Members of Parliament (MP) from Mangochi District have been accused of undermining full council meetings, thereby derailing the pace of development projects.
Council Chairperson, Omar Magombo, made the remarks in Mangochi Monday during a full council meeting which, among other things, was convened to highlight implementation guidelines for the controversial K4 billion allocation.
Speaking during the meeting, Mangochi Monkey Bay legislator, Ralph Jooma, said his constituency has not benefitted from the District Development Fund (DDF) introduced by the government three years ago.
His concerns were also shared by Mangochi West legislator, Geoffrey Chiwondo, who claimed that some constituencies are getting a lion’s share of DDF at the expense of others.
However, the sentiments angered councillors and legislators from other constituencies, who accused the two of lacking interest in council business.
Finance Committee Chairperson, Ibrahim Kadewere, said parliamentarians from the district do not attend council meetings; hence, they do not understand how funds for development projects are being allocated.
“In Mangochi Monkey Bay [for example], the council has spent about K54 million under DDF on projects at the bus depot and flea market. This is a lot of money compared to amounts that have been used in other constituencies. The problem is that most MPs here do not attend meetings when invited,” Kadewere said.
Despite the clarifications, tempers flared such that there was a bitter exchange of words in the house, prompting the council chairperson to intervene.
“The council is very disappointed with how the MPs lack seriousness with deliberations here. We need to look into this issue with seriousness. All Members of Parliament have been shunning full council meetings. They should stop undermining this house,” Magombo said.
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