Magande advises MPs on road funding

Magande advises MPs on road funding
By Chibaula Silwamba
Saturday March 31, 2007 [04:00]

FINANCE minister Ng'andu Magande on Thursday told parliamentarians that appealed to him to allocate more money for roads in their constituencies that their appeals were falling on deaf and wrong ears. Responding to Dundumwezi member of parliament Edgar Sing'ombe and his Mfuwe counterpart Mwimba Malama who asked him to release more funds for roads in their constituencies, Magande said the money for roads was allocated and dispensed by the Ministry of Works and Supply.

Magande said even if the parliamentarians approached the Road Development Agency to fund the road constructions in their constituencies, it would not be possible because the RDA had already planned which roads to work on for this year. He said RDA had a seminar for parliamentarians where their personnel explained how they planned for road works. Magande therefore expressed surprise that some parliamentarians were still asking him to fund the roads even after RDA explained to them how roads were funded. He said the parliamentarians' appeal for him to allocate more money to roads was therefore misplaced.

"Your appeal is not only falling on deaf ears but wrong ears," Magande said.

Sing’ombe and Malama had requested Magande to release more funds for roads in their areas. Malama said he and his constituents were even ready to slash grass at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning for the money to be released for the two roads in his constituency. He said Mukungule and Nabwalya roads were very bad despite the area's tourism potential. Malama expressed surprise at his fellow parliamentarians that got posh vehicles just for the sake of comfort.

He said with posh vehicles that some of his colleagues got on loans from Parliament, they would not reach most areas in the constituencies because the roads were very bad. Malama caused laughter in the House when he said he losses appetite at lunch time when he remembers that his people were starving.