Minister of Local Government Lingson Belekanyama has threatened that his ministry will not allocate District Development Funds (DDF) to councils that are prone to corrupt practices.
The minister said K17 billion had been set aside for DDF projects every year for five years.
The World Bank has also pumped $100 million into councils’ for development projects.
Belekanyama sounded the warning when he joined District Commissioners (DCs) and other council officials at a Performance Granting System Sensitisation meeting held in Mzuzu on Friday.
“We are saying councils that will not prove to us that they will manage the funds will not get the money. What we want is that the money should be used for development and not mismanaged. We are against corruption in councils,” Belekanyama said.
He then said the councils have a responsibility to prove to the nation that they are free from corruption.
DC for Karonga Paul Kalilombe said councils have the capacity to manage funds for development but their job is compromised through political interference.
Kalilombe, however, said he was happy that the minister had assured the councils that no one would be a victim of political interference.
“What was happening is that some DCs were victims of politicians. Some were transferred from one district to another just because the DC did not agree with the politicians on something. The minister has assured us that that is a thing of the past,” Kalilombe said.
Local Authority Performance Assessment and Performance-Based Grant would guide councils when using funds for development projects.