Article 81, section 3 helps Zambia save over K20, 000, 000

Published 1 day ago• 2 minute read

BILL NO. 7 OF 2025, as submitted by Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha seeks to allow members of parliament to remain in office until a day before general elections.

Currently, article 81, section 3 of the Zambian Constitution Act No. 2 of 2016 requires that members of parliament vacate their office 90 days before the date for general elections.

A member of parliament in Zambia gets about 60,000 in monthly allowances.

This means that, if they are 156 members of parliament, each gets K60,000 per month. In a month, the total allowances tax payers pay their members of parliament is roughly K9,360,00 or nine million Kwacha.

If you calculate K60,000 by 90 days, you will get about K28,080,000.

So, if parliament is dissolved 90 days before, these figures in colossal sums are saved.

Article 81 section 4 of Bill No. 7 of 2025 further proposes that, even though members of parliament will be getting the over K60,000 in monthly allowances, they should not be sitting or conducting any business at parliament.

In simple terms, the Bill in the cited sections of article 81 seeks to have about 156 members of parliament to continue getting paid and enjoying the incentives that come with the office of MP, three months after.

This will further give sitting members of parliament an advantage over those vying for to take over. Sitting MPs will somehow use tax payers money to disadvantage aspiring parliamentary candidates.

Will the Zambian parliament, members of parliament reject this offer to stay in office and get paid for doing nothing?

The debate rages on! Are you for or against the Bill? What are your reasons?
#Bill No. 7 of 2025.

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