By MARTIN NKHOMA
Confusion characterise full council meeting at Mambwe Town Council Confusion has characterised the first ordinary session of the Council Meeting for the year 2022 at Mambwe Town Council which eventually failed to take place.
This is after the Council Chairperson Isaac Zulu and some councillors demanded that the senior management staff be transferred from the local authority.
Much of the day when the full council meeting was supposed to be in session, the Council Chairperson and councillors were still going back and forth over various issues while the Royal Highnesses, Departmental Heads and other stakeholders were kept waiting in the council chamber.
The Chairperson Isaac Zulu said that some officers were not executing their duties effectively as they should and as a result not helping the government fulfill the promises it made to the people of Malambo Constituency.
Mr Zulu said that there are some projects that were being undertaken by the council but up to now they have not been completed or handed over despite the funds being disbursed.
“Some projects were being implemented through the K1.6 million Constituency Development Fund, but up to now they have not been completed,” he said. He wondered how the council management staff would be effective in handling the K25.7 million Constituency Development Funds if they fail to expend K1.6 million.
“For instance, works at the Police Post in Msoro have stalled. If this is what is happening, then how will the officers implement projects under the increased K25.7 million Kwacha if they are failing to finish projects under the K1.6 million kwacha CDF,” the Council Chairperson said. The Council Chairperson and councillors also observed that there was no close monitoring and inspection of projects by the officers hence leaving contractors to do as they please.
They added that the principal officer was failing to control his officers in order for them to diligently execute their duties. “It seems the principal officer is failing to control his officers and take action against them hence the laissez-faire type of work.
If this continues, we will be forced to take action against him,” they said. The Council further added that the procedures that are in place are also cumbersome and hence need to be reviewed. “We are unable to inspect or monitor projects without the presence of the responsible officers.
This is one of the challenges we are facing because even when we call upon the responsible officers, they just give excuses.
No one forced them to apply for jobs. If they can’t carry out their duties effectively, they should say so, “they said.
The Council further stated that people in the communities were waiting eagerly for the government to deliver its promises and that can only be done if responsible officers did the work they are paid for.
“Our communities sent us here to represent them because they all cannot come here. But how are we going to ensure that they also benefit from the CDF allocation if officers are not doing what they are paid for,” the councillors said.
They noted that they now know why communities are still suffering although previously the blame was put on the councillors that were in office as the reason behind communities not developing and benefiting from government projects and funds.
The incensed councillors also pointed out that there was a poor councillors-technocrat relationship as government officers were not involving them in their programmes and urged them to change.
Meanwhile, Mambwe Town Council Secretary Henry Siwakwi said in as much as the councillors want officers such as the District Planning Officer, the District Treasurer, the Procurement Officer, the Buildings inspector and the Director of Works to be transferred from the station, the responsibility of transferring officers rested entirely with the Local Government Commission.
“The performance of workers is reviewed every year through the Annual Performance Appraisal Forms. Thereafter, the Local Government Commission decides what to do next,” he said.
