Maravi

Govt has spent K44bn on NCC – Kunda

Govt has spent K44bn on NCC – Kunda
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:07:35 AM

VICE-President George Kunda yesterday said the government has so far spent K44 billion on the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).

Briefing the press, Vice-President Kunda said there had been some misinformation by Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata on the amount that the government was spending on the constitutional review process alleging that K400 billion had been used on the process.

"In this year's yellow book, we had budgeted for amount of K309 billion. This was the amount which was approved by Parliament. The NCC is in session and Mr Sata has alleged that we have used a sum of K400 billion in the constitutional review process and he had made other wild allegations against government," he said.

Vice-President Kunda said figures from the NCC and the controlling officer from the Ministry of Justice, which were subject to audit and verifiable show that only K44 billion had been spent this year on various activities of the NCC.

He said the NCC was due to receive another K5 billion to cater for expenditure up to the end of this year.

Vice-President Kunda said this would mean that the government would have spent close to K50 billion by the end of this year.

"You can see that government has been prudent in the management of public resources. We are not reckless as Mr Sata would like the nation to believe.

As government, we have taken a number of measures to rationalise on expenditure because of the various negative factors we are now facing such as the global economic or financial crisis," he said.

"We have, as you know, withdrawn from hosting of the All-Africa Games which would have been held here in 2011. We are also rationalising in terms of expenditure in several other areas so that we can concentrate on other productive activities such as the Fertiliser Support Programme and various other factor."

Vice-President Kunda said Sata was not consistent in his messages and opposed anything, which the government had a different view on.

"Whatever positive stance we take, Mr Sata has an opposing view to gain cheap political mileage," he said.

Vice-President Kunda wondered why Sata should want the government to spend K800 billion on hosting the All-Africa Games and as far as government was concerned, the decision taken on the All-Africa Games was correct.

Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, NCC

posted by MrK @ 6:07 AM