Malga bemoans low budget allocation
Malawi Local Government Association (Malga) has bemoaned the low budget allocation to councils in the K3.7 trillion 2023/24 National Budget, expressing fear that the development might erode all the fiscal devolution gains attained, so far.
Treasury has this financial year allocated K488.09 billion to the local councils, an increase of 20 percent from the 2022/23 National Budget allocation of K390.4 billion.
Malga chief executive officer Hadrod Mkandawire said in an interview yesterday considering the 25 percent devaluation, such increments are nominal.
He said: “While we commend the government for increasing the devolved 10 percent drug budget by 26 percent, we would have liked if the proportional percentage going to the local authorities would have gone up.”
Mkandawire further expressed worry over the city roads budget which he said has not increased despite the many outstanding roads construction projects falling under the city councils.
“Our request for duty waiver on one vehicle in every five years for ward councilors has also not been considered. It is also high time that the Government seriously considered procuring official vehicles for district commissioners,” he said.
Presenting the 2023/2024 Budget in Parliament on March 2 2023, Gwengwe said the increase in the local council’s allocation was in the spirit to promote fiscal decentralisation and ensuring delivery of timely and quality service in the local councils.
In the previous fiscal year, local authorities development budget was estimated at K30.08 billion that comprise resources for construction of city roads estimated at K23.30 billion, the borehole and water structures fund estimated at K2.32 billion, the DDF estimated at K 2.80 billion, dualisation of Chileka-Blantyre Road estimated at K1 billion and the IDF estimated at K0.61 billion.
