By JOHN SAKALA
State House Minister Freedom Sikazwe has imposed an electricity bill of K300, 000 on Kitwe City Council.
This electricity bill was consumed by marketeers at Nakadoli market from the time the market was constructed during the MMD regime.
Adding salt to the injury Mr Sikazwe directed the Council to further slash the rentals of shops at Nakadoli after the council had effected a 10 per cent reduction.
This means an automatic budget deficit on the Council and service delivery would automatically be affected.
Kitwe Council approved K177, 835 million as the budget for 2018 civic year.
This imposed bill means the council would have to think weirdly to raise the deficit in the budget for it to deliver as expected.
Kitwe Mayor Christopher Kang’omne said he would not comment on the matter because Mr Sikazwe had a meeting with Local Government Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga to iron the problem.
But Malupenga was sneaky and kept referring The Independent Observer to published stories.
Despite many efforts to get his direct reaction to the bill, Mr Malupenga said he could comment on stale news.
However, in the public domain there was only indication that Kitwe City Council should find ways of settling the electricity bills to Zesco whose consumption was for marketeers.
Kitwe senior citizen Benjamin Mulenga of Nakadoli wondered why Zesco’s failure to collect its revenues from its consumers should be shifted to the council.
“I wonder what the Minister was thinking to bring such low class directive. There is need for the President to urgently address the matter before it brings despondency in the Local Government,” Mr Mulenga said.
