CDF is not Decentralization!
..why it has become a looting frenzy…
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba Wrote;
It has become a looting frenzy, with the so-called loans the conduit of the loot, as failure to recover loans, failure to account for funds and change of projects without aporoval is occurring frequently with impunity.
The only funding line consistently moving is that of loans, grants and administration of the fund! Yet this was touted as a development tool!
When you hear or read reports that communities have utilised CDF or scored success, it’s because (the MP or town clerk or Council Secretary) has caused the purchase of expensive yellow machines (graders, bull dozers, compactors, tractors and other construction equipment) but are parked the whole year and remained unused!
Yet as shown in the last 3 years, community projects and district development are not undetaken and have suffered most.
This is because, with the current approach, there is no capacity to utilise CDF allocations.
It doesn’t matter how much you increase CDF from K1.6m to K25.7m to K32m, the outcome remains the same!
And the few that parrot the success of CDF do not even appear among the top 20 Constituencies utilising the fund.
Sadly, they keep on firing innocent administrators and staff accusing them of sabotaging or frustrating development yet the failure of CDF as a tool to develop is inevitable and is systemic.
CDF was designed to support constituency-level, grass-root development projects and to complement planned district development.
It was aimed to achieve equitable distribution of development resources across regions and to control imbalances in regional development brought about by partisan politics.
What must be done?
As envisioned by the Constitution, Government must implement and fund the decentralisation policy and return and devolve public resources to the municipalities and councils that have a democratic community structure led by those voted for by the people; The Mayors and Council Chairperson.
The Council now leads a bureacratic structure comprising, administrators, engineers, planners and procurement committees. Capacity exists at Council level to plan and deliver constituency and district development.
Hence the equalisation fund from the centre to support the recruitment of qualified staff and meet recurrent expenditure at the Council.
Yet the current approach of funding and utilisation of CDF makes this accountable structure stand as mere spectators, appendage or at best mere facilitators or enablers of CDF implementation.
It is easier to hold this structure accountable than the CDF structures President Hichilema is pushing and trying to re-invent the wheel.
Again we must emphasise, CDF is not decentralisation.
Local government can be effective when they have the resources and expertise to address community needs. Effective local governments can improve quality of life, economic development, and community participation.
I’ve always said, a mere brief to the President would have saved as all this mess where he thinks CDF is decentralisation or local government and has forced amendments to regulations and passed a new law to make Decentralisation work through CDF as a reality.
Now they even want District Commissioners to be part of CDF Committees! Infact when the decentralisation policy is working,this office ought to die!
To utilise the money allocated under this confusion, they can only buy capital equipment, all expensive 4×4 vehicles as monitiring, police, and ambulances or give themselves loabs and grants to utilise (blow) the money allocated in one year.
That’s why you hear people constantly say; ” na CDF tatu imona” (no one even sees that CDF) Zero impact despite huge annual allocations.
This is haphazard and the same top-down approach condemned in modern states, it is the reason the decentralisation or devolution policy must be undertaken.
If we implemented properly the decentralization policy, it can make local government work, it will accelerate public sector efficiency in that it can improve how responsive and efficient by moving decision-making closer to citizens and voters can hold the elected officials more accountable.
Check the slides and analysis well-done by Transparency International.