Councillors demand honoraria review

Councillors have asked the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture to review their conditions of service.

The demands came during a meeting in Blantyre yesterday between councillors from the Southern Region and Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda on identification and implementation of flagship projects.

Thumbwe ward councillor in Chiradzulu East Constituency, Franco Kaliya, said in an interview that adjusting the honoraria will be a motivation to them.

He said: “The fact is that the honoraria is on the lower side and as we are speaking, the cost of living has gone up. So, our appeal is that the government must adjust our honoraria.”

Government last adjusted councillors’ honoraria in 2019 from K80 000 to K150 000.

During a heated plenary session that lasted for close to an hour, the councillors argued that the K150 000 they receive is little as the cost of living has gone up.

Some of the councillors also suggested that once the honoraria has been adjusted upwards, the government should consider giving them car loans that should facilitate easy mobility within their respective wards. Currently, they use motorcycles.

Besides, the councillors also expressed concern that they are sidelined as regards implementation of development projects despite being critical stakeholders at grass roots and council level.

In view of this, the councillors proposed establishment of a Ward Development Fund that they can handle since they do not have a say on Constituency Development Fund (CDF) handled by members of Parliament (MPs).

CDF was introduced in 2006 to facilitate development in constituencies. But with time, the fund has been prone to abuse with numerous audit reports highlighting weak accountability and management tools.

Abuse of the fund has also seen some incumbent and former legislators arrested while others have been convicted.

In a separate interview, Chimwendo Banda, who was accompanied by his deputy Owen Chomanika, said while the honoraria concerns are valid, government will have to consult.

“The honoraria they are receiving is not adequate and we agree with their concern. However, we need to do consultations, we cannot adjust it on our own at ministry level.

“We need to look at the resource envelope and also look at how councils are doing because most of these resources are locally generated to pay honoraria to our councillors,” he said.

The minister, however, said it would not be another development fund, adding that councillors and MPs must learn to coexist peacefully coexist to foster development.

In recent years, councillors have been pushing the central government to consider them in managing CDF.

MPs on the other hand, have vehemently refused such a proposed arrangement which has over the years resulted in bad blood between the public elected officials.

Malawi Local Government Association executive director Hadrod Mkandawire in a telephone interview yesterday backed the councillors demand on honoraria, saying they need fair compensation for discharging duties in a public office.

He said: “In the course of serving wards the councillors incur personal costs which is unjustified because they do not have to do so for serving a public office.”

Malawi resumed voting for ward councillors in the 2014 Tripartite Elections after the dissolution of local councils in 2005.n