By Jones Gadama
The District Commissioner for Machinga, Rodrick Mateauma, has acknowledged that the district’s performance has been subpar in various areas, including the implementation of public projects.
However, Mateauma is optimistic about the future, citing a significant improvement in the district council’s Local Authority Performance Assessment (LAPA) rankings.
According to Mateauma, the district council has risen to position five in the 2024/2025 financial year, up from 28 in the previous year.
This remarkable improvement is attributed to better coordination among stakeholders, including the council’s secretariat, political leaders, chiefs, and civil society organizations.

“We attribute this milestone improvement to coordination among various stakeholders from the council’s secretariat, political side, chiefs to the civil society organizations,” Mateauma said.
This newfound collaboration has yielded positive results, and the district council is hopeful for continued progress.
Chairperson of the CSO Network in Machinga, Belinda Chimombo, commended the district council for its remarkable improvement.
While acknowledging the progress made, Chimombo noted that there is still room for further improvement, with the ultimate goal of emerging as the top-performing district council.
“It is amazing to note that the district council also came up with a clean audit report, and this will build confidence in donors,” Chimombo said.
A clean audit report is a significant achievement, demonstrating the district council’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
The improvement in LAPA rankings and the clean audit report are positive indicators of the district council’s efforts to enhance its performance.
As Machinga District Council continues to work towards achieving its goals, stakeholders are optimistic about the potential for further progress and development in the district.




