Bridging the city services gap in Mzuzu

Everyone seems to complain about the lack of city services. The council is usually blamed for not doing enough to provide them. And it is the council who then complain that they do not have sufficient money to undertake the services.

How do we bridge this gap so that important services are put in place without delay?

Firstly, we have to debunk the myth that Central Government supplies all the money to provide services. It doesn’t.  Secondly, we have to debunk the myth that aid agencies will provide the services. They won’t. To some extent, aid has been supplied in the past but we cannot depend on this going forward. The reality is that we have to stand on our own two feet and take pride in looking after ourselves.

At the moment, the social contract between the city council and its people has been impaired by the failure of the council to provide needed services and the failure of the citizens to entrust the council with the finances necessary to provide services. So, how do we bridge the gap?  Mzuzu City Council has been listening to the community through various ward level meetings.

What people want is: (i) A fair system of sharing the financial burden of city services, (ii) To be represented by a council who listens to its people, and (iii) In the face of various scandals, a council that spends the money wisely and transparently.

The following explains what the Mzuzu City Council is doing in six steps:

1.   All buildings in Mzuzu are being identified and registered. In this process, all buildings are numbered and streets are sign posted. In this way, all property owners of domestic and business properties will share in the burden and not just a few. There are other obvious benefits of having street names and house numbers so that we can all locate each other.

2.   Each property is being valued.  Larger buildings with attractive features will have a greater value and smaller inferior properties will be given a smaller value. The process will be automated eliminating any arbitrary judgements. The value is being certified by an independent valuer.

3.   The council will decide on a uniform rate of kwachas to the value of each building class depending on the financial needs of services.  Mzuzu is aiming at a collection of MK800 Million during the upcoming financial year beginning July 2014. The council will then send a Demand Notice to all owners with the valuation fully transparent and subject to appeal. The valuation of all properties will be available to all residents so that fairness can be seen by all.

4.   The payment will be made securely at a new official bank branch yet to be named and to be located directly at the city council. A receipt will be given to the rate payer and noted for council records. The council financial records will be available for public scrutiny.

5.   Defaulters will be pursued through the legal system under the terms of the Local Authority Act 1998.  Present defaulters are already being pursued.

6.   A full public participation is being encouraged with a strong and sustained sensitisation campaign. It is only with the full participation of the community that the council will be held accountable. The new councilors will be elected in May 2014. They will want to know what city services are of the highest priority. Community participation sessions are being held now by the council, to get public input. A full disclosure of public accounts will be made monthly under the direction of the Mzuzu City Finance Department.

With these six steps, the Mzuzu City Council chief executive officer Thomas Chirwa is hoping to renew a social contract with the citizens of Mzuzu so that much needed services are put into place. The services to be provided with the financial resources shared fairly among all those who own property in Mzuzu. The council has taken a strong initiative but the true success of this project lies in the hands of the people—identifying services needed and holding the council accountable. In doing this, Mzuzu can have services to be proud of and it will become an inspiration for the rest of Malawi.

The author is a registered valuer with much experience in development through property taxation.