DC ask MPs to lobby for timely funding in councils

District Commissioner for Blantyre, Benet Nkasala has asked Members of Parliament (MPs) to lobby government for timely funding to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services in the local council.

Blantyre MPs and councillors attend full Council meeting

Nkasala made the appeal Friday during a full council meeting held at Amary-rallys Hotel where a number of issues were tackled.

The DC said most of the times local councils receive their funding allocations very late, thus suffocating operations.

“As I am talking to you, as Blantyre District Council, we have not received September funding, yet this is the end of the month. This has been a trend for many years and we have, as a result of this, been affected in delivery of social services to the citizenry.

“May I, therefore, appeal to Members of Parliament to help us by lobbying for a timely flow of funding to councils,” said Nkasala.

Apart from the monthly funding (Other Recurrent Transactions (ORT)), the DC said Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and District Development Funding (DDF) were also affected.

“Besides delayed funding, Government has also not been releasing budgeted money to councils and this is another issue paralysing council activities,” he said.

Nkasala said for the 2018/2019 financial year, Blantyre District was allocated K84 million and only K34 million was released to the council by the end of the financial year.

“You will agree with me that we have had cases of cheque bouncing or being rejected because the council has had no money by end of the financial year and we have, for many years, been having carryovers,” he said.

Member of Parliament for Blantyre West, Jason Kaneka, promised the DC that as legislators, they would try their best to lobby for timely funding.

However, Kaneka, who is in the budget and finance committee in the National Assembly, said such problems were what the committee has been deliberating on.

“That is very true, but let me also emphasise that revenue collection has not been that impressive. Since government mostly depends on revenue collected, it means any slight challenge met on the way, the whole process gets compromised,” he said.

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mpilu
mpilu
4 years ago

tailongosolani nsanga imeneyi. zikucitika zomangapanga ma thasfer 3,5 times ya ma dc in 6 monthszo nde zibwana. myfuna muziba bwino anamacende inu?? musationelele wina tidula khositu!!!!! watch it

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