Lusaka Province

Lusaka Province’s CDF Revolution: A Five‑Year Chronicle of Growth, Empowerment, and Lasting Impact (2021–2026)

Introduction

The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has emerged as the most powerful engine for grassroots transformation in Zambia’s Lusaka Province. What began as a modest allocation of K1.6 million per constituency in 2021 has evolved into a transformative development force, culminating in a landmark K40 million per constituency in 2026. This remarkable 2,400% increase has propelled the region – from the bustling city of Lusaka to the remote rural districts of Luangwa, Rufunsa, Chilanga, Chongwe and Kafue – to actively construct modern health facilities, classrooms, roads, and launch thousands of economic empowerment initiatives.

Lusaka Province has become a showcase of how decentralised funding, community‑driven decision‑making, and political will can deliver tangible, life‑changing results. This article chronicles the key successes, amounts spent, and the districts transformed between 2021 and 2026, while also highlighting the ambitious projects currently underway.

The Funding Surge: From Millions to Billions

The government’s decision to drastically increase CDF allocations has fundamentally transformed Lusaka Province’s development landscape. Across Zambia, the annual allocation per constituency has risen steadily: K25.7 million in 2022, K28.3 million in 2023, K30.6 million in 2024, K36.1 million in 2025, and K40 million in 2026. In Lusaka Province, the utilisation rate of the CDF reached a remarkable 92% in 2025, with over K341 million spent on critical projects out of the K368 million released by December 29, 2025. The high performance was credited to the timely release of funds by the central government, allowing local authorities in Luangwa, Rufunsa, Chongwe, Lusaka, Chilanga and Kafue to remain busy throughout the year.

Completed Projects: Transforming Communities Across Lusaka Province

The impact of the increased funding is most visible in the completed projects that now dot the province. Across every district, communities are celebrating new infrastructure that was once only a dream.

Lusaka District: The Capital Leads by Example

Lusaka District has emerged as a regional model for CDF utilisation. The Lusaka City Council has announced an 86% completion rate for CDF projects, with nearly all projects completed on schedule and without contractor recalls.

Key completed projects in Lusaka District include:

• Chawama Secondary School received a one‑by‑six double‑story classroom block worth K4.6 million, constructed under the 2020–2024 CDF community project. Lusaka Province Minister Sheal Mulyata described the development as “not just about brick and mortar. It is about investing in the future of our children”.
• Two 1×3 classroom blocks valued at K2.5 million were handed over in Lusaka Constituency, benefiting more than 600 learners.
• Chifundo Road drainage system was completed in Chawama Constituency at a cost of K2.3 million (2023 CDF), and the 2.2‑kilometre Lilayi Close Road (2024 CDF) is nearing completion at a cost of K2.5 million, creating more than 100 jobs during construction.
• 231 solar street lights were installed in Kabwata, Lusaka Central, Mandevu, and Matero constituencies between 2022 and 2024 at a cost of K8,177,169, enhancing road safety and security.
• Five newly paved roads in Kabwata Constituency were commissioned at a total investment of K2,716,596.75, spanning key sections of Kamwala South and Lilayi.
• Eight police posts were constructed across Lusaka District at a total cost of K5,515,468.48 between 2022 and 2024, including posts in Kanyama, Kabwata, Matero, Mandevu, and Munali constituencies.
• A newly constructed Katambalala Railside Market shelter in Matero Constituency, built at a cost of K1.6 million, now provides trading spaces for more than 300 traders who previously conducted business in the open.
• In Chawama Constituency, 394 cooperatives and clubs have been empowered with CDF grants since 2022, totalling K8,733,144 across 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Chilanga District: Rural Infrastructure on the Rise

Chilanga District has made significant strides in CDF‑driven development. The district procured a Tractor Loader Backhoe machinery worth K1.8 million using the 2024 CDF allocation to address longstanding road challenges. Lusaka Province Minister Sheal Mulyata toured selected CDF‑funded projects, including the Laboratory at Makeni GRZ Clinic (now the largest laboratory in the district), Bunde Oriental Road, and the New Farms Maternity Annexe, expressing satisfaction with the quality of work. The Chilanga Town Council also handed over nearly K2.5 million in CDF empowerment grants to 62 local groups, with each group receiving K40,000.

Chongwe District: Education and Water Security

Chongwe District has seen a surge in school enrolment by 70% between 2022 and 2025, attributed to the Free Education Policy and CDF bursaries. In Chalimbana and Chainda wards, the Member of Parliament handed over a 1×3 classroom block, water reticulation system, and ablution block to Lubansa Primary School (total cost K1,236,646.89), and a 1×3 classroom block to Chalimbana Secondary School (K646,970.20).

Chongwe Municipal Council received K16.1 million from the 2024 CDF allocation, spending K15.6 million (97% expenditure). Key allocations included K3.2 million for 2,500 desks, K5.8 million for Skills Development and Secondary Boarding School bursaries, K2.2 million in grants to 105 groups, and K3.3 million in loans to 19 groups and individuals. The district is also undertaking commercial borehole drilling under the 2025 CDF to improve water access.

Kafue District: Multi‑Year Project Success

Kafue District undertook 70 CDF projects between 2022 and 2024, with 46 already completed. In 2022, 18 projects were undertaken with 17 completed; in 2023, 17 projects were implemented and all completed; and in 2024, 16 projects were initiated with 12 completed. The sectors receiving the most allocation included education, health, and security infrastructure such as police posts.

Luangwa District: A Showcase of Transformation

Luangwa District has become a powerful example of how the enhanced CDF is changing lives by bringing water, shelter, and health services closer to communities that for years lacked basic amenities. Key completed projects include:

• 30 community projects commissioned along with two earth‑moving machines (a water bowser and a roller compactor) procured under the 2024 CDF.
• A maternal and child health (MCH) annex at Luangwa Boma Rural Health Centre, improving privacy and access to essential services. Midwife Grace Mushimbwa said, “Now, we operate a one‑stop centre. We offer family planning, antenatal care, postnatal services, and paediatric ART, all in one spacious, private facility”.
• Two new dormitories at Kakaro Secondary School, built at a cost of K1,351,613, now housing 60 pupils and keeping them safe from elephant attacks that previously made travel dangerous.
• A K770,000 water reticulation system in Zavedo village. Resident Sylvia Gwibu Nyankala said, “Women used to fetch water from the Luangwa River, risking crocodile attacks. Now I have piped water at home”.
• A new footbridge in Janeiro Village funded at K653,775.89, ending years of isolation during the rainy season.
• K4,069,365 in CDF loans handed over to 35 beneficiaries in November 2024, and a further K3,736,935.62 to 40 beneficiaries under the 2025 CDF loans component.

President Hakainde Hichilema expressed happiness that the CDF has been fostering development in Luangwa District from 2022 to 2025, stating that massive development is expected to continue through the expanded CDF.

Rufunsa District: Roads, Schools, and Clinics

Rufunsa District has witnessed a significant milestone in community empowerment through CDF. The government launched the grading and rehabilitation of key feeder roads with over K3 million allocated to road works, including 10km Kashimpa Road, 11km Shimunguwo Road, 13km Lubalashi Road, and other routes.

In the education sector, the Minister handed over school infrastructure projects worth over K2.4 million using the 2024 CDF, including a 1×3 classroom block at Mukonka Primary School (over K1.2 million) and renovations at Kalugula, Katope, and Mambilima Primary Schools. Additionally, a one‑by‑three classroom block, desks, and a water reticulation valued at about K5 million was handed over to Mwachilele Primary School and Ebenezer Community School.

Among the completed 2025 CDF projects are a 1×3 classroom block and desks at Chaola Primary School, a three‑bedroom staff house and solar power system at Kamilulu Health Post, and a rural health post at Kamwensha including solar power, medical equipment, and essential health accessories.

Economic Empowerment: Grants, Loans, and Skills Development Across the Province

Beyond infrastructure, the CDF has been a catalyst for economic empowerment and skills development across Lusaka Province. In 2025 alone, the Lusaka City Council disbursed K17,227,343 in grants to 696 beneficiaries, K25,001,703.82 in empowerment loans to 378 beneficiaries, and K15,415,021.15 for Secondary Boarding School and Skills Development Bursaries, sponsoring 4,959 students in skills development programs and 529 learners in secondary boarding schools.

In Kabwata Constituency, government approved K2.5 million as grants to 87 clubs and cooperatives under the 2025 CDF to invest in block making, farming, village banking, and poultry. In Matero Constituency, the Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary handed over K3 million in CDF loans to 50 groups. In Rufunsa, the Minister presented grants worth over K1.5 million to small businesses, youth, cooperatives, women’s groups, and vulnerable households using the 2025 CDF.

Ongoing Projects: Building on Momentum

Even as communities celebrate completed projects, the pipeline for 2025 and 2026 is robust. Many projects are either under construction or in advanced planning stages.

• Lusaka District: The Lusaka City Council has allocated K6.8 million towards Secondary Boarding School and Skills Development Bursaries under the 2026 CDF in Mandevu Constituency. A tender has been released for paving of Tuchie Road in Kamulanga Ward of Kabwata Constituency under the 2026 CDF. The second CDF‑funded classroom block at Kabanana Primary School is nearing completion, following Phase One which covered flooring, plastering, roofing, window frame installation, and partial ceiling works.
• Chilanga District: The construction of three mini hospitals in Chilanga Constituency is expected to commence soon, with a maternity annex already being constructed at Kanzimva Mini Hospital under the CDF. A 12KVA solar system for Chilanga Urban Clinic is under procurement using the 2025 CDF allocation. Planned road works under the 2025 CDF include 52.6 km of road rehabilitation, including a 6 km stretch of pothole patching on Kasupe Road and grading of approximately 10 km in Nyemba Ward.
• Chongwe District: The ongoing drilling of commercial boreholes under the 2025 CDF marks a significant step towards improving water access and service delivery. Several water schemes are currently taking place across the district, with Nchute Ward being one of the latest beneficiaries of a comprehensive CDF water scheme.
• Kafue District: The construction of a water scheme in Zamtan in Kafue Ward under the 2025 CDF funding is currently out to tender.
• Luangwa District: Plans are underway to procure a low bed truck from the 2025 CDF allocation to facilitate the movement of earth‑moving equipment for roadworks across the district. The government has also set aside over K3 million for road maintenance.
• Rufunsa District: The government has committed to continuing the grading and rehabilitation of feeder roads, with over K3 million allocated to road works. The Council Chairperson assured residents that more developmental projects are coming in all twelve wards, especially with the increased 2025 CDF to K36.1 million.

Challenges and the Path Forward

Despite the overwhelming successes, the CDF implementation has faced challenges. Lusaka Province Minister Sheal Mulyata has warned that corruption will not be tolerated in the execution of CDF projects, emphasising that these investments are intended to benefit all citizens across constituencies. “The government will not condone deals in CDF projects. If such happens, we will come after you. We will not tolerate that,” Mulyata warned. The Minister has also urged beneficiaries to repay CDF loans, stating that “failure to repay the loans would undermine Government’s empowerment agenda and deny other deserving citizens the opportunity to access funding”.

The Presidential Delivery Unit has set a target of achieving at least 80% implementation of CDF projects by 2026 across Lusaka Province, and the government has released a total of K5.6 billion in CDF funding for 2025, representing a significant increase from K4.8 billion in 2024. With the 2026 allocation now set at K40 million per constituency, Lusaka Province is poised to build on its momentum. As Minister Mulyata declared, “CDF has become a powerful tool in addressing local development needs such as school infrastructure, health facilities, water access, and other community projects”.

Conclusion

From 2021 to 2026, the Constituency Development Fund has rewritten the development story of Lusaka Province. What was once a symbolic fund has become a practical tool for eradicating classroom shortages, bringing clean water to villages, equipping clinics with modern facilities, constructing markets and police posts, and empowering thousands of entrepreneurs with loans and grants.

The evidence is clear: across Lusaka District, Chilanga, Chongwe, Kafue, Luangwa, and Rufunsa, the CDF has delivered. With continued commitment to transparency, execution, and community participation, the next five years promise even greater transformation for the people of Lusaka Province.

Summary Table: Key CDF Investments in Lusaka Province (2022–2026)

District	Key Investments	Amount (K)
Lusaka	Chawama Secondary classroom block, 231 solar street lights, 5 paved roads, 8 police posts, Katambalala Market, Chawama grants to 394 groups	4.6M (school) + 8.18M (lights) + 2.72M (roads) + 5.52M (police) + 1.6M (market) + 8.73M (grants)
Chilanga	Tractor Loader Backhoe, Makeni GRZ Clinic Laboratory, New Farms Maternity Annexe, grants to 62 groups, Bunde Oriental Road	1.8M (tractor) + 2.5M (grants)
Chongwe	Classroom blocks, water reticulation, ablution block, 2,500 desks, skills bursaries, 105 groups empowered, 19 loans	16.1M (2024 allocation) + 5.8M (bursaries) + 2.2M (grants) + 3.3M (loans)
Kafue	70 projects (2022–2024), 46 completed across education, health, security	Multiple
Luangwa	30 community projects, MCH annex, 2 dormitories, water reticulation, footbridge, loans to 75+ beneficiaries	1.35M (dormitories) + 770K (water) + 654K (bridge) + 4.07M (loans) + 3.74M (2025 loans)
Rufunsa	Feeder road grading, Mukonka classroom block, Chaola classroom block, Kamilulu staff house and solar, Kamwensha health post, Mwachilele and Ebenezer schools	3M+ (roads) + 2.4M (2024 schools) + 5M (2026 schools) + 1.5M (grants)