Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) is deeply concerned by the reactions of some public officials to the analysis of the 2023 Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Audit Report. The attacks on TI-Z regarding the credibility and validity of the reported utilization rates by certain local authorities by Members of Parliament and other officials suggest that these individuals have not taken the time to thoroughly review the Auditor General’s 2023 Report on the CDF Programme.
TI-Z did not conduct an independent assessment or gather data from across the country but simply utilized the official information contained in the Auditor General’s report. As per its constitutional mandate, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) recently published an audit report covering the financial year ending 31st December 2023, revealing significant financial irregularities and varied CDF utilization rates across Zambia’s 156 constituencies. Given the steady increase in CDF allocations since 2022, the findings of this report warranted further analysis to assess the capacity of local authorities to effectively manage these funds.
Recognizing the high public interest in the CDF programme, TI-Z analyzed the tables presented in the appendix section of the Auditor General’s report and ranked the performance of provinces and constituencies in terms of CDF utilization rates. The analysis also assessed local authorities cited for failure to recover loans, unauthorized project changes, and unaccounted for funds. Based on these findings, TI-Z provided key recommendations, including the need to halt further budget increases until proper monitoring mechanisms and institutional capacity are strengthened.
However, rather than addressing these critical issues, some stakeholders have questioned the credibility of TI-Z’s analysis. What is particularly perplexing is that these same stakeholders did not challenge the contents of the Auditor General’s report when it was first published.
TI-Z, therefore, reiterates that audit reports from the Office of the Auditor General are essential accountability tools, and it is the role of civil society organizations like TI-Z to analyze and simplify such reports to enhance public understanding of how public resources are used — or misused.
TI-Z encourages all stakeholders, including public officials and members of the public, to take an interest in reading the 2023 CDF Audit Report, which is publicly available on the Auditor General’s website. Additionally, we urge stakeholders to engage with the Office of the Auditor General to better understand the processes followed in generating audit reports.
TI-Z will continue disseminating infographics from its analysis and will publish a detailed Analytical Brief on the CDF Audit Report on its website tomorrow.
Maurice K. Nyambe (Mr.)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
