Power to the People

 Kalomo MP Showcases Community-Led Development Under CDF

By Francis Maingaila | Kalomo

Kalomo Central Member of Parliament Harry Kamboni has praised the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) as a game changer, stating that the New Dawn government has delivered unprecedented development by empowering communities to directly identify and execute their own priority projects.

Speaking during a media briefing in Kalomo, Kamboni detailed how the constituency had undergone massive transformation across key sectors, including education, health, water access, infrastructure, agriculture, and youth and women empowerment. 

He attributed the progress to the significant increase in CDF allocation from K1.6 million in 2021 to K36 million in 2024.

“This government has shown us what a visionary leadership can do,” Kamboni said. “When we empower people and give them resources, miracles happen. We have moved from begging for development to building it with our own hands.”

Education and Skills Development

Kamboni stated that under the previous government, schools in Kalomo Central had little to no investment. In his first five years as MP, he only received two disbursements of CDF—K700,000 and K1.2 million. Schools lacked desks, classroom blocks, and boreholes. In contrast, the current government has funded the construction of multiple 1x2, 1x3, and 1x4 classroom blocks and laboratories across the constituency.

Children in previously neglected schools are now sitting on desks instead of writing exams on the floor. Young people within Kalomo have been engaged to manufacture these desks, creating jobs and building small workshops that now supply school furniture locally.

“The youth are no longer just job seekers—they are employers,” Kamboni said. “This is how you create real employment.”

He added that over 900 boarding school students and 500 skills training learners are being sponsored by CDF. Secondary schools and TEVET institutions have seen tuition and boarding fees fully paid by the government through CDF, with no applicant left behind.

Roads, Water, and Infrastructure

Kamboni revealed that a grader, compactor, and borehole drilling rig were procured using CDF, enabling the grading of roads that had not been worked on since the 1970s. Over 40 kilometers of road, including routes to Mapatizya, Sumatachrla, the chief's palace, and rural wards, have been rehabilitated. Local youth have been employed to operate machinery and support construction.

A K5.2 million borehole drilling machine is now operational, drilling new water points across rural communities, clinics, and schools. Six young people, including an engineer and technician, were hired to run the equipment.

Kalomo General Hospital also received a standby generator through CDF to mitigate the impact of load-shedding.

Health Services and Rural Development

Several health facilities, including clinics and maternity wings, have been constructed or rehabilitated. Staff houses have been built to retain health workers. 

One such facility in Siachitema Ward is already near completion, while another in Sagittarius Ward has reached 95% completion. A maternity wing worth K1.3 million is under construction at Malala School.

CDF also funded the construction of a modern palace for Chief Chikanta and the completion of a K4.2 million dam, the largest in Southern Province. Kamboni said the dam has enhanced irrigation potential and improved biodiversity in the area.

Agriculture and Livestock

CDF-funded spray races have eliminated corridor disease among cattle, and young people who constructed these facilities earned up to K500,000 per contract. “We used to lose cattle, but now our animals are safe. Farmers are happy,” he said.

A veterinary house has been renovated, and veterinary officers have been deployed to support livestock production. In Myoba Ward, a dam was built to provide water to livestock and communities in a previously arid area.

Empowerment of Women and Youth

Each year, Kalomo Central receives K3.5 million for grants and another K3.5 million for youth and women empowerment loans. Kamboni said women had taken full advantage of this funding, while youth involvement remained disappointingly low.

“Out of 110 cooperatives we supported, only five were youth-based. Youth must wake up and take ownership of these opportunities,” he urged.

Women have used the funds to buy livestock, farm inputs, and trading equipment. One women’s group in Katondo hosted the MP to thank him, gifting him two goats purchased with their profits.

Transparency and Community Participation

Kamboni emphasized that development projects are not chosen by the MP, but by communities themselves through Ward Development Committees (WDCs), who submit project proposals for CDF Committee approval.

“This is how development should be: bottom-up, driven by the people who live in the community,” he said.

Call for Continuity and Reflection

Kamboni warned that removing the current government in 2026 could jeopardize progress. “If UPND is voted out, over 1,400 learners we are supporting will be stranded,” he said. “Let us protect what we have achieved.”

He praised President Hakainde Hichilema for his leadership and vision.

“We must learn to appreciate what is good in this country,” he said. “What we are witnessing in Kalomo Central is not theory—it is practical, tangible, and life-changing.”