Forum for Democratic Process (FODEP) Executive Director Chimfwembe Mweenye has urged Government to revisit the national decentralization policy.
Speaking during a media Briefing , Chimfwembe said the national decentralization policy need a serious drive that requires Local authorities to channel proceeds from local taxes into service delivery.
Chimfwembe says the local authorities have demonstrated limited capacity to handle the influx of economic activities and the growing population in providing quality services under the mandate of the Local Government Act and the 2016 Constitution.
And Chimfwembe has advised Government to quickly review its laws and policies because the marginalized women, youths and persons with disabilities are not sufficiently benefitting from the current mine investments.
“Government should revisit the national decentralization policy” Chimfwembe said
The Decentralization Policy began with MMD with late Benny Mwiinga was Minister of Local Government. It’s unfortunate that we are still talking about decentralization 20 years later. How are we creating new districts without a working decentralized Government?
Ba Lombe, you must have been born yesterday and there is nothing wrong with that. Decentralization started with Kaunda and UNIP. There was even a strike when the introduction of decentralization was announced and sadly up to now nearly everything is controlled by the central government.
The biggest problem we have as Zambians is corruption without which decentralization will never work and I mean Zambians and not individual parties. Without us Zambians changing our mindset it doesn’t who is in power we will never develop.
If what is in the D Policy go by the procurement of all capital items and infrastructural projects should have limited the extent of unbridled and unchecked corruption we are confronted with. fire tenders, lsk-ndola dual carriage way, batoka hydro etc would not have been Kaizeried
The question is are we ready? Go round councils and ask them how they have managed the little funds received . The only thing you will hear from this people is allowances. Look at calibre of most council chair persons and their councillors. Zambia is far much better without decentralization
DECENTRALIZATION is critical for economic development. Get it, I say it again, Decentralization is critical for real economic developmental.
Strength – Communities of people (Province, City, Village) are empowered to govern themselves and their economic affairs. The reason decentralization is perceived not to work in Zambia is because there is no appropriate legislation to support it.
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Winnipeg as a City, we are governed by what we call the Winnipeg Charter. It is a mean constitution that tells how to run the City of Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg Council is the legislative body of the city and it makes bylaws to help govern the city. City council is backed up and supported by a professional city government machinery headed by the Chief…
Timbalife..You have summed up the reason why we dont progress and that is CORRUPTION .CORRUPTION at all levels. CORRUPTION is endemic in our society yet pipo see it as a normal way of life because of POVERTY.
Poverty breeds corruption but then that corruption keeps pipo in poverty and this is a CHRISTIAN NATION.