As the government prepares to begin disbursing Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocations, Minister of Local Government Ben Phiri has warned politicians against interfering in the management and implementation of constituency projects, saying such actions fuel corruption and undermine development.
The warning comes as Treasury confirms that CDF allocations will start reaching district councils next week, with full disbursements expected in July after earlier delays.
Speaking on the management of the fund, Phiri stressed that elected leaders should respect institutional roles and avoid influencing how public resources are allocated and used.
"You will find that resources meant for one project are diverted to another. It is not only politicians who abuse resources; even the secretariat can do the same. But when leaders show discipline and transparency, it becomes difficult for others to misuse resources," he said.
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Phiri said the government wants the CDF programme to become a model for accountable public spending by ensuring taxpayers' money is used effectively, efficiently and economically, free from corruption.
"One of the reasons Malawi is where it is today is that we have not yet made decisions as Malawians to change. At the same time, we have allowed corruption to thrive until we decide to change Malawi," he said.
He added that substantial resources have already been transferred to councils and called for stronger safeguards to prevent what he described as "the taps of corruption."
"We should set an example. Change begins with one person and as Minister of Local Government, we have decided that change will begin with me and everyone under my ministry," he said.
Treasury spokesperson Williams Banda confirmed that the rollout of CDF funds remains on schedule despite earlier delays, with allocations expected to reach councils from next week.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Chambulanyina Jere, Member of Parliament for Mzimba South, expressed concern over the delay in releasing first-quarter allocations for the 2026/27 financial year, noting that as of June 23, 2026, district councils had not yet received the funds.
"This is contrary to previous financial years when allocations were usually disbursed every quarter to facilitate implementation of development projects in constituencies," Jere said.
The Ministry of Local Government says preparations for implementation are already underway across the country. Ministry spokesperson Chimwemwe Njoloma said councils have received the five percent administrative allocation as well as funding for project preparation activities, including advertisements and procurement processes.
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Njoloma said councils are at different stages of readiness, with some already advertising projects, while others are progressing through procurement procedures.
She also announced that the government expects to launch a CDF dashboard by July 10 to improve transparency and enable better tracking of constituency projects.
According to the ministry, orientation sessions for Constituency Development Committees have been completed in all districts, while the recruitment of key technical personnel--including Directors of Planning and Development, Directors of Finance and Chief Procurement Officers--has been finalised to strengthen implementation capacity.
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