Public tasked to put council finances in the spotlight
Malawians have been blamed for not playing an active oversight role in councils amid reports of financial mismanagement and corruption.
Speaking during a debate organised by Malawi Local Government Association (Malga) in Kasungu on Wednesday, National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) deputy director Syak Mwamondwe said it was difficult to say whether there is financial mismanagement and corruption in councils since it is difficult to see it.
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However, he said people should take an active role to see what is happening in their councils.
Said Mwamondwe: “There is always a lot of suspicion that councils embezzle money and that there is rampant corruption because the people themselves do not demand reports and that most of the times the council secretariat do not give out these reports.”
He said every citizen has the right to know what is happening in the councils in as far as financial management is concerned because this would minimise suspicion.
Mwamondwe also said councils should lead in transparency by, among other things, posting all their activities on notice boards for people to access.
Kasungu district commissioner (DC) Reverend Moses Chimphepo said there might be a few councils involved in fraud and mismanagement, but said it appeared people felt all councils are rotten.
“This is just a perception. It is only when someone has really been found to have embezzled public money that one can say there is corruption in councils. Usually the amount of money that comes to councils is declared and no money goes out of the councils without being accounted for,” the DC said in his contribution.
The debate, part of a series Malga has organised in all the regions, saw people accuse councils of inefficiencies in public projects, mismanagement in Constituency and Local Development funds and revenue generated by councils themselves. n
