Donor red tape worries MEC

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) recently expressed dissatisfaction with bureaucracy it experiences when accessing funds from the donor basket fund managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Weekend Nation has learnt.

In an analysis posted on the UK Government website last month, MEC urged Britain to channel more of its support through the European Union (EU) rather than UNDP, arguing EU provides more direct assistance to the commission without much hurdles than UNDP.

But both MEC and UNDP dismissed the concerns, saying the two parties have resorted to a working arrangement that does not require MEC to draw money from the fund.

In the submission, MEC also expressed dissatisfaction with the British electoral support channelled through the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), saying electoral funding channelled through DfID still passes through the UNDP managed donor basket fund over which the commission has no control.

“If UNDP administers that fund, it puts a lot of red tape to its administration to the effect that some of the activities we would want to benefit suffer because of the red tape applied to the fund,” reads the analysis posted on July 22 2013.

The commission cited hurdles it recently faced prior to the June launch of its five-year strategic plan running from 2013 to 2017, saying it is the EU which rescued the commission to complete work on the strategic plan after it had failed to draw funds from the UNDP basket fund for the cause.

But in an interview on Friday, MEC chief elections officer Willie Kalonga—who confirmed that the commission has indeed submitted the analysis to UK as part of its response to a questionnaire from DfID—said the basket fund has identified items from MEC budget that it is going to fund.

“[These are]things like ballot papers, indelible ink, security forms and additional equipment in addition to the technical assistance that they will provide.

“According to our understanding, what we will provide are the specifications in time on the types of the materials and ballots we want. The donors will do their own procurement. We are not expecting any money from the basket fund; therefore there cannot be delays with this current arrangement.”

Asked why their submission to the UK is capturing issues of red tape when accessing funds from UNDP, Kalonga said: “Previously, we would access funds from the basket fund and there were those delays. The response that has been given in the report does not reflect the current arrangement we have agreed to use.”

UNDP communications assistant Steven Kamponda said on Thursday the donor basket fund, established in June this year, will be used for procurement of various election materials from abroad in collaboration with concerned stakeholders including EC.

“The arrangements for the basket fund were made in agreement between the government of Malawi, the MEC and development partners. As agreed, these funds will be used for the international procurement of election materials and technical assistance for the May 2014 elections and in the post-election period.

“The process has been established using an approach where the government, MEC and development partners are equally engaged in the monitoring and implementation of these activities, to ensure transparency and consensus on the best use of funds,” said Kamponda.

He said apart from DfID and EU, donors to the basket fund also include Ireland and UNDP itself, saying Norway and Japan have also pledged contributions to the elections pool fund.

DfID Malawi Head Sarah Sanyahumbi said the UK will continue channeling its electoral support through UNDP as the commission is implementing improved financial standards to build confidence in its systems.

“Given concerns over the previous MEC’s performance and the short period until the elections, support is necessarily going through the UNDP basket fund.

“That funding is available for use now. The current MEC is implementing improved financial controls which, tested by the election period, we hope will build confidence for the future,” said Sanyahumbi.