Permanent secretary – PS at the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Yande Mwape, has disclosed to Zambian Business Times – ZBT in an exclusive interview that only 10 out of the initial 32 earmarked chiefs palaces for construction and renovation have been completed and handed over in the first phase.
Mwape stated that the construction of chiefs palaces is being done in a phased approach and the that only palaces that have reached 80% and above in terms of completion rate are their main priority from the funding that has just been released.
Chiefs play an important role in preserving our heritage, tradition and culture as a country. Chiefs and traditional leaders are also now being tapped as anchors for cultural tourism events such as traditional ceremonies, which when commercialized, promise to become a key revenue driver from both local and international tourists. There are currently 288 chiefs and four paramount chiefs in Zambia.
Government through the ministry of Chiefs and traditional affairs had pledged to build palaces for all the 288 chiefs nationwide. However, funding challenges and priotizadion issues have derailed the completion of this project.
“This project started in 2014 and it’s being done in phases. Government’s policy is to construct and renovate palaces for all the 288 chiefs. In the first phase, we have about 32 palaces out which two are for renovations the rest are for construction”
“we have compete and handed over about 10 palaces in different provinces out of the 32 and then out of the 32, we have about 17% that are above 80% completion rate, in-fact some of them almost 100% completed, jus the final touches remaining.
So the funds that where released by the treasury and paid directly by the ministry of finance, is targeting mainly those that are 80% and above in terms of completion rate, so we are hoping that by the end of the year, these can be completed and handed over, she said.
Mwape stressed that as soon as they finish the first phase of the project, the ministry of chiefs will proceed to start the next phase as they want to first finish working on all the palaces that are near completion.
“We can’t even talk about moving to the next phase, not until we finish the first phase. So our target is to finish the first phase, then we can move to the second phase you can imagine from 2014 to-date, we have only completed and handed over ten (10). It’s all dependent again on the availability of funding and financial resources allocated”, she said.
The Ministry looks forward to complete those that are 80% and above and they are in a race against time because the rain season is around the corner. But questions have arisen on the lack of prioritizing of chiefs and traditional leaders palaces.
We made to admit that the building of 288 chiefs palaces has simply been ignored or not been prioritized, as the nation, has seen how Defence and Police have benefited from a robust housing development executed across the country.
Government leaders have been challenged to take a more serious look at the plight of our chiefs as part of the problems Africa and in particular Zambia faces today, has been the neglect of traditional and cultural values and its custodians. This is an overhang and entrenched strategy executed by colonialists which still haunts the civil service even today.
