In a thunderous ruling that has shaken the political establishment, the Constitutional Court has clipped the wings of Members of Parliament, ending their long-enjoyed ride on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) gravy train. What was once paraded as “development consciousness” by MPs is now exposed as a constitutional overreach — and the Court is not having it.
The landmark judgement declared both the Constituency Development Fund and the Water Resources Fund — introduced in 2022 — unconstitutional, slamming them for violating the separation of powers and eroding public accountability. In short, the Court is sending MPs back to where they belong: Parliament, and nowhere else.
Gone are the days when MPs roamed around commissioning boreholes and school blocks, puffed up with pride, claiming credit for development projects funded by taxpayers. The judges made it crystal clear — MPs cannot play executive, monitor their own spending, and pretend to be watchdogs all at once. That’s not oversight — it’s conflict of interest.
As if that blow wasn’t enough, the Court has also nullified MPs’ voting rights in local councils, branding it unconstitutional. Simply put, lawmakers are not councillors, and the judiciary is done with the charade.
“The role of MPs is to represent the people in Parliament — full stop,” said Shire Times senior political analyst John Masina. “They’ve been stepping into roles that were never theirs, but now the law has spoken.”
In a country where some MPs have built their entire political brands on CDF projects, the ruling is nothing short of political thunder. And the timing? Impeccable — as the 2025 elections inch closer, this ruling redraws the map of power and performance.
President Chakwera’s administration, already pushing for stronger governance institutions, now stands vindicated. The rule of law is speaking louder than political rhetoric — and the message is clear: no more overstepping, no more unconstitutional heroism. MPs must legislate, not execute.
This is not just a court ruling. It’s a political earthquake.
