Daggers have been drawn between the Lilongwe City Council Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Moza Zeleza and the city’s Mayor Desmond Bikoko over what the former alleges is a plot to oust him from office.
In a memo we have seen— from the office of the Chief Executive Officer to the Mayor—Zeleza believes Bikoko is personally championing an agenda to have him removed from office as CEO for allegedly failing to implement the council’s resolutions.
In the memo, Zeleza alleges that a number of meetings have been held between the mayor and other councillors to have Zeleza removed.
“You recall that I came to your office and informed you of reports I have received alleging that you are championing an agenda to have me removed as chief executive officer for undermining your development agenda for Lilongwe City in the three months you have been in office as mayor. My sources are highly reliable,” Zeleza’s memo reads in part.
Zeleza then informs Bikoko in the memo that he would not attend the full council meeting which was scheduled for March 31 as the councillors had planned to ambush his office during the meeting with various concerns.
In the memo, Zeleza calls for mutual respect between the two offices.
“I find it disturbing that your office would wish to ambush my office in such a manner. Further, I advised that I would appreciate if I would get the councillors’ concerns and be given enough time to review and provide appropriate responses,” the memo reads.
Zeleza was not available despite our repeated attempts to confirm if he authored the memo, but Bikoko acknowledged to have received it.
“It is true that councillors have been complaining of the slow pace at which Lilongwe is developing; so as someone who implements various developmental programmes in the city, it was only right for the councillors to take the CEO to task,” Bikoko said in a telephone interview.
On reports that he wants to remove Zeleza from office, Bikoko said: “No mayor can remove a CEO from office. Mr. Zeleza is under a clearly spelt contract with the government which ends next year, so that cannot happen.”
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