New-look Lusaka

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 11:04:30 +0000

GOVERNMENT’S decision to break up Lusaka City Council into seven autonomous municipalities to improve service delivery is one of the most far-reaching pronouncements ever made to give this fast-growing metropolitan a new beginning.

It is clear to all and sundry that Lusaka City Council has become ungovernable.  In fact it is slowly sinking into one gigantic mess.

It is therefore a breath of fresh air to hear Local Government minister Vincent Mwale announce that the city will be segmented into seven main municipalities, equal to the number of constituencies, in a bid to create competition among the various new local authorities, which will ultimately improve service delivery to residents.

Mr Mwale argues that Lusaka’s population has increased beyond the capacity of the council to deliver quality services to the people, prompting Government to split it into several ‘‘town councils’’ or management boards but answerable to the Mayor of Lusaka and town clerk. The move takes effect from January next year.

Lusaka has been beset by myriad challenges which are slowly grinding it to a complete halt. Among these is the K35 million debt in unpaid property rates and billboards rentals, seriously depleting council coffers.

Worse, many residents feel the city is gradually drowning in its own self-generated solid waste as the council has failed to find an effective way to deal with the problem. The rising mountains of garbage around the city is evidence of the failure by the city fathers to manage the capital city of Zambia.

This has resulted in Lusaka turning into an inland lake and its streets as veritable streams of gushing water each time it rained. The city has no underground drainage system and the few drains and gullies that exist are always clogged by all sorts of solid obstacles, including rocks stuffed in there deliberately by unemployed youths – to induce flooding – so that they can make a fast buck by carrying women on their backs who fear to wade in the water.

Over-crowing, lack of housing, traffic congestion, lack of parking space and high crime rate are hanging around the neck of Lusaka City Council like an ugly necklace. They are weighing the city down, almost to its knees.

Any plan therefore to improve service delivery in the Lusaka municipality is more than welcome to the long-suffering 2 million inhabitants of this city once serenated as the Garden City of Central Africa.

When segmented, it is hoped that Munali, Kanyama, Chawama, Matero, Mandevu, Lusaka Central and other areas will be allowed to run as independent, self-managing mini-councils running the affairs of their communities – raising funds and utilising it according to the needs and wishes of residents of those areas.

These management boards are a product of the new amended Constitution under the Local Government Act which promotes the decentralisation concept better known as devolution. This is where local communities will run their own schools, health facilities and other vital services at ward level to enhance governance at the lowest level.

It is envisaged that devolution will spur accountability and transparency at local government level which places people at the centre of development. When people make decisions about their own areas and have a voice in the running of those affairs, self-ownership motivates residents to work hard and honestly for their own good.

Government says these management boards will also be extended to cities like Ndola and Kitwe so that residents of mega townships like Chimwemwe and Chifubu can plan and manage their own affairs.

We have no doubt that this new local government system, which will eventually spread to the rest of the country, will be the harbinger of good things to come.

Zambians need services and it is the responsibility of councils and city fathers to provide them. Any new system that makes this possible is more than welcome.