Some Members of Parliament in Chipata deny reports that they are shunning full council meetings.

Some Members of Parliament in Chipata district have attributed their failure to attend full council meetings to the scheduling and failure by the council to send invitation.
Kasenengwa Member of Parliament, Victoria Kalima, says that holding full council meetings on days when parliament is sitting is not ideal, as MPs are expected to be in parliament.
She said that the MPs have emphasized that the full council meetings should be held on Mondays when parliament is not sitting.
Ms. Kalima, who acknowledged missing a number of full council meetings, explained that MPs have complained on a number of occasions that the council should be sending invitations so that they all attend full council meetings.
Ms. Kalima was responding to concerns that she and other MPs in Chipata district have a habit of shunning full council meetings.
Some sectors have accused the four MPs in Chipata district of concentrating on parliamentary sittings and neglecting full council meetings even when they are made aware of the dates, with only Luangeni Member of Parliament, Charles Zulu, showing some consistence.
The sectors have questioned how the MPs can claim to be fully representing people in their areas, when they miss full council meetings, where several challenges and developmental matters for the district are discussed