Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane has urged Ministers to fully understand and defend the National Budget in Parliament as it is a collective Cabinet position. Dr Musokotwane said the budget to be presented in Parliament is not for the Minister of…

Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane has urged Ministers to fully understand and defend the National Budget in Parliament as it is a collective Cabinet position.

Dr Musokotwane said the budget to be presented in Parliament is not for the Minister of Finance alone but for the entire Cabinet, hence all Ministers must be ready to defend it.

He was speaking during a Budget Orientation Meeting for Ministers in Lusaka today ahead of the budget presentation next week and the Cabinet meeting to approve the budget tomorrow.

“That budget presentation is for Cabinet. The Minister of Finance is just the messenger, the deliverer. By the time we go to Parliament, we would have unified our positions. The debates and arguments remain in the Cabinet room in State House. What is delivered in Parliament is an agreed position,” he said.

Dr Musokotwane said once the budget is presented, the House will adjourn to allow committees to scrutinise the estimates, noting that the most critical debates take place in committees.

He said each Minister will be required to present their ministry’s budget to the relevant Parliamentary Committee and face rigorous questioning.

“These days, there is a lot of debate within the committees, infact, the most critical debate takes place in the committees. This is why we are having this orientation so that you get prepared,” he said.

“You must know your ministry’s budget from bottom to top, ask your Permanent Secretaries, your directors, to explain everything to you, because everything in the budget is subject to question, subject to challenge.”

Dr Musokotwane warned Ministers against treating the budget as the responsibility of chief accountants, stressing that the Minister is the person in charge and accountable.

He said Ministers should not go to Parliament to complain about being given too little or too much, as those arguments belong to the Cabinet room.

He further cautioned that there will be no additional funding to ministries after Cabinet approval tomorrow unless Cabinet directs otherwise, but Ministers can propose reallocations within their ceilings.

“If you feel that certain priorities are more important than those provided for, that is a discussion you can have with officials. When the time comes in Parliament, you can actually make a proposal for amendment to the Speaker,” he said.

The Minister of Finance emphasised the need for Ministers to understand government financial regulations on contracting and spending.

“Please pay careful attention to that. Otherwise people will be taken to court, people will be arrested because of ignoring what government regulations say in terms of how to spend money,” Dr Musokotwane warned.

He said the budget will outline revenue estimation, critical must-pay expenditures such as salaries, debt, social insurance and CDF, and the remaining resources available for other priorities.

Meanwhile, Secretary to Cabinet Patrick Kangwa said the national budget is more than a statement of revenue and expenditure but a principal instrument through which the government translates its policies and development aspirations into concrete programmes.

“The 2027 national budget is particularly important as it seeks to consolidate the gains made in restoring macroeconomic stability while shifting greater attention towards accelerating economic growth, increasing production, creating employment opportunities and transforming the livelihoods of our people,” he said.

He emphasised that while each Minister is responsible for a particular portfolio, the budget is a collective government undertaking and Ministers must appreciate the broader economic and fiscal considerations informing allocations.

Mr Kangwa pointed out that the orientation covers economic developments such as debt restructuring, macroeconomic objectives and outlook underpinning the 2027 budget, details of the budget framework and resource envelope, preparation of the Ninth National Development Plan, and public financial management.

He said annual budgets must be anchored in a coherent medium term development framework with clearly defined targets and stressed that achievement of objectives depends not only on allocation but on effective and transparent management of resources.

Government will present the 2027 National Budget to Parliament on Friday, 6th November 2026.

Related coverage from breakingnewszambia.com

• Church urges national healing and unity