Mudenda calls for pro-poor budgeting to promote equity

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda has challenged legislators to ensure that public resources are equitably channelled towards programmes aimed at improving the livelihoods of citizens, emphasising the need for robust and critical analysis of the national budget.

Speaking during the official opening of a capacity-building workshop for Members of Parliament on Budget Analysis for the Public Accounts and Budget and Finance Committees in Bulawayo over the weekend, Mudenda underscored the crucial role these committees must play in safeguarding public funds through active and informed participation in all stages of the budget process.

Mudenda lamented the historical tendency by Parliamentarians to play a peripheral role in budget scrutiny, warning that this undermined their constitutional obligation to the people they represent.

"In the past, analysis of the National Budget has been done by others, leaving you as mere spectators in decisions that directly affect the welfare of the people you are sworn to serve," Mudenda said.

"Today, you begin the process of becoming the lion that writes its own story through the mastery of rigorous budget analysis. As the saying goes: ‘Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter'."

The Speaker called on MPs to prioritise pro-poor budgeting, urging them to interrogate each budget allocation through the lens of whether it directly improves the life of the most vulnerable in society. He reminded lawmakers of Nelson Mandela's famous words: "Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice."

Mudenda further encouraged MPs to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and database analytics to better understand the political and economic dynamics that shape people's daily lives. He said this would enhance the committees' capacity to align national budgets with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063, particularly in addressing poverty, hunger, and health care needs.

He stressed the importance of Parliamentarians having a solid grasp of the Public Finance Management (PFM) framework, noting that it provides the legal and institutional architecture guiding the budgeting cycle from planning and approval to expenditure and monitoring.

"The PFM system places fiscal oversight on the committees' responsibility to exercise with probity the budgetary processes. This is where you, as Parliamentarians, must step forward to fulfil your hallowed responsibility," Mudenda said.

He reminded MPs that their oversight role was not a political favour, but a constitutional mandate enshrined in Sections 119(3), 298, and 299 of the Constitution, which collectively demand transparency and accountability in how public resources are utilised.

"The Constitution speaks with crystalline clarity. Section 119(3) states that: ‘…all institutions and agencies of the State and government at every level are accountable to Parliament,'" said Mudenda.

Highlighting global best practices, Mudenda pointed to international benchmarks such as the Abuja Declaration (calling for 15% of the national budget for health), the Dakar and Incheon Declarations (requiring 20% allocation to education), and the Maputo Declaration (setting a 10% target for agriculture). While acknowledging that economic challenges might hinder adherence to these targets, he urged MPs to strive towards aligning national budgets with these standards.

Mudenda also stressed the importance of aligning budget decisions with the Bill of Rights outlined in Chapter 4 of Zimbabwe's Constitution and factoring in the pressing realities of climate change, which demands resilient and climate-proof infrastructure supported by adequate financial resources.

He concluded by reminding MPs that budget analysis is fundamentally about identifying opportunities to improve the quality and quantity of public spending in a manner that serves the interests of the nation's most vulnerable communities.