MPs begin country tour to assess basic infrastructure

MPs in the Lower Chamber of Parliament will Tuesday begin a three-week tour across the country to assess both government and privately initiated projects that have been driving economic development. The visits, which will be held in the Southern, Western and Northern provinces are in line with Parliament’s mandate to assess government programmes and will charter away for recommendations on how to strengthen the projects for sustainable progress. This tour follows the ones held late last year in the rest of the country where MPs continue to reach out to community members in all Cells of the nation focussing on the status of development of basic infrastructure and ICT facilities in particular. The Parliamentary Director of Outreach, Communication and Documentation, Maurice Kabandana, told The New Times that the lawmakers will visit and review infrastructure including roads, drinking water production and distribution facilities, hydropower plants, solar energy and methane gas plants, and ICT facilities among others. “During this campaign, the MPs will also hold meetings with residents on citizen involvement in community development projects, how to deal with problems and how to find their solutions,” he said. This series of visits is also aimed at strengthening the relationship between citizens and their elected representatives, raise awareness of the public about laws and regulations in force and nurture the culture of home-grown solutions. Kabandana pointed out that as one of the pillars of Vision 2020 which has now been replaced by Vision 2050, the MPs were mandated with monitoring progress of infrastructure development and its distribution across the country as well as the extent to which it is serving as a vector of national growth and development. The Organic Law determining the functioning of the Chamber of Deputies stipulates that the Members of Parliament must visit the population at least twice a year to carry out oversight of the Executive branch, provide advice to the population and identify problems facing them.

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MPs begin country tour to assess basic infrastructure