PAC Push for Amendment of Local Govt Act

Public Affairs Committee (PAC) says Malawi is failing to realise tangible development because it has chosen to underrate the principle of decentralisation.

PAC Chairperson Rev Dr Felix Chingota, said this when he officially opened the two days media Practitioners workshop in Zomba.

“The workshop is aimed at providing the media houses with relevant information so that they able to advocate for the proposed local government act amendment,” said Chingota

Speaking to the participants Rev Dr Chingota observed that the 2010 Local Government Act has a number of anomalies which infringe on the independence of local councils.

“There is need to amend the act in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the local authorities and to align the act with objectives of the decentralisation as stipulated in the decentralisation policy of 1998,” Chingota explained.

Meanwhile, government says is still consulting all stakeholders before the bill is brought into parliament.

Responding on the progress on the amendment, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, said the bill is not yet ready for the forthcoming parliamentary session.

“Government is consulting on two critical issues of powers of the Members of Parliament to vote at the council meeting and the recruitment of district commissioners,” Nankhumwa said.