even the President noted this. If something has gone wrong, we should be the first people to say so, not just being quiet,” he said.

In response, Speaker Richard Msowoya told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to liaise with National Audit Office (NAO) and the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development so that the report should be presented in Parliament before the current sitting ends.

“I am making an order for PAC to join hands with the Auditor General and the Ministry of Finance to make sure that the report on CDF abuse be brought to the House before the House rises,” he said.

An audit conducted in 2016 showed that from the K3 billion given to 16 district councils under the CDF and District Development Funds (DDF), K80 million was unaccounted for.

According to the report, some legislators were sourcing quotations on their own, thereby taking the role of district council procurement committees.

The legislators also snubbed area development committees in their constituencies when implementing the projects while in some constituencies, legislators sourced construction materials from their relatives.