Speaking during the 17th Annual General Assembly for MALGA, president of the organization Davie Maunde said extended delays to table the bill are resulting in missed opportunities for the country.

“There are serious reservations in the Local Government Amendment Bill of 2022 in which some provisions were inserted without the knowledge of key stakeholders, a move that undermines the core principles of decentralization,” he said.

Concurring with Maunde MALGA's Executive Director Hadrod Zeru Mkandawire says the organization will continue to follow up on the matter with the national local government finance Committee.

“Huge financial gaps still exist in the local government sector and that is where we want government and other development partners to come in and assist,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Local government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda said there's a need for political and technical actors to continue to engage each other to come up with solutions for the delays.

MALGA proposed that in the Local Government Amendment Bill of 2022 the appointing powers to vote for council chairpersons should be reviewed, by among others, removing voting powers from members of parliament.