“Increasing Chiefs’ salaries to K15,000 is sabotaging the economy”

Lewis Mwape, a Civic Activist has described the reported increase of Chiefs’ salaries as sabotage of the economy.

Mwape an NGO leader observes that the economy is already bleeding wondering on how President Lungu would increase salaries for Traditional leaders.

President Lungu is reportedly to have increased the perks for Chiefs to K15,000 per month.

Below is Mwape is statement:

The increament of Chiefs Salaries is not timely and is a sabotage to an already bleeding national economy and budget which is already under pressure with a high deficit.

The Zambia Fiscal year runs from January to December. It is therefore ilogical to introduce salary increament for any sector of civil service halfway in year even when government has failed to disburse Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to many of our constituencies in the country. It should be noted that the 2017 budget is just three months away from being presented to parliament for consideration. If government is genuine and that the increaments are necessary,  then our government can wait so that we can also deal with the revenue side of the equation.

We wish to acknowledge the high cost of living in the country and that salary increaments would be necessary to all  civil servants. The government selectivity in awarding salary increaments to our chiefs is an attempt to perpetuate Income Inequality at community levels where poverty is high with majority failing to access basic needs including food, education and health among many basic needs. It is therefore immoral for the PF government under the leadership of His Excellency President Edgar Lungu to prioritise feeding the berries of our political and traditional leadership at the expense of the suffering majority citizens especially the urban shants and rural areas.

We therefore wish to  call upon the president to reverse this suspicious appeasement agenda to our royal highnesses being done at the expense of the failing national economy.  We also call on our government to exercise fiscal prudence and act in the public good rather than political expedience.

We hope that this intention will remain as a media rumour and will never see the light of the day as we  have seen in many instances where those in government have greater insistence and apetite to over rule citizens genuine demands to safeguard national resources through efficient and prudent management and governance.

Thank You.