Africa-Press – Malawi. Government has drawn a hard line — Members of Parliament (MPs) must stay away from local councils and hands off the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ben Phiri, dropped the bombshell in Parliament on Monday, announcing that all Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Area Development Committees (ADCs) formed under the previous administration have been dissolved with immediate effect, clearing the way for new, performance-based structures.
“This reconstitution will enhance transparency, accountability, and effective grassroots participation in local development,” declared Phiri, making it clear that the era of political meddling in council business is over.
Phiri further announced a sweeping restructuring that completely removes MPs from any role in managing the CDF, with District Commissioners (DCs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) now solely responsible for administering the fund.
“Projects will be identified through the new VDCs and ADCs. The chairpersons of ADCs will fill out project identification forms and submit them directly to their respective DCs,” he said — effectively stripping MPs of the influence they once wielded over billions of kwacha in public funds.
Court Backs the Move
The directive follows the High Court’s landmark May 2025 Constitutional Court ruling, which outlawed MPs’ voting rights at council level, calling the arrangement unconstitutional and a conflict of interest. The court made it clear that legislators’ involvement in the CDF and other local government funds undermined separation of powers and eroded oversight integrity.
Although the Attorney General initially appealed the ruling, the Ministry of Justice has since confirmed that the appeal was quietly withdrawn, cementing the court’s position and the minister’s new directive.
“MPs Must Stay Away”
Phiri did not mince words in Parliament:
“There is a new direction following the High Court ruling… I am advising honourable Members of Parliament not to attend council meetings.”
With that statement, the minister shut the door on MPs’ long-held dominance in the CDF — a fund critics say has been abused for political gain, corruption, and self-promotion rather than real development.
Old Committees Dismissed
Equally sweeping is the decision to disband all existing VDCs and ADCs. Phiri said the old committees were politically biased and aligned to “those who established them,” adding:
“It is unlikely that such committees can serve our interests as well.”
Councils have since begun holding fresh elections to rebuild local governance structures aligned with the country’s decentralisation goals.
K5 Billion CDF Coming — But With Strings Attached
While the current K220 million CDF allocation will remain unchanged for now, Phiri hinted at a major shake-up next fiscal year:
“From 2026/27, the CDF will rise to K5 billion per constituency — but under a completely reformed structure.”
Governance experts have hailed the move as a reset for accountability and transparency in Malawi’s decentralisation journey.
Malawi Local Government Association (Malga) executive director Hadrod Mkandawire backed the new approach, saying councillors’ role is oversight, not fund management.
“At the end of the day, the controlling officers will still be reporting to the council… Councillors should not be managing development projects on a daily basis.”
Experts: ‘This Is Long Overdue’
Governance watchdog Willy Kambwandira of the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency warned that while the K5 billion allocation offers opportunity, it also poses risk.
“Without accountability mechanisms, this could be a new frontier for abuse and political capture,” he cautioned.
Analysts Wonderful Mkhutche and Clemence Alfazema both welcomed the dismantling of old structures and MPs’ removal from CDF, describing it as a “necessary cleansing” of Malawi’s local governance system.
“The CDF was never meant to be a political trophy,” Alfazema argued. “The court’s decision to kick MPs out was timely — a constituency is a political boundary, not a development structure.”
Government has spoken — MPs must stay away. No more political interference in council business. No more shadowy control of CDF funds. No more partisan committees at village and area levels.
This is a new chapter for Malawi’s decentralisation, one where communities — not politicians — take charge of their development.
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