Kambwandira unleashes: ‘No CDF cash anywhere’ — govt accused of hiding crisis

The Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) has raised fresh concerns over delays in releasing funds for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), saying its monitoring shows that councils have yet to receive the K5 billion allocated for the programme.

In a comment monitored on Zodiak’s Sunrise Malawi programme, CSAT executive director Willy Kambwandira said the organisation’s tracking suggests the government has not begun disbursing the money, despite public assurances that the fund is operational.

The remarks come after Local Government Minister Ben Phiri told Parliament earlier in the week that the administration is still putting in place systems to strengthen CDF oversight, including a digital dashboard intended to improve transparency and monitoring.

Kambwandira said government should be open about the status of the funds, arguing that withholding information risks undermining public trust.

He added that the delays may reflect broader fiscal pressures, with government increasingly reliant on development partners to support strained budget lines.

In a statement, Principal Secretary for Decentralization in the Ministry, Peterson Ponderani, said the current CDF framework differs from the previous arrangement, where councils received funds before projects were identified and assessed.

Ponderani explained that under the reformed CDF, resources are released only after projects have gone through identification, technical appraisal and procurement processes.