Councils’ funding drought worries MPs

The Ministry of Finance has assured councils that they will receive their funding by Friday this week.

This assurance came from Martha Chizima, Director of Public Finance Management at the Ministry of Finance, following a meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Local Authorities.

Councils have not received any funding since November last year, a situation that has disrupted various activities in district councils.

“I can assure the councils that the processes have been completed, and the funds will be in their accounts by the close of business today (Thursday) or tomorrow,” Chizima said.

Meanwhile, Horace Chipuwa, Chairperson of the Local Authorities Committee of Parliament, expressed concern that the funding drought has also impacted Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects.

“We wanted to hear from them because funding has not been released since November. This includes our own Constituency Development Fund (CDF). We have been assured that the funding will be completed by the end of business on Friday,” Chipuwa stated.

The committee has warned the Ministry that if the delay persists, they will follow up next Monday.