Parliament Sets Oversight Targets

Zimbabwe’s Parliament says it will prioritise stronger oversight of state institutions, tougher budget scrutiny and legislative delivery over the next five years, as it realigns its work with Integrated Results-Based Management.

Addressing the 2026 Corporate Planning Workshop in Kadoma, the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda said the legislature’s work would be guided by five key result areas, including “strong oversight of all state institutions and agencies” and “careful scrutiny and approval of the National Budget.”

The Speaker said Parliament is also focusing on “fulfilling the legislative mandate, including laws and treaties” and “ensuring effective representation of the people,” alongside the “continuous modernisation, resourcing, gender mainstreaming, and monitoring of parliamentary processes.”

Parliament said the strategic planning exercise seeks to “realign Parliament’s Strategic Plan with IRBM principles and the National Development Strategy 2,” with the aim of strengthening “accountability and performance management” and sharpening Parliament’s role in national development.

However, of note is that similar reform commitments have previously struggled to translate into effective executive oversight and budget discipline, despite repeated pledges to strengthen accountability.

 

The credibility of the new framework will rest less on stated priorities than on Parliament’s willingness to enforce committee findings and act on audit outcomes.