Shakafuswa justifies Bill 7 vote
By Adrian Mwanza
MANDEVU Member of Parliament Christopher Shakafuswa says he voted in favour of Bill 7 to ensure that the delimitation process is successfully implemented to enhance service delivery.
In an interview with The Mast, Shakafuswa, a Patriotic Front (PF) MP who went against his party’s official position, defended his decision.
Shakafuswa said his support for Bill 7 was motivated by the need to improve services in constituencies.
He highlighted the disparity in constituency resources, noting that Mandevu with a population of 600,000 received the same funding as Ngabwe, which only had 50,000 residents.
“For Mandevu, it’s too big and you find a situation where certain beneficiaries like students are left out because the area is densely populated,” he said.
Shakafuswa said he supported dividing Mandevu constituency because it was becoming difficult to manage effectively.
He cited examples from other countries such as Malawi where constituencies were created wherever the population exceeded 50,000.
Shakafuswa said this made service delivery easier.
He said larger constituencies should be delimited to enable members of Parliament to deliver development more efficiently.
“Due to the population, it was difficult to effectively implement CDF projects as compared to an individual who is administering in Ngabwe or Nangoma,” he said.
But governance activist Proverbs Sawelo questioned why the government was rushing to conclude the delimitation process before engaging key stakeholders.
He expressed concern that the hurried approach could have serious consequences for Zambians.
“My wish is that the government should not rush this process because it can have serious consequences in the future,” he said.
