All councils in the country have been directed to implement policies, which will support development at the local level.
President Hakainde Hichilema has issued this directive to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, which he says councils must heed.
The directive was issued at the Joint 65th Local Government Association of Zambia annual conference and 18th Alliance of Mayors Initiative on Community Action on AIDS at The Local Level (AMICAALL) general Assembly.
Speaking at the event today, President Hichilema explained that local government is key in the development of the country because the central government cannot do much on its own.
He said with the increased Constituency Development Fund -CDF- allocation, the government is paying particular attention to ensuring there is NO mismanagement of these resources.
The President has since warned local authorities against inflating costs of projects, which will be implemented using the CDF.
President Hichilema further explained that the increased CDF will demand for more responsibility and accountability from local authorities.
And Local Government Minister, GARY NKOMBO said guidelines for the management of CDF are being developed by his Ministry.
Mr. NKOMBO said the guidelines will address the concerns raised by some stakeholders on the capacity of the councils to manage CDF.
Meanwhile, Lusaka Mayor, Chilando Chitangala appealed to the central government to look into the councils’ various problems, such as poor conditions of service for workers.
Ms. Chitangala however commended the President for his commitment to the implementation of the decentralisation policy.
And United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator, Coumba Mar Gadio praised the government for increasing the CDF, saying this shows commitment to the implementation of the decentralisation policy.
Meanwhile, German Ambassador to Zambia, Anne Wagner-Michell observed that there is renewed hope among cooperating partners with the implementation of the decentralization policy.
Policies have always been there but it’s the means to translate them into results….ever since the positions were politicized the performance of councils has been on the decline.
#1Â Â Deja VuÂ
November 18, 2021 At 5:23 pm
“Policies have always been there but it’s the means to translate them into results….ever since the positions were politicized the performance of councils has been on the decline..”
The main difference is the increased budget for local authorities, which will come with increased responsibility……
#2 Already people after looking at the things required from that CDF money are saying that it’s not adequate. So my friend there is no increased budget but change of name. Besides we are yet to see how frequently this money will be made available. So let’s cross the bridge when reach it.
The councils at one stage were vibrant:
They were in charge of road licencing
They were in charge of Water
They had a stock pf houses and other cormercial buildings for which the charged rentals.
At the time of privitisation the govt was advised to sell the housing stock the council had. They surrendered the road licencing to RATSA. The surrendered water to the newly formed water companies. The markets and bust stops were surrendered to the cadres. What are they expected to raise money? Even Market revenue is insufficient to run the councils.