Council officials urged to be transparent, accountable

Mangochi Town Council chairperson Ibrahim Kacheya has advised the council’s officials to be transparent and accountable in the implementation of the 2018/19 budget to ensure that citizens and donors have confidence in them.

The council official said this on Friday during a full council meeting aimed at passing the 2018/19 budget proposals.

In an interview, Kacheya stressed the need for the secretariat to follow key principles of good governance by ensuring that vital and valuable information is available to the public.

“I am happy today because we have just passed the 2018/19 budget. This is an exceptional budget as it incorporates a litany of development projects such as construction of water kiosks, under-five clinic, butchery, rehabilitation of rest house, roads grading and gravelling, among others,” he said.

Kacheya said the budget has allocated funds to help needy students access loans as one way of promoting education and empowering vulnerable families.

In her remarks, the council’s chief executive officer, Funny Msimuko, assured of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the budget.

She described the budget as participatory because before it was passed, the council solicited input from stakeholders on the council’s priority needs.

The council’s 2018/19 budget is pegged at K360.3 million, a 27 percent increase from the current year’s K269 million. n