Malawi’s Local Gvt Ministry disputes memo on dissolving ADCs, VDCs over electoral process

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is disputing the wrong information Phalombe District Commissioner (DC) communicated to local council that all local development structures be dissolved to align their term of office to that of 2019 electoral process.

The said local development structures claimed to be dissolved including Area Development Committees (ADCs), Area Executive Committees (AECs) and Village Development Committees (VDCs).

The memo dated September 12, 2018, in our possession, Phalombe DC Mafuta said the local government ministry directed that ADCs, AECs and VDCs be dissolved that the process to constitute new development structures commerces.

DC Mafuta further said the exercise be done with the an aim of aligning their term of office to that of electoral calendar of 2019.

The parent ministry has however disputed the memo describing it as misleading since its contradicting that government communicated in April this year on the same matter.

According to the Local Government Ministry ‘s Secretary Kiswell Dakamau memo dated April 3, 2018 advised all DCs across the country to reconstitute and strengthen local development structure due to the coming in of ward councilors in 2014.

In that communication, Dakamau advised the DCs to be apolitical with no any interference that they be also in touch with local organisations; civil society for smooth processing.

Lloyd M’bwana

I’m a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource (LUANAR)’s Environmental Science graduate (Malawi) and UK’s ICM Journalism and Media studies scholar. Also University of Malawi (UNIMA) Library Science Scholar. I have been The Malawi Country Manager and duty editor for the Maravi Post since 2019. My duty editor’s job is to ensure that the news is covered properly, that it is delivered on time, and that it is created to the standards set out in the editorial guidelines of the Maravi Post.