LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Lilongwe City Council (LCC) is said to be troubled with multiple landlords a situation making it difficult for improved urban settlement.
This is due to the apparent neglect of urban governance, a situation whereby urbanization, has outstripped the government’s capacity to provide services and strategically guide urban growth.
Consequently, city authorities has been failing to take charge of proper designing for residents settlement.
LCC Director of Planning and Development Hilary Kamela confessed to the media orientation project on Urban governance and management that the council have failed to take charge of settlement saying many have turned to be landlords for land re-allocation instead of the assembly.
Kamela was quick however that the city was working along a crock to avert the situation for proper urban settlement and development.
He lauded Oxfam for the project that aimed at contributing to more inclusive, transparent and accountable democratic processes for urban governance in Malawi, through harmonisation and institutionalization of policy and systems that reflect the needs of and are responsive to an active citizenry.
“Many residents have turned into landlords whom they just sell land willy-nilly without consultation with the city. This has created numerous conflicts. The project therefore will help us to be closer to the residents for better planning development in the city,” says Kamela
Mathias Kafunda, Oxfam Malawi’s Governance Programs Manager says project will be able to mobilise and organise non-state actors (particularly Media) and independent public institutions that are engaged in policy influencing on urban governance by ensuring formal partnerships are rooted in informal processes of networking, characterised by trust, cooperation and mutual advantage.
” It is a deliberate objective of this project to strengthen non-state actor’s networks on urban governance to influence implementation of appropriate policies to bring about change in urban governance and development,” says Kafunda.
The project runs to 18 months with financial support from European Union (EU) through Tilitonse Foundation.