Mudenda urges Parliament to prioritise health, education in 2027 National Budget

SPEAKER of Parliament Jacob Mudenda has called for the 2027 National Budget to prioritise social services and infrastructure development, urging lawmakers to strengthen oversight of public spending and ensure allocated funds translate into tangible benefits for citizens.

Mudenda was speaking at the opening of the 2027 National Pre-Budget Seminar at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) grounds in Bulawayo on Wednesday.

The seminar is running under the theme: “Accelerating Economic Transformation and Building Resilience to Climate and Global Shocks”.

Mudenda said Parliament’s control over public finances was a critical tool for accountability, citing James Madison’s description of the power of the purse as “the most complete and effectual weapon”.

He noted that Section 303 of the Constitution prohibits withdrawals from the Consolidated Revenue Fund without parliamentary authorisation.

The Speaker challenged MPs to track public expenditure down to the grassroots, including village clinics, rural classrooms and community boreholes, while enforcing monthly, quarterly and annual reporting requirements under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

He said the 2027 National Budget must provide funding to meet national and international development commitments rather than merely referring to them in policy documents.

“Health sector must meet the Abuja Declaration, which is 15% of public expenditure for health, where Parliament expects public health institutions such as clinics to be stocked,” Mudenda told delegates.

On education, he called for the country to meet the targets outlined in the Education 2030 Framework, which he said required allocating between 15% and 20% of public expenditure to the sector.

“Rural schools must be electrified/solarised, universities equipped, and age-appropriate Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy funded across the learning continuum,” he said.

Mudenda also called for the full implementation of devolution provisions under Section 301(3) of the Constitution, which requires that at least 5% of national revenues be allocated to provinces and local authorities.

He said the funds must be disbursed in full and on time to support road construction, water provision and social services.

The Speaker further urged the Government to strengthen social safety nets for vulnerable households, saying every ministry must demonstrate in its budget estimates how women, young people and persons with disabilities would benefit from public spending.

Mudenda raised concern over low budget utilisation, which stood at just 42.5% at mid-year, despite the collection of ZiG137.8 billion against a target of ZiG124.4 billion.

He warned that even well-designed budgets would fail to deliver results if allocated funds were not effectively utilised.

“Every dollar must be traceable to an output and every output to an outcome the citizen can see,” he said.

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