23rd December, 2023
The Lusaka City Council – LCC has approved a 732 million 90 thousand- and 165-kwacha (K732, 090 ,165) 2024 budget.
In a statement this morning, LCC Public relations Manager Chola Mwamba said the 2024 budget is more than the 2023 budget estimates by a total sum of 90 million, 930 thousand and 864 kwacha (K90,930 ,864) representing a 14% increment.
Ms. Mwamba said the increment in the budget estimates for 2024 has been necessitated by the increased allocation in the Constituency Development Fund-CDF and owners’ rates with each line item accounting for 36% of the total revenue.
She stated that other revenue sources for the local authority shall be drawn from national support with charges and fees contributing about 18%, licenses at 1% levies at 7%, permits at 11.2% and other income contributing about 1.6% of the total budget figure.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mwamba said the Finance Committee Chairperson who is also John Howard ward 3 councilor, Mr. Ponsilio Phiri disclosed that his committee and council management trimmed the budget to suit the available resource envelope.
She said Mr. Phiri further disclosed that council management worked closely with his committee in undertaking robust budget hearings at both provincial and national levels to ensure that the budget estimate conform to the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act and the provisions of the planning and budgeting bill No.22 OF 2019 as well as the Eighth National Development Plan- 8NDP.
She said the Finance Committee chairperson described the dismantling of salary arrears for all council workers as well as the increase in payments and data capturing of businesses by the licensing unit as some of the major achievements in the year ending 2023.
And Ms. Mwamba said Mr. Phiri did however indicate that the achievements scored in 2023 were not without challenges as he pointed out inadequate transport to facilitate movements for inspections, enforcement and revenue collection as key bottlenecks.
And her worship, the Lusaka Mayor, Ms. Chilando Chitangala tipped council management and all the 38 civic leaders to prioritize service delivery adding that enhanced stakeholder engagements will help spur development going into 2024.
She said having adopted the 2024 council budget, the Finance committee sitting closely with civic leaders commended council management for the manner in which projects are being undertaken.
