Luapula councils told to prioritise earth-moving equipment procurement using CDF

Luapula councils told to prioritise earth-moving equipment procurement using CDF

Luapula Province Minister Nason Musonda has directed all local authorities in the province to immediately prioritise the procurement of earth-moving equipment using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Musonda said councils had no justification for delaying the acquisition of motor graders, tipper trucks and other essential machinery, warning that every local authority must have a full complement of equipment by the first quarter of 2026.

He issued the directive during the Fourth Quarter Provincial Development Coordinating Committee (PDCC) meeting held in Mansa on Tuesday, explaining that the move was in line with a Presidential directive on decentralised road maintenance.

“The New Dawn Administration has decentralised governance. It is now the responsibility of councils to ensure they procure earth-moving equipment. There is no excuse,” Musonda said.

He cited Kawambwa District as an example of effective CDF utilisation, noting that the council had acquired two motor graders, tipper trucks, an excavator, a roller compactor and a water bowser, enabling year-round maintenance of feeder and selected trunk roads.

“With this equipment, we cannot talk about being cut off. Even during the rainy season, we are working because we have the machinery,” he said.

The Minister expressed concern that some councils, including Milenge and Samfya, were yet to acquire a complete set of equipment despite having adequate CDF resources.

“Logic demands that you prioritise roads before anything else. You cannot talk about pontoons or other projects when there is no road to reach them,” Musonda said.

He directed councils to realign their priorities and accelerate procurement processes, emphasising that road connectivity is critical to economic activity, service delivery and rural development.

Musonda added that with CDF allocations expected to rise to K40 million per constituency in 2026, councils must move beyond limited annual road works and focus on opening up thousands of kilometres of feeder roads across Luapula Province.

He said strict oversight would be enforced to ensure compliance, noting that improved road infrastructure remains a key pillar of President Hakainde Hichilema’s development agenda.

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