The Lilongwe City Council has admitted poor performance in provision of standard services to residents and the business community of the capital city.
The council’s Chief Executive Officer Moza Zeleza has attributed the development to enormous challenges the council is currently facing.
The council’s confession comes amid complaints from the residents about poor sanitation, road infrastructure, poor drainage systems and the council’s inability to respond to fire crises on time.
Zeleza said despite the city having a large population which might translate into more revenue, the council is struggling financially such that it is failing to have adequate resources to provide quality service.
“We have serious problems in terms of sanitation in our central markets. We are only operating with 20 skips and we don’t even have dustbins. Talking of refuse collecting trucks, they are very few and even the fire-fighting trucks are very few. We need support in those areas. As a council we do not have resources,” he said
On Friday, the council engaged stakeholders to ask for assistance in the management of the city.
An increase in city rates defaulters and fraud cases are said to be major setbacks to its revenue basket.
He has since called on the business and diplomatic community to assist the council through partnerships to transform the face of the capital city and provide quality services to its residents.
“We would like the diplomatic community to link us up with other cities so that we can develop a relationship that would be mutually beneficial to all of us. The business community can help us in various ways,” he said.
Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Kiswell Dakamau said the ministry is aware of the challenges hindering the council from providing quality services.
“If you look at the equipment that is required for service delivery it is very expensive; the council’s alone cannot manage. The government is trying to create a conducive environment so that the cities can deliver. For instance, we have managed to facilitate a strategic partner who will be using waste in the city and turn it into energy,” he said
Some of the members of diplomatic community who attended the event were United States Ambassador Virginia Palmer, UN Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo and members of the business community.
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