Plans by the Zambian government to construct a new official residence and offices for the country’s president have been met with disapproval with people questioning their necessity.
Parliament heard last week that Zambia will start constructing the residence next year at a cost of $20m (£15m).
The country’s works and supply minister Matthew Nkhuwa said the current State House, which was constructed in the 1930s, had become a risk to the people living there.
I think that the value of a human being, regardless, is higher than the price we can pay to build another State House.”
He added that even though it was not a priority, he asked “where was the President expected to work from?”
But Mike Mulongoti, an opposition leader, says there are other areas where that money can be used such as the health and education sectors.
Other Zambians have taken to social media to condemn the move.
