Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation Joseph Mwanamvekha is today set to table the long-awaited guidelines for the Reformed Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to provide guidance on management of the K5 billion facility.
Both Speaker of the National Assembly Sameer Suleman and Leader of the House Jappie Mhango confirmed yesterday that the document will be tabled before Parliament adjourns today.
The announcement comes amid mounting pressure from members of Parliament (MPs) who demanded clarity on the guidelines’ status amid concerns over delays and the absence of a clear framework for managing the expanded fund.
Suleman told the House that the Business Committee, which regulates business transacted in the House, was assured that the guidelines were finalised and sent for printing, urging MPs to remain patient.
“Hold your breath, exercise patience. The tip you can take is that you have been taken care of,” he said, adding that procedure requires the document to be circulated before the minister’s presentation.
Mhango echoed the call for calm, insisting the guidelines are ready and MPs will access them before adjournment.
But legislators remained restless with Lilongwe Msinja South MP Francis Belekanyama (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) warning that if the guidelines were not tabled in time, government should outline interim administrative arrangements to guide utilisation of the fund.
“We are rising tomorrow. If the guidelines are not available, we need clarity on how the CDF will be used,” he said.
MCP chief whip in Parliament Moses Kunkuyu dismissed printing delays as unnecessary, arguing the minister could present the guidelines digitally.
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs spokesperson Frank Namangale said a joint team from his ministry and Finance finalised the draft in line with President Peter Mutharika’s directive and submitted it for formal approval.
The guidelines come against the backdrop of a dramatic increase in the CDF, from K200 million to K5 billion, approved in the 2026/27 National Budget, which took effect on April 1 without an operational framework.
On Tuesday, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ben Phiri told Parliament that competing interests from sectors such as information and gender contributed to the hold-up.
Mutharika earlier withheld assent to a constitutional amendment that sought to formalise the CDF and include MPs in its management, instead directing the development of comprehensive guidelines.
