MP  Werani proposes CDF be under parliament control

Chitipa South MP Werani Chilenga is proposing that parliament takes tight control of constituency development fund (CDF).

Currently, the K100 million per constituency development fund is administered by councils.

In parliamentary motion notice, alleges that councils are abusing the fund.

“That having adopted the report by the ad hoc committee on CDF and water development fund on 18th March, 2021, and in view of the reaction of the Malawi Local Government Association through a press release issued on Saturday 19th March, 2021, in which the association viciously attacked the members of the House and in which MALGA clearly demonstrates that local councils’ appetite for abuse of CDF resources is too much for them to resist, this House resolves that the minister of Finance should transfer all the CDF resources from councils  to the National Assembly with effect from the 2021/22 financial year,” reads the motion.

Veteran lawyer Ralph Kasambara described this in a Facebook post as an interesting fight: ‘National Assembly versus Local Government’, saying the big brother wants to deal with its kid brother.

He says this raises serious constitutional questions.

‘First, after passing the budget can the national assembly reverse itself through a resolution and order the minister of finance to transfer funds from one vote to another vote?

“Second is it legal to have these CDF accounts/votes?” he questions.

He says a few years back the judiciary in Kenya declared CDF funds as unconstitutional/illegal, saying the system of CDF was copied from Kenya.