The expansion of Parliament and the creation of 70 additional constituencies present Zambia with both an opportunity to strengthen democratic representation and a responsibility to ensure that public resources are used efficiently.
A larger Parliament will inevitably come with additional costs. The increase in the number of Members of Parliament will require more spending on salaries, staff, offices, transport, accommodation and other administrative requirements.
These costs cannot simply be ignored because they are part of the financial implications of expanding representation.
The more important question, therefore, is not merely whether Zambia can afford to have more Members of Parliament, but whether taxpayers will receive greater value from the additional expenditure.
The expansion of constituencies should be accompanied by a deliberate effort to strengthen development planning and accountability at constituency level.
In particular, the creation of new constituencies provides an opportunity to improve the way the Constituency Development Fund, or CDF, is planned, implemented and evaluated.
CDF should not simply be viewed as money allocated to constituencies. It should be treated as an important instrument for delivering tangible development and expanding economic opportunities in local communities.
This means that greater emphasis must be placed on project selection, monitoring, completion and long-term impact.
One way of achieving this would be to introduce a Minimum Development Standard for every constituency. Such a standard could identify essential infrastructure and services that communities should progressively have access to, including roads, schools, health facilities, clean water, electricity, digital connectivity and economic infrastructure.
This approach would help shift the focus from isolated projects to a more systematic development framework. Constituencies would be able to identify their most pressing needs while government and other stakeholders would have clearer benchmarks against which progress could be measured.
There is also a need to standardise constituency and parliamentary offices, with clear and reasonable cost ceilings. Public resources should be used to support effective representation, but administrative facilities must never be allowed to take precedence over essential community infrastructure.
At the same time, CDF accountability must move beyond measuring how much money has been disbursed. The more meaningful measure of success is what has actually been delivered with that money.
Every constituency should therefore have a publicly accessible development scorecard showing the projects approved, their costs, implementation status, completion dates, quality standards and, where applicable, their operational outcomes.
Such a system would make it easier for citizens to see how public resources are being used and whether promised projects are actually benefiting their communities.
The expansion of Parliament also provides an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between representation and development.
Members of Parliament should not be judged simply by their presence in the House, but also by how effectively they represent the interests and concerns of their constituents within the national policy-making process.
As Zambia moves forward with the Grow Zambia Agenda, every additional kwacha of public expenditure must be subjected to the question of value.
Public spending should contribute to expanding productive capacity, improving access to essential services and creating conditions for sustainable economic growth.
A bigger Parliament should therefore be accompanied by a stronger culture of accountability and performance.
More Members of Parliament should mean better representation. More constituencies should mean communities that are more effectively connected to national development programmes. More CDF should mean better infrastructure and greater economic opportunity.
Ultimately, the expansion of Parliament should not simply be measured by the number of new seats created. Its real success should be measured by whether citizens experience better representation, improved public services and higher living standards.
The additional cost of Parliament must therefore be matched by additional value to the people of Zambia.
By Kelvin Chisanga
