Rumphi DC decries lack of auditors
Rumphi district commissioner (DC) Emmanuel Bulukutu says lack of internal auditors has affected the district’s performance to compete with other districts for donor funded projects such as Governance to Enhance Service Delivery (Gesd).
In an interview on Friday, the DC said the council has for about five years now relied on central government auditors for audits, which has resulted in the council being rated poorly.
Bulukutu said: “Adherence to auditing requirements is one of the triggers for a local authority to qualify for funding from Gesd.
“We have for the past three years been rated poorly on this component. We were position four in the 2019/20 assessment, but we were pushed backwards to position 25 in the 2020/21 assessment.
“There is a need for the government to employ auditors to be tracking utilisation of resources by the council.”
He said he will sign performance agreements with different sectors at council level to improve on performance in projects’ implementation and sharing of reports with stakeholders in the 2022/23 financial year.
Currently, with support from Gesd, the council is constructing a pharmacy at Rumphi District Hospital, Teachers Development Centre at Old Salawe and a police unit at Livingstonia, among other projects.
Construction of the police office is a key project for the people of Livingstonia, who currently travel up to 30 kilometres to access police services at Ntchenachena Police Unit.
Phoka Ward councillor, Fedwin Chakaka Nyirenda said the unit will enhance security for the people in the area and help protect Livingstonia Forest from devastation by people who are cutting down trees carelessly for charcoal making.
