Councilors still feel sidelined
Councilors in the country say they are still being marginalized despite several efforts having been done to make communities understand their roles, a thing which they say is limiting their participation in development projects in their areas.
The councilors have also expressed dismay over the slow pace in adopting decentralisation adding that they feel the devolution of powers to councils is not working as some members of Parliament (MPs) side with officers at council secretariats to influence decisions at local level without involving them.
Speaking in Blantyre on Wednesday during a strategic meeting on the Malawi Local Government Capacity Building and Transparency Project being implemented by Women’s Legal Resource Centre (Wolrec), the councilors called for more civic education for the citizens to understand the demarcation of roles between councilors and MPs to avoid conflicts.
Chairperson for Nsanje District Council Mabvuto Kamba expressed optimism that through the project councilors will be empowered and enabled to carry out their responsibilities.
“The position of councilor has not been there for a long time and to be honest some are finding it difficult to accept us. There are a lot of conflicts between MPs and Councilors because most MPs feel like we are taking over their roles and on the other hand they feel like we are a stumbling block as they want to continue controlling finances at our councils,” he said.
Kamba also called for all finances including the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) be controlled at the secretariat and not by MPs to avoid personalization of public projects.
Concurring with Kamba, Salima District Council chairperson Everson Mpayani called for more training so that councilors are familiar with their roles and responsibilities.
Mpayani further spoke of the need for councilors to be fully involved in budget formulation.
Wolrec executive director Maggie Kathewera-Banda said the project will incorporate a comprehensive media and communication strategy that will enhance information sharing among stakeholders.
She called for swift review and re-enactment of the Local Government Act to help resolve some of the challenges faced at council level.
“Local government Act needs to be reviewed, I am happy the process is already in the pipeline. We need to give back power to councilors,” she said.
The three-year project being implemented in 11 districts of the country also aims at strengthening local governments by promoting the importance of councillors; showcasing how they can make a difference in Malawi and making communities understand their roles and to support them in their roles.
