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Kennedy Chokuda

Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau
Parliament is struggling to secure more than $1,2 million to buy all-terrain vehicles for about 35 recently sworn in Members of Parliament, five months after the legislators assumed office through by-elections and proportional representation.

The lawmakers assumed office last year following the recall of 21 MDC-T legislators while others took office because of expulsion of some Zanu-PF legislators who were said to be supporters of deposed Vice President Joice Mujuru.

Mujuru was fired from both Zanu-PF and the government after she was implicated in a plot to assassinate President Mugabe among an array of other vices.

Others replaced those that had died while others went into office to replace Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and former Vice President Mujuru who ceased to be Members of Parliament after they were elevated to be Vice President respectively at various intervals.

Since their swearing in, most of them were using their own vehicles despite the fact that the bulk of legislators took delivery of parliamentary vehicles during the commencement of First Session of the Eighth Parliament that came into effect after the July 2013 harmonised elections.

Clerk of Parliament, Kennedy Chokuda confirmed the failure by Parliament to secure vehicles for the new legislators.

“We’ve not yet provided some MPs with vehicles. We give each of them a maximum of $35,000 for a vehicle. We’ve an obligation to provide them with the vehicles but we are still hamstrung by financial resources because Treasury has not made disbursements to that effect,” said Chokuda.

Most Members of Parliament in the current session took delivery of Ford Ranger off road vehicles as part of a fulfillment of parliament’s vehicle loan scheme.

The legislators are not allowed to sell the vehicles before the expiry of their term as it is meant for easy mobility in their respective constituencies and attending parliament sittings.

Treasury released $12,2 million for the procurement of the vehicles for all the legislators at the commencement of the Eighth Parliament.

Meanwhile, Parliament has instituted proceedings against expelled legislators to repay vehicle loans extended to them before their ejection.

Parliament administration has since written to the MPs informing them about their indebtedness arising from the vehicles that they took delivery of and were yet to pay.