The office of the Auditor General (AG) has expressed concern over the failure by district councils to properly utilise funds meant for projects by among others, engaging contractors that abandon projects midway hence keeping a lot of money in idle state.
The concern follows a capacity strengthening workshop facilitated by the Youth and Society (YAS) in Mchinji, aimed at instilling adherence to the rule of law and cultivating a culture of integrity in civil society organisations and finance and audit committees.
Assistant Auditor General for the North Jika Mapila, urged all participants to serve as watchdogs for the council’s activities on budgetary recommendations, findings and reviews.
According to Mapila, for the past three years, Mchinji District has had its financial statements exaggerated, a development that puts the district on the verge of losing some benefits.
“Between 2021-2023 the Mchinji district council has had qualified opinions owing to irregular engagement of contractors, abandoned projects by contractors, lack of proper documentation and tracking and underutilisation of borehole funds among others,” said Mapila.
Mchinji District Council finance committee chairperson, councillor Henry Nyamaulo, said this revelation shows there is a huge gap between the secretariat and council branch committees on liaising issues.
He said the irregularities are a wake-up call for for the council to find a lasting solution to the derailment of projects and stagnation of development in the district to score poorly year in year out.
“These irregularities are embarrassing to say the least because the secretariat works in isolation,” said a dejected and remorseful Nyamaulo.
District civil society chairperson Aubrey Chidziwitsano said there is a lot to do to ensure that all concerned are adhering to procedure.
“This should not end here. We call for prosecution of the public officers involved in the mismanagement of public resources,” said Chidziwitsano.
YAS project officer Jayne Chibisa was optimistic that through the initiative, the finance and audit committee for Mchinji District Council, among other stakeholders, has been given capacity on adherence to integrity in their work.
Chibisa said the responsibility to ensure ethical and transparent management of public resources lies with every Malawian citizen.
She also encouraged Malawians to be watchdogs and voice of the people bound by a shared duty to uphold the principles of accountability and integrity.
“Let us remember that every kwacha entrusted to public institutions is not just money—it is an investment in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and the future of our communities and we must account for it.
YAS with support from United Nations is implementing an initiative called, “Action for Integrity”, which is in line with the national Anti-corruption strategy (NACSII).
Few days ago during a full council meeting, Mchinji District Council failed to approve a budget of 38 billion kwacha when councillors and concerned chiefs questioned the overbloated budget and how the money was spent.
