Mayor is the ‘chief in the city’

The decision to put to an end the practising of urban chieftainships has triggered some debate on whether the government is right or wrong. To me that is not an issue, if anything the query could have been whether the government has done justice to only correct the error without probing its genesis and dent left behind.

But, congratulations are in order for the hardliner public servant who remembered that ‘better late than never’. Otherwise, there are times when sin is sanctified just because it is persistently practised and there is nobody to quash it.

It is not the banning of the non-existent entity (called urban chiefdom) which is the cause for alarm for the concerned, but rather the failure to sweep under the carpet, entertaining the malpractice, even though it is so clear that it brought chaos in many urban areas.

Nevertheless, I hail government for the diplomatic path used otherwise mass arrests were eminent for the law is clear on urban chieftainships.

Mayors in our cities in vernacular are referred to as mfumu ya mzinda or, loosely put, chief of the city.

Generally, a traditional chief is determined by custom and is hereditary hence, they exercise leadership among people of their bloodline which is not  practically possible in an urban setting where it is not a surprise to see neighbours living a decade without knowing each other’s identities.

Legally, the mayor enforces the by-laws, serves as the top conservator of peace in the city, manages the city’s operations and recommends legislative actions to city council, among others. He also delivers a ‘State of the City Address’ in a chosen month.

Entertaining customary leadership in urban setting was duplication and a waste of resources for urban chiefdom is ably headed by the mayor and managed through chairpersons and membership of different standing committees, just as it is in the rural setting where there are group village heads or village heads to assist chiefs.

There are no villages in cities and it would be interesting to learn who was drawing the budget for the treasury to be releasing money to pay people who had no village to head.

We all know that in cities, petitioners submit their grievances at the Civic Centre, but on this matter it was through the District Commissioners’ office, an indication that it is indeed in a district (rural) where chiefs have a legal mandate to exercise powers unless if the petition was solely about the honorarium which they were getting through the district councils.

The decision to invoke the Local Government Act and the Chiefs Act which clearly states that they shall not exercise jurisdiction within the area of a city, municipality or township except with the written approval of the appropriate council established under the Local Government [Urban Areas] Act, is actually long overdue for no council in Malawi approved such chiefdoms.

There are fears that the government decision might have implications and challenges as hinted by one petitioner, but who does not know the essentials of law and order, or consequences of deliberate moves to destabilise a legitimate government in sabotaging development projects?

Sadly, the damage brought about by the government’s insensitivity in allowing certain people create urban chiefdom is irreversible and costly, but you surely would not expect mfumu ya mzinda or his councillors indulge in illegal activities like allocation of land at a national telecommunication hub or in a mountain which is supposed to be reserved for conservation.

Contrary to what some are thinking, it is not councillors who have pushed for the reminder that there should be no chiefs in the cities. It is the law. What is known is that city residents and rate payers need councillors to represent their interests and ensure the smooth running of the city and the well-being of the community whether socially, economically, environmentally and culturally, in accordance with the Local Government Act.

But if anyone is looking for a chief in the urban setting, then the answer is at the Civic Centre; the sitting of mayor, and no other.