By Masauso Mkwayaya.
Since
the post-independence era, Zambia’s activities particularly those regarding
resource management, planning and decision-making, have been concentrated
within provincial capitals and the national capital city, Lusaka.
This
means that management of resources at District, Provincial and National levels
is in the hands of a few officials.
This
way of managing national affairs is termed as centralization; centralization
refers to the concentration of a government's power –
both geographically and politically – into a centralized
government.
A
centralized country like Zambia deprives citizens at the grass roots of an
opportunity to give input in the planning of their localities.
For
many years now, the Zambian citizenry has had very minimal and in most
instances, NO participation in the managing of resources in their communities.
Governance
experts have attributed this state of affairs to the centralized
governance system which Zambia
currently practices.
In
an attempt to change the status-quo, the then MMD Government led by the late
President Fredrick Chiluba introduced measures that tried to phase away the
centralized governance system.
In
1993, the MMD government introduced the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP).
The
programme included among other two major reforms, the Decentralization and
Strengthening of Local Government (DSLG) element.
The
core essence of the element was to expedite the de-concentration of central
governments functions to provinces and local authorities. This was in an effort
to enhance participatory governance.
Governments
plan at that time was to de-concentrate functions such as Agriculture Extension,
Primary Education and Primary Health Care functions from central government to the
district levels .
But
despite those ambitious, interventions, the then MMD government failed to
provide a workable decentralization framework which would benefit ordinary
citizens.
Commentators
say the government then, failed to give an opportunity to citizens to
participate in the governance of the
country because they concentrated on de-concentrating government functions.
Commentators
note that de-concentration is the weakest form of decentralization because it
only redistributes decision making authority and financial management responsibilities
among different levels of the central government.
In principal it merely shifts responsibilities
from central government officials in the capital city to those working in
provinces or districts.
During
the same period, the government further weakened the local authorities
(councils) by removing some of their functions such as the issuing of drivers
licenses.
Some
of those functions are said to have been, generating a lot of money for the
local authorities.
Former
Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga said the decision by government to remove some
functions from local authorities drastically reduced the revenue base for the councils.
Mr.
Chisenga said government worsened the situation by selling council houses. He said the houses were important assets that
local authorities depended on .
On
the other hand it is argued that the Fredrick Chiluba’s Government succeeded to
decentralize certain government responsibilities through another form of
decentralisation known as, privatization!
Some
stakeholders argue that the late Presidents Chiluba’s decision to allow private
enterprises to perform functions that had previously been monopolized by the
then government; was a successful form of decentralisation in its own right.
However
in 2004 the late Levy Patrick Mwanawasa’s administration launched the
decentralization policy.
The
policy is said to have been shelved because it lacked political will.
Nonetheless,
a few years later, on July 16, 2013, the late President Micheal Sata launched the
revised edition of the decentralization policy.
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| A copy of the revised National Decentralistion Policy.Photo by :Masauso Mkwayaya |
Launching
the Policy at the Lusaka City Council Nakatindi grounds, President SATA hoped
the policy would be an opportunity for the people to have total control of
their resources.
The
revised decentralization policy which President Sata launched is now providing
guidance to the current administration on how they should carry out the
decentralization process.
The
Policy has been tipped for success because it is following a more practical
form or decentralisation called devolution.
This
is because devolution transfers responsibilities for services to municipalities
that elect their own mayors and councils.
In
a devolved system, the Public Corporations (councils) raise their own revenues,
and have independent authority to make investment decisions.
To
that effect the current government led by President Edagr Lungu has a
Management Development Division which falls under cabinet office.
One
of the Division’s core functions is to spear- head the decentralization
process.
The
Permanent Secretary in the Division Ndasha Yumba says the local authorities
have already been restructured to pave way for about 14 structures which will
be devolved from central government.
Mr
Yumba said some of the functions which will be devolved from different
ministries are ; Primary Health Care, Public Health ,Primary Education
,Agriculture Extension Services among others.
And
immediate past Lusaka City Mayor George Nyendwa, confirmed that the personnel
at the local authority had undergone capacity building to prepare for the new
structures that will be devolved to the council.
The
Former Mayor also said the local authority has already started working with
some officials from other government ministries.
He
said the Lusaka City Council has already started working with the District
Health Office on issues of Public Health.
The
Former Mayor added that the council will FULLY devolve once logistics are
completed by the central government.
The
task to prepare ministerial devolution plans is under the care of the
Decentralization Secretariat.
And
Director of the Decentralization Secretariat Alfred Sakwiya revealed that 14
government Ministries have already completed doing their devolution plans .
He
says the plans are just awaiting approval from cabinet office.
Mr.
Ndashe Yumba, the Permanent at the Management Development Division confirmed that by April 2016 ,cabinet office
had already started approving the devolution plans.
The
approval of the plans is expected to add impetus to the devolution process.
The
Decentralization Secretariat said once the devolution process is in full gear,
about hundred thousand(100,000) civil servants will be moved from various
ministries to different local
authorities across the country.
The
Secretariat says some of the civil servants who will be moved are those from
ministries that offer Primary Education, Primary Health Care, Agriculture
Extension and Community Development Services.
And
the Local Government Service Commission
, the institution which is mandated to look at the Human Resource Requirements
in local authorities said they have already started receiving concerns from
Local Government Workers.
The
Commission says a lot of Council workers are worried that other people from
Government Ministries will take up their jobs.
The
Commission has however clarified that no one will lose their jobs as a result
of decentralisation.
Commission
Secretary Lazarous Mulenda said no council employee will lose their job because
the human resource who will be moved to the local authorities will be doing the
same things that they were doing in Ministries were they will come from.
Mr.
Mulenda said councils will be
administering functions that were previously managed by the central government .
Meanwhile
the former Lusaka Mayor has cautioned that the increased responsibility that
will be bestowed upon the councils will require adequate funding if councils
are to operate effectively.
And
the Management Development Division at cabinet office has revealed that local
authorities will be adequately funded.
Division
Permanent Secretary Ndashe Yumba said Government has already put in place a
Local Government Equalization Fund which is aimed at deliberately funding local
authorities, especially those in rural areas.
The
revised decentralisation policy states that councils will be headed by Mayors,
or Council Chairpersons who will be elected by adult suffrage in the council
area.
The
electing of mayors has been concretised by the amended constitution which was
assented to by President Edgar Lungu on January 5 2016.
Previously
Mayors and Council Chairperson were drawn from Councillors. Councillors used to elect Mayors and Council Chairpersons from among themselves .
The
electing of Mayors and Council Chairpersons is expected to make the mayoral
office more answerable and sensitive to people’s needs.
The
mayoral position has further being strengthened because all basic
services at District level will be under the eye of the mayor.
This
means that the human and monetary resources of offices such the District
Education Board Secretary (DEBS), District Community Development Services, District
Agriculture Extension Services will be managed by the council.
The
electing of mayors will furthermore enable people to hold their leaders
accountable.
Once
decentralisation in Zambia takes full effect, Political stability will be
secured because people will actively participate in development activities.
Accountability
will also be enhanced because local representatives will be more accessible to
the local populace.
However
authorities must create or maintain “enabling conditions" that will allow
local authorities to take on more responsibilities.
And If Zambia is to fully decentralize; Political Interference in local
authorities should be avoided at all cost.
