…As they hike honoraria by 25%
Phalombe Councillors and legislators have rejected a proposal to construct a stadium in the district claiming it will not be making enough money to meet their new honoraria demands.
This was revealed on Tuesday during the full council meeting of which members of the district’s council were approving 2018/2019 financial year budget for the district.
Damson Chiphaka who is the district’s finance committee chairperson said in his report that the Councillors’ honoraria are on plan to be increased with 25 percent by the council so the stadium will not be effective in bringing funds.
“On Friday 16th March this year we went to learn from our friends in Mulanje on how they built their stadium and we learnt that they used over Mk300 million but just imagine last year they only got Mk18 million, so if we borrow money for that project can we manage to pay back?
“You know we have put in the budget that our honoraria should go up by 25 percent, We have come up with the decision that we should buy a lorry or CaterPillar which individuals or companies can be hiring and give us money in return,” said the Mpasa Ward Councillor.
Sukasanje Ward Councillor Fredrick Namuru in his comment disagreed with what the finance committee had agreed saying a stadium is a long term source of income whereas the lorry is just temporally as it will be sucking money and it may be involved in an accident.
“My fellow Councillors are we serious? Do you know that if a lorry can be involved in an accident then we are finished? Remember stadium shall be there boosting our revenue all the time and many people here mostly our youths will be benefitting from that,” said Namuru.
Meanwhile, youth groups in the district have expressed their dissatisfaction with the local leaders’ decision and have also pointed fingers at the district’s council secretariat that it is not helping them.
Phalombe district youth network Chairperson, Joseph Mwangoima, told Malawi24 in an interview after the meeting that the youths in the district are disappointed as this is not the first time seeing the council rejecting their wishes.
“We are not happy to see the council is hesitating from borrowing money to build a stadium here in Phalombe, we love sports here very much than other districts and we have seen that what these leaders know is using us for their political purposes.
“Let us say the truth here that our council is yet to satisfy the youths and we can say that the council has not reached an extent where we can say that it is considerate to us,” Mwangoima said.
In 2016/2017 financial year, members of the council also disapproved proposal to have a Youth Resource Centre built in the district.
Meantime the council members have approved budget amounting to MK4, 690, 116, 503.00 for the district to use in the next fiscal year.
