Some ward councillors from across the country have refuted claims by Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA) that Government needed to consult the councillors before transferring some district commissioners and chief executive officers of councils.
The ward councillors have distanced themselves from the accusations made by their mother body MALGA.
Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday at a press briefing, representative of the Ward Councillors, Councillor Joseph Chirwa Thula who is UTM Councillor for Mpemba ward in Nkhatabay district, said there is no law that demand Government to consult Councillors when transferring DCs and as Councillors they demand MALGA to withdraw the demands made during a press briefing held on Monday 26 September in Blantyre.
“We want to remind MALGA that everything they do they should refer to the Constitution and now the Constitution is very clear, if you can read section 89 sub section 2, subsection D it is clear that the President and the Minister have powers to transfer either to appoint or to fire the District Commissioners. So there is no way MALGA can be busy fighting for that. And I should also say it here that we as Councillors, we are not against the decision by Government because they are mandated to do so. Therefore, the remarks made by MALGA president in Blantyre saying Councillors were not consulted it’s a lie and they did that press briefing without our consent,” said Thula.
In his remarks, Mayor for Lilongwe City Council Richard Banda said the President for MALGA cannot do things on his own and MALGA erred to fight Government on this issue because it is clear in the Constitution of Malawi that Government has powers to appoint and fire DCs.
Banda also advised MALGA to always consult the councillors whenever the association wants to make decisions concerning councillors.
The councillors also questioned MALGA’s decision of going to court to stop the redeployment of the DC yet no member out of the 462 Councillors was consulted.
The ward Councillors who attended the press briefing are members of UTM, Democratic Progressive Party, Malawi Congress Party and United Democratic Front.
On Monday, MALGA Executive Committee accused Government through the Ministry of Local Government of making decisions without consulting the Councillors which is against the decentralization policy.
MALGA yesterday obtained an injunction stopping Government from redeploying some District Commissioners pending Judicial review of the matter on 18th October 2022.
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