By Isaac Salima:
Governance experts have queried local councils’ readiness to roll out the reformed Constituency Development Fund (CDF), citing teething problems.
The government has announced that it will start implementing the restructured CDF next month.
The fund is now pegged at K5 billion.
The fund has been under scrutiny, prompting President Peter Mutharika to order responsible ministries to come up with guidelines.
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However, National Advocacy Platform Chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said some councils did not have the capacity to implement CDF.
“While councils have accumulated experience in managing development projects, the scale and scope of the fund will place significant demands on their planning, procurement, financial management, monitoring and accountability systems,” he said.
He further said basing the disbursement of funds on performance would disadvantage some councils.
“The key issue is not merely whether councils are ready but whether adequate safeguards, capacity-building measures, operational guidelines and oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure the funds are used efficiently, transparently and for their intended purposes. Any weaknesses in these areas could undermine the effectiveness and credibility of the programme,” Kondowe said.
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He also said the success of CDF rollout would depend on timely disbursement of funds, clear roles and responsibilities and strong community participation.
Transparency and accountability advocate Willy Kambwandira echoed the sentiments, saying he believed local councils were not ready to handle such substantial resources.
“CDF faces a high risk of abuse, political capture and misallocation. Many councils continue to struggle with weak financial management systems, inadequate oversight mechanisms, capacity constraints and unresolved audit queries. Therefore, entrusting such substantial public resources to institutions that have not demonstrated consistent accountability risks [exposing] CDF to abuse,” he said.
On his part, Local Government Minister Ben Phiri said their will power would ensure successful implementation of CDF projects.
“When we were coming up with this programme, there was a lot of negativity. Malawians always focus [more] on the negatives than positives.
“However, let me assure the nation that the initiative is set,” Phiri said.
He said they had addressed issues such as the high vacancy rate in local councils.
“We had so many people in acting capacity as directors in local councils. We have managed to fill such posts and we have filled them with the right people,” he said.
