By: Lloyd M’bwana

The Lilongwe City full council meeting was halted on Thursday, February 11 after ward councilors and Members of Parliament demanded the release of MK2 million allowance arrears the secretariat have been owning them since last year.

The development comes after a two months The Maravi Post in December 2015 reported that Lilongwe City Council (LCC) was running its fiscal activities without auditing for the past five years which according to observers the trend has contributed to the gross financial mismanagements.

The situation has enraged the general public’s dissatisfaction over LCC’s failure to tick with developmental projects despite being the hub of the country’s capital city with substandard infrastructures including road networks.

The Maravi Post visit in the chamber around 10:30 am on Thursday, witnessed councilors and MPs chatting without transacting any assembly business while waiting the secretariat to release the money before the meeting.

The absconding continued in the afternoon when the secretariat staffs were seen moving up down to cash the cheque money meant for councilors and MPs’ accumulated allowances.

The Maravi Post caught up with Desmond Bikoko, Ward Councilor for Chigoneka who accused the directors for mess saying their actions were tantamount to absconding the meeting in order for them to be responsible on their inabilities to run the council.

Bikoko who is the LLC Human Resource Chairperson alleged that the secretariat wassabotaging the assembly resolutions over their person interests than that of Lilongwe residents citing no tangible developmental projects have been ushered since coming into the office.

“The underlining word on this stand-off its not about allowances but reminding the secretariat’s responsibility of making sure that resources are provided to us for normal transaction of the council. We earlier understood the insufficient funds it had but later we leant that the council had enough money because of workshops, foreign trips they were into.

“What we want is transacting business in a conducive environment for the development of city. Our friends in Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba have moved a mile with developments while here not even 10 percent of projects we instructed the council to execute.

“Its therefore high time we started biting the secretariat hard in a bid to awaken them but the challenge lies on directors who have stayed long at the council taking it as their home or farm. This madness will stop as plans are underway to transfer them for a new staff who will share with our vision to develop the city”, warns Bikoko.

Echoing on the same,David Bisnowalty, Lilongwe City Centre Legislator said it was unfortunate that councilors and legislators were spending hours at the council without anything while constituents were waiting developmental projects.

Bisnowalty observed that sabotage secretariat demonstrated on the full council decision was unacceptable which needed taming for the sake of the city’s progress.

“Despite the stand-off, will convene on Friday to transact business with the mind to make concrete resolutions which will push the secretariat to start implementing projects proposed for our constituents who voted us into power for that purpose”, assured Bisnowalty who is also a member of the council’s health committee.

But earlier interview with The Maravi Post, MozaZeleza, Lilongwe City Council’s Chief Executive Director who is a former Reserve Bank of Malawi employee assured the entire council of his total commitment in pushing execution of resolutions with an appeal for calmness as he was getting used to the council’s business.

“The concerns raised by council are valid and will work on it as soon as possible. Be mindful that I’m a new CEO (just few weeks in office), therefore, I need also time to be briefed by the secretariat on what has been happening”, assures Zeleza whose predecessor was Richard Hara.

Lilongwe City Council has 27 councilors; 13 for Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has 12, one for United Democratic Front (UDF) and one is Independent whose Mayor is Councilor Willie Chapondera (DPP) deputized by Councilor AkwameBandawe (Independent) with four Members of Parliament namely Masi (DPP),
BentreyNamasasu (DPP), David Bisnowalty (Independent) and Rhino Chiphiko (MCP).