malawi local government accountability and performance (lgap)

MALAWI LOCAL GOVERNMENT

ACCOUNTABILITY AND

PERFORMANCE

Malawi LGAP Quarterly Report FY2019, Quarter 3 | i

MALAWI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

AND PERFORMANCE (LGAP)

Quarterly Report

Third Quarter - Fiscal Year 2019

April 2019 – June 2019

Program Title: Malawi Local Government Accountability and

Performance (LGAP)

Contract Number: AID-OAA-I-14-00061/AID-612-TO-16-00004

Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID/Malawi

Contractor: DAI Global, LLC

Date of Publication: July 30, 2019

On the cover: Duke Burruss, Vice President of Africa at DAI receiving the DDP and SEP for

Machinga district from the Guest of Honor, Mr. Symon Maliko (Director of Administration from

MLGRD)

Malawi LGAP Quarterly Report FY2019, Quarter 3 | ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MALAWI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE

(LGAP) ...................................................................................................................................... I

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................ III

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................ 1

LGAP Objectives and result areas...................................................................................... 3

PART I: ACHIEVEMENTS IN KEY RESULT AREAS ......................................................... 5

Result Area 1: Increasing Local Government Performance and Transparency ............ 5 Sub Result 1.1 District Development Planning, Budgeting, and Implementation Process ............................... 5 Sub Result 1.2 Accountability, PFM, and Oversight of Public Expenditures Improved .................................. 11 Sub-Result 1.3: Capacity of Councillors to Serve as Effective Representatives Improved ............................ 16 Sub-Result 1.4: Own-Source Revenue and Local Economic Development Increased .................................... 20 Sub-Result 1.5: USAID Activities are Better Integrated in District Planning and Budgeting ........................... 0

RESULT AREA 2: DEMAND FOR ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT

STRENGTHENED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL..................................................................... 2 Sub-Result 2.1: Citizen Participation in Local Government Planning and Policy Development Increased .. 2 Sub-Result 2.2: Social Accountability and Transparency of Public Expenditure Management and Service

Delivery Improved ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Sub-Result 2.3: USAID Support is Better Integrated in Social Accountability ..................................................... 8

Result Area 3: Decentralization Policy Environment and Systems Improved – Policy

Interface .............................................................................................................................. 10 Sub-Result 3.1: Select Policies and Legal Reforms Related to Decentralization Supported ........................ 10 Sub-Result 3.2: Public Financial Management Systems Improved ...................................................................... 13 Sub-Result 3.3: Human Resources and Key Management Systems Improved ............................................... 14 Sub-Result 3.4: USAID Sectoral Support for Policy Reforms Coordinated, Reinforcing Decentralization 16

Result Area 4: Public Service Performance Management Systems Improved and

Implemented ...................................................................................................................... 18 Sub-Result 4.1: Policy and Performance Management Systems Reforms......................................................... 18 Sub-Result 4.2: Institutional Capacity Building .......................................................................................................... 19 Sub-Result 5.1: Strengthening Accountability and Policy Making ........................................................................ 20

PART II. INTEGRATION AND KEY ACHIEVEMENTS BY SECTOR ............................ 21

PART III: PROGRESS BY INDICATOR AND MONITORING AND EVALUATION

TABLE 11: LGAP DATA PERFORMANCE TABLE FROM OCTOBER 2016 TO JUNE

2019 ........................................................................................................................................ 25

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION .................................................... 36

STTA in the Reporting Period .......................................................................................... 36 Staffing ................................................................................................................................ 36

SUCCESS STORIES .............................................................................................................. 39

Market vendor Grace Ziyaya bids farewell to dust and mud ......................................... 39

ANNEX: ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONALITY OF DISTRICT EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE IN COUNCILS – DETAILED FINDINGS .................................................. 40

Malawi LGAP Quarterly Report FY2019, Quarter 3 | iii

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

ADC Area Development Committee

AEC Area Executive Committee

CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy

CDF Constituency Development Fund

COP Chief of Party

COR USAID Contracting Officer’s Representative

CPS Citizen Perception Survey

CBO Community-Based Organization

CLA Collaborative Learning and Adaptive

CSO Civil Society Organization

DADO District Agriculture Development Officer

DAO Director of Administration

DC District Commissioner

DCOP Deputy Chief of Party

DDB District Data Bank

DDP District Development Plans

DDPF District Development Planning Framework

DDPS District Development Planning System

DEC District Executive Committee

DEM District Education Manager

DHO District Health Officer

DHRMD Department of Human Resource Management and Development

DNCC District Nutrition Coordinating Committee

DMECC District Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinating Committee

DOF Director of Finance

DPD Director of Planning and Development

EPAs Extension Planning Areas

EP&D Department of Economic Planning and Development

EWs Establishment Warrants

FISP Fertilizer Input Subsidy Programme

FY Fiscal Year

GIS Geographical Information System

GOM Government of Malawi

GUC Grants under Contract

HACs Health Advisory Committee

HR Human Resources

HRM Human Resources Management

HRMIS Human Resources Management Information Systems

HSA Health Surveillance Assistant

ICT Information and Communications Technology

IFMIS Information Finance Management Integrated System

KPA Key Performance Area

LAPA Local Authority Performance Assessment

LASCOM Local Authority Service Commission

LDF Local Development Fund

LGA Local Government Accountability

LGSC Local Government Service Committee

LRESP Local Revenue Enhancement Strategic Plan

MALGA Malawi Local Government Association

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

ME&L Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

MGDS 111 Malawi Growth and Development Strategy 111

Malawi LGAP Quarterly Report FY2019, Quarter 3 | iv

MISA Media Institute of Southern Africa

MJCA Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs

MLGRD Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development

MP Member of Parliament

MSCE Malawi School Certificate of Education

NAO National Audit Office

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NICE National Initiative for Civic Education

NORC National Opinion Research Center

NLGFC National Local Government Finance Committee

OPC Office of the President and Cabinet

ORT Other Recurrent Transactions

PAC Public Affairs Committee

PEA Political Economy Analysis

PFM Public Financial Management

PMEP Performance Management and Evaluation Plan

PIRS Performance Indicator Reference Sheet

PTA Parent-Teacher Association

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals

SEP Social Economic Profile

SMS Short Message Service

STTA Short-Term Technical Assistance

TA Traditional Authority

TAMIS Technical Administrative Management Information System

TD-PFMA Technical Director for Public Financial Management and Accountability

TORS Terms of Reference

USAID United States Agency for International Development

VDC Village Development Committee

Malawi LGAP Quarterly Report FY2019, Quarter 3 | 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report presents progress made on the Local Government Accountability and Performance Activity

(LGAP) for the third quarter of the third year of implementation. The report highlights activities

conducted, significant outcomes, and progress towards achieving targets. The report also makes a

deliberate effort to capture and present challenges in implementation and lessons learned as they inform

program priorities and needed adjustments to achieve its objectives moving forward.

General Context

The reporting period coincided with Malawi’s tripartite elections, in which citizens voted for candidates

for Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council seats. The political atmosphere was tense but mostly

calm until after the release of results from the May contest. The political campaign and electioneering

processes had some impact on planned activities, as anticipated, but the impact was minimal as effective

mitigation measures were in place. The uncertainty after the release of electoral results, coupled with

civil unrest in some areas, did affect post-election interventions, as detailed below.

The project also engaged with a high-level delegation from USAID that visited Malawi in May. LGAP

participated in several engagements with the team, including presenting an overview of LGAP and its

link to USAID’s focus on the Journey to Self-Reliance, as well as a focused discussion on integration

and how various programs can better collaborate to concentrate resources towards shared goals while

leveraging investment from peer initiatives to improve efficiency and scale up catalytic interventions.

Progress in Activity Implementation

During the reporting period, LGAP carried out multiple interventions. Under Result Area 1, the project

continued to support the 8 district councils to enhance their functionality. On planning and development,

the launch of the District Development Plans (DDPs) and Socio-economic Profiles (SEPs) in Machinga,

Lilongwe, and Blantyre marked the completion of the development process of planning documents in

all 8 districts. On capacity development, LGAP worked alongside the Ministry of Local Government

and Rural Development (MLGRD) Planning Unit in carrying out diagnostic assessments on the

functionality of District Executive Committees (DEC) with the ultimate aim of strengthening their

coordination role. LGAP also worked with CSO grantees to begin a process of strengthening the lower

level structures of the Councils such as Area Development Committees (ADCs) and Village

Development Committees (VDCs). In terms of public finance management (PFM) and financial

oversight, the districts continue to benefit from LGAP’s hands-on mentorship in various aspects of

financial management and procurement. LGAP saw the dividends of continuous support to Mulanje

District Council when they received a nearly clean audit report – with the only outstanding issue being

assets management, which has for long lacked central government policy direction. Pre-audit exercises

were carried out in M’mbelwa and Blantyre to prepare these councils for their external audits, which

are expected to similarly show improvements. LGAP also worked with Blantyre and Mulanje districts

to initiate processes to improve administration of assets. In order to improve local revenue, M’mbelwa

and Mulanje Councils were supported to carry out internal

assessments and develop the Local Revenue Enhancement

Strategic Plans (LRESP) - an activity which will extend to all

of LGAP’s original Councils in the next quarter.

Under Result Area 2, the project carried out several

interventions to increase citizen participation in the elections,

Demand-side statistics

60,000+ citizens participated in road

shows in 8 districts

180 electoral programs; 210 slots of

jingles in 6 community radio stations

1,000 posters distributed


focusing on strengthening demand for accountable local governments. There were efforts on mobilizing

eligible voters to vote for development-oriented councillors in order to strengthen oversight functions

of the district councils. LGAP worked with 6 community radio stations to air 180 electoral related

programs and conducted 46 road shows in 8 districts to encourage people to vote for councillors. In

order to engage youth in the election spirit, LGAP, with the facilitation of community radios, conducted

debates in three public universities: Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources

(LUANAR), Chancellor College (CHANCO), and Mzuzu University (MZUN). The main aim of these

debates was to emphasize the importance of voting councillors into office as a way of enhancing

accountability and performance of district councils. About 1,500 students attended the debates from all

the universities.

Under Result Area 3, LGAP continued to strengthen the coordination role of MLGRD, including

through review and development of materials such as handbooks to guide operations of councils. LGAP

supported the Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA) and MLGRD in preparations for the

orientation of newly-elected councillors and other Council officials. The stakeholders jointly reviewed

and updated the Trainers Manual/Facilitators Guide for the trainers, who will train the newly-elected

councillors and other council officials. The training is expected to help develop a cohort of councillors

who will be able to effectively represent constituents and exercise robust oversight of the Councils to

ensure the delivery of quality public services. For Human Resource Devolution, LGAP collaborated

with the Local Authority Service Commission (LASCOM), MLGRD and sector Ministries to

commence intra-district staff redeployment. The basis of these transfers hinges on the findings of the

headcount of Council staff which recommended further analysis of staff figures against Council

establishments and most recent staff returns. Furthermore, in a bid to support professionalization of

local government, LGAP commenced support to the Staff Development Institute (SDI) to introduce a

program that is based on local government administration challenges and skills shortages faced by local

government. The proposed Diploma of Local Government Administration qualification is best suited

to those who are seeking to move into administrative roles within Local Governments or currently

working within Local Government Administration but are looking to gain an esteemed qualification to

improve their skills and enhance their opportunities for career advancement.

Finally, under Results 4 and 5, LGAP supported the development of a website and e-library system for

the Public Sector Reforms Management Unit (PSRMU) as a logical entry point for enhanced visibility,

accountability and stakeholder communication. The website will be used by public service employees,

civil society, development partners and the general public. Further, the PSRMU was supported to

develop messages on reforms that will be factored into different information, education and

communication (IEC) materials.


LGAP OBJECTIVES AND RESULT AREAS

The overall objective of LGAP is to “support local government to effectively, efficiently, and

democratically fulfill its mandate of providing public services and representing citizen interests.”

The program has five Key Result Areas, which are further explained and guided by targeted sub-result

areas, as follows:

Result 1: Local government performance and transparency increased (supply side).

1.1 District development planning, budgeting, and implementation processes improved;

1.2 Accountability, PFM, and oversight of public expenditures improved;

1.3 Capacity of councilors to serve as effective representatives improved;

1.4 Own-source revenue and local economic development increased; and

1.5 USAID activities better integrated in district planning and budgeting.

Result 2: Demand for accountable government strengthened at the local level (demand side).

2.1 Citizen participation in local government planning and policy development increased;

2.2 Social accountability and transparency of public expenditure management and service

delivery improved; and

2.3 USAID support better integrated in social accountability activities.

Result 3: Decentralization policy environment and systems improved (policy interface).

3.1 Select policies and legal reforms related to decentralization supported;

3.2 Public financial management systems improved;

3.3 Human resources and key management systems improved; and

3.4 USAID sectoral support for policy reforms coordinated, reinforcing decentralization.

Result 4: Public Service Performance Management Systems Improved and Implemented

4.1 Policy and performance management system reform; and

4.2 Institutional capacity building.

Result 5: Public Finance Management Related to Human Resources Improved

5.1 Strengthening accountability and policy making.

Program Approach

LGAP’s multi-dimensional approach addresses governance challenges from both the supply and

demand sides and integrates activities with the national decentralization process and specific sector

initiatives in health, education, and agriculture. On the supply side, LGAP supports the District Councils

in advancing their systems’ functionality and improving service delivery coordination and management.

On the demand side, LGAP supports civil society and communities to hold the District Councils

accountable to service delivery as anticipated through participatory planning and budgeting processes.

To improve the national policy and regulatory framework for local governance and effective

decentralization LGAP supports the MLGRD and other central government institutions, such as the

NLGFC, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development (MFEP&D), the Department

of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD), the Local Government Service

Commission (LGSC), and the Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA). The Public Service

Reforms Activity (PSRA) complements and deepens LGAP technical support to OPC, DHRMD, and

MLGRD.

At the district level, LGAP supports District Councils and their associated offices and sub-units to

become more capable, accountable, and transparent to improve service delivery. LGAP implements

USAID’s 3Cs approach – collaboration, coordination, and co-location – at the district level. LGAP

serves as an integral piece in putting the CDCS into action by acting as a local governance hub for


USAID and its activities, and assisting them in coordinating with local government, particularly the

local Councils.

Figure 1: LGAP’s Project Implementation Hypothesis

This report is divided into three parts. Part I discusses achievements and activities by result area. Part

II lists results attribution by sector, and Part III describes progress against the results framework. The

report details the activities and accomplishments by Key Result Area and notes any challenges, while

reviewing achievement against planned indicators.

•If district governments are more capable accountable and transparent

And the policy environment is

improved

•Then services will be delivered more effectively in line with community needs

Development and economic growth will begin to be registered

Improved quality of life for Malawians


PART I: ACHIEVEMENTS IN KEY RESULT AREAS As highlighted in the introductory section, LGAP has five Key Result Areas, which are further broken

down into sub-result areas. In this section, progress made against each sub-result area during the

reporting period is presented. In line with the project design, Result Area 1 addresses issues pertaining

to delivery of services by duty bearers in all 8 target District Councils. Result Area 2 focuses on the

demand side, including engagement with citizens, CSOs and media. Result Area 3 highlights policy

level developments regarding the implementation of decentralization. Result Areas 4 and 5 are closely

interlinked under the public sector reforms being championed by the Government of Malawi.

RESULT AREA 1: INCREASING LOCAL GOVERNMENT

PERFORMANCE AND TRANSPARENCY The Local Authority Performance Assessment (LAPA), conducted in FY2017/18 (covering the 2016/17

year), revealed a number of gaps in each of the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) and corresponding

Result Areas. These gaps hinder the Councils’ ability to implement devolved functions in a transparent,

accountable, effective and efficient manner - resulting in poor service delivery to local communities.

LGAP has used this evidence to inform efforts to reform financial management, human resources,

political oversight, and participatory planning. LGAP has worked to align investment with the five

KPAs of the LAPA, and will assess progress through the next assessment in the coming year. LGAP’s

support for the core functional areas is designed to be responsive to the specific needs of each Council

– with an emphasis on on-the-job training, mentoring, and coaching - to enable Councils to progress to

the next level of functionality. The following presents progress against each sub-result area.

Sub Result 1.1 District Development Planning, Budgeting, and Implementation Process

LGAP has supported the 8 councils to formulate district-specific work plans as a deliberate effort to

address the gaps identified through the LAPA. Building on achievements from Year 2 - where LGAP

worked side-by-side with Council officials to improve performance in the core functionality areas –

during this reporting period, LGAP focused on finalizing the work and initiating implementation of the

LGAP-supported plans, building on LGAP’s support to development planning in the previous quarter.

1.1.1 Support District Councils to Finalize their District Development Plans

District Development Plans (DDPs) enable Councils to systematically coordinate development

interventions. As previously reported, all Councils finalized and

submitted their final development plans, except Machinga

District Council. In this quarter, LGAP supported Machinga

District Council to finalize their DDP and rework the DDP’s

District Development Planning Framework (DDPF) to be in line

with the newly developed M&E Framework. Building on

lessons from the previous support to other Councils, LGAP

promoted the use of SMART1 output and outcome indicators in

the Council’s DDPF to ease the tracking of progress in

implementation. The finalization of the development plans for

Machinga was a milestone in increasing transparency of

Council decisions and use of expenditures.

1 “SMART indicators” refer to those that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

Mr Walusungu Kayira, Deputy

Director of Planning and Policy

in MLGRD, makes a

presentation during the meeting


1.1.2 Support the Development of Marketing Strategy and Brand Identity for Machinga District

Council

LGAP had previously engaged a marketing consultant to support District Councils to develop a

marketing strategy to promote their districts to potential donors and encourage investment. Recognizing

the value of this previous intervention for the first 7 districts, LGAP supported a similar exercise for

Machinga during the reporting period. The Machinga District Council worked with a consultant to

design a brand identity for the district, identify marketable issues from the DDP to be included in the

marketing strategy, and conducting field visits to the sites as per District Executive Committee (DEC)

guidance to develop promotional materials. At the end of the exercise, Machinga District Council had

a unique brand identity reflected in marketing materials for the DDP launch conducted on June 13th.

1.1.3 Support to District Councils to Launch SEPs and DDPs

Building on work initiated in previous quarters, LGAP finalized the printing of development plans for

Blantyre, Lilongwe and Machinga, and supported each Council to officially launch their development

plans through community events. The launch for the three councils took place on May 8th, May 10th,

and June 13th for Lilongwe, Blantyre and Machinga, respectively.

The launches officially marked the start of DDP implementation, raising awareness among key

stakeholders on the district’s plans and priorities. Potential donors and investors were invited to support

specific projects, selected through a process that was both bottom-up (soliciting input from the village

level) and top-down (ensuring conformity with national development goals). In other words, the

launches allowed for precise, targeted, and focused development coordination in line with district and

national needs. Districts set up pavilions, each highlighting a sector of the development agenda. The

development plans were launched under different themes, for example in Blantyre the theme was

‘Sustainable Development: A Responsibility for All.”

The launches were presided over by several MLGRD officials, namely:

• Lilongwe – Director of Local Government Service Mrs. Sphiwe Mauwa.

• Blantyre – Director of Rural Development Mrs. Malango Botomani.

• Machinga – Director of Administration – Mr. Mark Symon.

Other Ministry officials present at events were the Deputy Director for M&E in the MoLGRD and

Principal Economist, Mr. Zuze.

Launches in the districts of Lilongwe, Blantyre

and Machinga were part of LGAP’s broader

strategy to improve planning and development at

the district level. As DDPs facilitate

coordination, the process also increases

transparency and public participation, as projects

directly reflect citizen demands. Several

speakers linked these plans to reduction of

poverty in their communities, but cautioned that

once implemented, projects needed to be

MLGRD Director Mrs. Sphiwe Mauwa making

a symbolic presentation of Lilongwe’s District

Development Plan (DDP) during a ceremony

marking the plan’s official launch.


monitored and reviewed. At the end of each financial year,

Councils should review the Annual Investment Plans (AIPs) and

gauge progress in order to inform future plans and priorities (see

1.1.5). LGAP plans to provide technical assistance in these

reviews – aiding the Councils to reflect on emerging issues and

incorporate new priorities.

1.1.4 Support District Councils to Distribute Planning

Documents to Relevant Stakeholders

With DDP launches concluded in all 8 districts, LGAP next

supported broader distribution, including educating stakeholders

on their development and use. As a continuation of the exercise

that started in the previous quarter for Mulanje and Zomba,

LGAP engaged the Councils of Balaka, Mzimba, Kasungu and

Lilongwe to have the plans distributed to relevant stakeholders,

including ADCs and VDCs. In the next quarter, LGAP will work with Blantyre and Machinga Councils

to conduct the same exercise.

The final distribution plan ensured that (i) Area Action Plans were distributed to ADCs; (ii) DDP

summaries were distributed to all VDC members; (iii) MPs and councillors received each received a

copy of the DDP and SEP; and (iv) a copy of the DDPs and SEPs were deposited at the TAs for reference

by VDC and ADC members. In each Council, the distribution exercise involved two main activities:

(a) Pre-distribution planning meeting - DDP task force members and LGAP staff conducted a

planning meeting, presided over by the Director of Planning and Development (DPD), to craft

a schedule for members, along with dates and venues.

(b) ADC meetings - These meetings involved all ADC members in a particular TA where members

were briefed on major prioritized development issues in the DDP. Council Secretariat officials

also explained why some issues in their Village Action Plans were not included in the DDP.

Meetings took place with 74 ADCs in the four districts.

Left: ADC Chair for Kachenga ADC receiving his copy of the DDP summary. Right: TA Amidu

receiving his coy of DDP and SEP from Mrs. Kamasumbi, council official for Balaka District

Council

The ADC sessions reflected both appreciation and a desire for further participation and dialogue. Senior

Chief Sawali thanked the Council for engaging them in the process. She also said, “This is the first time

District Councillor for

Lilongwe District Mr. Lawford

Palani makes a speech during

the DDP Launch


Balaka District Council has given feedback on the development plans for the council.” Common issues

raised by ADC members included:

• Why some projects incorporated in the DDP did not fully match the ones expressed in VAPs,

and how different needs from neighboring ADCs were considered;

• Whether each village’s expressed needs were reflected in the DDP;

• Whether ADCs will be involved in DDP review meetings, in case of emerging needs; and

• How to handle NGOs in their communities which bypassed the DEC, thereby implementing

outside the DDP

The respective Councils took their time to respond to all these issues as part of the feedback session

with the communities, reinforcing the value of a platform for communities to hear from the Council

Secretariat officials. Each question was answered clearly and directly, and while the ADC members

might not have been satisfied with all final decisions, they better understood the process and challenges.

1.1.5 Support to Review Annual Investment Plans

During the reporting period, LGAP supported Mulanje and Blantyre District Councils to review their

AIPs. Following up on previous support to these DDPs, which were previously approved, LGAP aimed

to ensure that the review of the first-year annual plans gauged the level of implementation of the planned

activities. The review also assisted the Councils to incorporate emerging issues, so that the plans

effectively address the prevailing district concerns; and provided data for use in their annual reports.

1.1.6 Enhance Functionality and Coordination of Sub-Structures

Assessment DEC Functionality

The Local Government Act (LGA) mandates local Councils to discharge functions devolved to them

by the central government. Local governments are comprised of two arms: a political arm which serves

as the decision maker, and a technical arm which conducts advisory and operational functions. The

technical arm of the Council, the District Executive Committee (DEC), provides technical advice to the

Council on development interventions aimed at advancing local development and plays a crucial role

in operationalizing the Decentralization Policy. In the previous quarter, LGAP conducted an assessment

of the District Council systems in 5 districts, with a focus on the DEC. During this reporting period,

LGAP concluded the assessment with the remaining three districts - Lilongwe, Kasungu and

M’mbelwa.

DECs are comprised of heads of both government departments and non-governmental organizations

operating in that particular Council. It is responsible for the implementation of all aspects of the DDPS.

This Planning Handbook provides for subsidiary sub-committees of the DEC to allow for deeper

technical discussion of district interventions before they are tabled at DEC for technical approval. As

the highest technical body at the council, this committee must provide the necessary advisory support

to the Council regarding guidance on technical issues. The District Development Planning Handbook

has outlined the functions of the DEC, mandate, membership and standard operations for its meetings.

Gaps identified in the review included delegation to junior staff to attend meetings, DEC subcommittees

not properly consulted, sector heads not in attendance, and meetings mainly limited to project approval

without monitoring or discussion of emerging issues or concerns. A detailed assessment of DEC is

included in the annex. As a result, remedial interventions were recommended: (i) orient management

on DEC functions based on the revised DDPS Handbook, (ii) facilitate a reflection session and draw

Council-specific action points, (iii) facilitate a wider orientation of the DEC on an ideal DEC and the

key propositions for reform, (iv) facilitate a buy-in process of the management propositions and develop


a plan on how to operationalize it, and (v) operationalize sub-committees of the DEC. These options

will form the basis of LGAP support in future quarters.

Strengthening Functionality of Decentralized Structures (ADC/VDC)

District Councils rely on established lower level council structures, VDCs and ADCs, to steer local

development. VDCs, ADCs and related sectoral committees are designed to facilitate community

development processes. However, functionality gaps often prevent these decentralized structures from

holding duty bearers accountable, including a lack of understanding of the significance of their

advocacy role. There is little interface between them and the sectoral sub-committees, which

undermines cross sector reporting of issues up to Councils.

It is against this backdrop that LGAP supported local civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen

the functionality of these lower level structures. In previous quarters, LGAP’s support to CSOs involved

functionality assessments, capacity development, and raising awareness on roles and responsibilities

for these sub-structures. Building on these experiences, as well as targeted sessions focusing on School

Improvement Grants (SIGs) and other development vehicles, LGAP continued to work with CSOs to

address the functionality gaps in sub-structures during this reporting period.

LGAP-supported CSOs supported ADCs and VDCs to coordinate various community governance and

management structures (Health Advisory Committees (HACs), Mothers’ Groups, School Management

Committees (SMC), Area Stakeholder Panels (ASPs), and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs)). The

CSOs mentored VDCs and ADCs on

prioritized areas of functionality

(generating quarterly reports, management

of meetings, writing minutes, setting an

agenda for a particular meeting) as well as

orienting ADCs and VDCs in resource

mobilization in Lilongwe, Kasungu,

Mzimba, Balaka, Machinga and Zomba.

For example, after the training at Njombwa

ADC in Kasungu, the Community

Development Assistant (CDA) observed the

ADC monitor development work and report

to the Council on findings. The CDA also

maintains a copy of the work plan to

monitor activities to be carried out.

As an outcome, 11 ADCs and 196 VDCs were equipped to report to the Council, manage meeting

proceedings, document points of discussion, monitor development projects, lobby for resource

allocation to relevant authorities, as well as coordinate other governance structures within their

jurisdiction. LGAP will continue to monitor the progress of these structures - and has begun reviewing

minutes, workplans, and reports sent to Councils in the wake of these interventions - specifically in

light of guidance from MLGRD to reconstitute ADCs and VDCs and offer support in crafting messages

for communities in selecting people to serve on these bodies.

Improved Oversight of District Planning

LGAP-supported CSOs also sought to address capacity gaps which hindered the ability of sub-

structures to execute their oversight role, including the monitoring of development interventions

A VDC member makes a presentation during resource

mobilization training in T.A Mtwalo, Mzimba


implemented in their respective areas. The CSOs oriented decentralized structures on their roles and

responsibilities in monitoring development activities in order to contribute to the improvement in the

quality of service delivery rendered to the citizens by duty bearers. During this reporting period, CSOs

engaged the VDCs and ADCs on their role in management of schools including their oversight function

on SIGs and District Development Funds (DDFs), as well as extracting and distributing approved

projects in the DDPs to the sub-structures. In addition, CSOs supported joint project monitoring visits

on projects implemented with ADC/VDC and selected Council members. One such visit, conducted by

grantee Development Communications Trust (DCT) in Blantyre, identified governance issues with

projects implemented with SIG and DDF funds. Through exchanges with community leaders and

stakeholders, the joint visits included a DDF-funded Police Unit, while in Lundu and Kuntaja the team

monitored SIG projects supporting schools in Chivumbe and Khungulu.

These interventions have yielded initial positive results towards enhancing demand for accountable

government, as witnessed by the pro-activeness of the decentralized structures in ensuring that

development is tied to the DDP, although follow-up will be required to ensure impact. Moving forward,

the ADCs and VDCs will hold quarterly review of the projects being implemented in their area and

engage duty bearers where issues of non-conformance to DDPs are established.

The head teacher of Khungulu school (in necktie) leading a delegation of the

Council and AEC, ADC, VDC and DCT to SIG project site.


Sub Result 1.2 Accountability, PFM, and Oversight of Public Expenditures Improved

District Councils in Malawi experience acute resource limitations that affect their ability to provide

quality services to citizens. Despite the inadequacy of available resources, there have been numerous

reports of mismanagement and imprudent use of public funds by some council officials. The audit

reports produced by the Auditor General have revealed various challenges, such as weak internal control

systems, poor management of assets, poor practices and non-compliance with the Public Procurement

Act, and general lack of fiscal discipline. As such, improved systems of accountability, adherence to

effective public finance management practices and active oversight mechanisms are prerequisites to

improving delivery of public services. LGAP’s interventions are designed to enhance the performance

of councils in managing public resources, as more and more resources are being transferred to councils.

During the reporting period, recognizing that councils are at different levels in terms of capacity,

varying interventions were implemented according to the specific needs of each council.

1.2.1 Promote Use of IFMIS in All Councils to Maximize Accountability in PFM

Since its inception, LGAP has supported various interventions to improve the use of integrated financial

management information systems (IFMIS) by Councils. Full use of IFMIS for all Council transactions

would increase efficiency in production of monthly and quarterly reports, generate improved

transactions, and achieve compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Audit

Act. There are various issues affecting councils’ ability to use IFMIS on a sustained basis including

limited capacity, inadequate supportive IT hardware and internet connectivity, institutional resistance,

and limited backup support. To address these issues, LGAP employs a variety of strategies.

Ongoing Mentorship Support

Through hands-on mentoring in all districts, LGAP’s Public Financial Management Specialists provide

continuous support to Finance Directorate teams in target Councils. These mentorship sessions impart

skills in financial management and identify specific needs for subsequent support to address gaps. The

sessions also enable strong relationships with finance teams - essential for achieving open and honest

conversations on the requirements of Councils to sustain the gains. For instance, during the mid-year

budget review exercise with M’mbelwa District Council, it was noted that some transactions were

missing from the IFMIS, an indicator that financial records were not fully reliable. As a way of

addressing any additional anomalies, it was agreed that a Pre-Audit exercise be commissioned to ensure

that all issues and system weaknesses be identified and rectified before an external audit is undertaken.

This activity was conducted and is reported under 1.2.2 (ii) below. Similarly, in Kasungu District

Council, during a budget review process, it was noted that locally generated revenues could not be

properly accounted for or documented. A decision to carry out a system-wide pre-audit was made,

which will be implemented during the next quarter.

IFMIS Training for Lilongwe District Council

Due to staff changes, Lilongwe District Council was only partially using the IFMIS. Given the negative

impacts of partial use, such as delays in the production of financial statements and compromised

transparency and accountability, the Director of Finance sought to address any bottlenecks preventing

full utilization of IFMIS. With the recent full integration of Council accounting staff (as opposed to the

previous practice where Sectors operated separately), LGAP recognized the need to organize an IFMIS

training, particularly since staff from some sectors did not previously use IFMIS.


The training targeted both accounting and procurement personnel from all 17 sectors of the Lilongwe

District Council. The training was tailored to introduce participants to general principles of IFMIS

modules, focusing on three specific modules relevant to immediate issues: Procurement, Bank

Reconciliation, and Revenue Management. The training was conducted in collaboration with Techno-

brain and the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), mandated with overseeing the

financial management functionalities of the Councils. The training took place from April 15th to 18th

and was officially opened by Council’s Director of Administration (DOA). In his opening remarks, the

DOA appreciated the knowledge gap that exists with IFMIS and stressed the importance of narrowing

the gap. Finally, the DOA thanked USAID through LGAP for its continued support in a number of

activities.

Some of the recommendations from the training included:

• Need for each sector to budget annually for procurement of

computers in order to have a sufficient stock.

• Segregation of the training based on modules would also equip staff

with the relevant skills for improved routine operation of the system,

e.g., procurement, revenue management, bank reconciliations,

budget planning). Specific trainings should be preceded by a general

review of all modules.

• Certification should be considered in the future so that, upon

completion, participants are properly recognized.

• Staff job rotation is ideal, since it gives staff exposure and

comprehensive knowledge to enable them to work in any section

effectively. The general IFMIS Training would be good preparation

for the rotation of staff to any section in the Finance Department.

• All staff should be provided with computers at their work stations.

This will reduce idle staff time waiting for colleagues to complete

work on available computers.

At the end of the training, it was evident that the staff had deepened

their knowledge and understanding of IFMIS in processing financial

reports, preparation of bank reconciliation statements, generation of

procurement documents and requisitions from the system, and

reconciliation of revenues collected against receipt books issued and

uploaded on the system. LGAP will continuously monitor and

follow up on the participants to ensure that the skills gained are

practiced and sustained overtime. The Council’s plan to focus more

on mentorship exercises, peer learning, and on the job training. With

regard to promoting the use of IFMIS on procurement activities, it

had been arranged with NLGFC to mentor the

procurement/accounting staff on the procurement module within the

next quarter.

1.2.2 Strengthen the Internal Audit Function at Council Level

As fiscal decentralization requires the direct transfer of more

resources from the central government to local authorities, there is

need to strengthen the internal audit function to enhance

The Audit Reports of 28

District Councils from

Final Accounts of 2011,

2012, 2013 and

subsequent years

indicated that over 90% of

the total Council

Statements of Final

Accounts did not meet

international accounting

standards. In fact, the

Auditor General has been

giving the rating of

disclaimer to almost all

Councils - meaning that it

is difficult to even form an

opinion on financial

statements because of

lack of basis or financial

records to rely on.

LGAP is prioritizing

assistance to Councils to

improve PFM. During this

quarter, Mulanje District

Council was audited by

National Audit Office.

For the first time, the

audit rating has

significantly improved to

Qualified opinion, only

one step away from a

clean opinion. The only

outstanding issue is asset

management. reported in

Section1.2.3.

MULANJE DISTRICT COUNCIL IMPROVES AUDIT

RATING


accountability in use of public resources. LGAP

recognizes that Councils are constrained by various

challenges including inadequate staff, lack of support

by management, lack of capacity and skills to perform

certain roles, and lack of dedicated financial resources.

In order to address some of these challenges, LGAP’s

interventions on internal audit have pooled resources

from peer Councils to support others in this strategic

process. As such, the efforts are geared at assisting

council finance teams to identify audit issues,

weaknesses, and seek management attention in

readiness for statutory external audits. During this

quarter, internal audit activities were conducted in

Blantyre and M’mbelwa.

Blantyre District Council Pre-Audit and Organization of Financial Documentation

LGAP has been providing technical support to Blantyre District Council including IFMIS report

production and clearing of outstanding bank reconciliations. During the reporting quarter, it was

observed that the Council registered slow progress in the usage of IFMIS due to electricity issues, late

loading of budget information in IFMIS, and insufficient enforcement in IFMIS usage. Because of this,

the Council accumulated a backlog of transactions, which were done outside of IFMIS and needed to

be updated. LGAP leveraged this opportunity to ensure that all transactions have proper and complete

supporting documentation to facilitate internal auditing.

LGAP efforts emphasized the need for all transactions to have proper and complete supporting

documentation. A pre-audit activity was conducted, including all Council finance personnel, the

Internal Auditor, the Procurement Officer, Accounting interns and the MISO. The Council prepared

and organized audit files. All payments made in FY2018/19 were available with adequate supporting

documents. The council managed to update all IFMIS transactions, reviewed and updated payment

vouchers so that they had adequate and corresponding supporting documents. During this activity, each

sector accountant managed to produce properly filled audit files. The activity reduced the backlog of

transactions which allowed for an update of financial records.

The Director of Finance directed that, moving forward, no accounts personnel should process any

transactions outside IFMIS and the team agreed that the DOF will not sign any vouchers processed

outside the system. In order to sustain this commitment, LGAP will continue to support the council in

the use of the IFMIS and ensure that the internal auditor is supported to effectively undertake her duties.

Support in Pre-Audit Exercise for 2018/19 for M’mbelwa District Council

Following the completion of the 2018-19 mid-year budget implementation, local authorities are

required to conduct mid-year review sessions to make necessary budget adjustments based on funds

transferred from the central government, donors, and locally generated revenues against planned

interventions emanating from the DDP. Thereafter, all review reports are to be presented to relevant

service committees and later to the full Council for approval. During this budget performance review

process in February 2019, the need to undertake a pre-audit exercise was identified with the aim of

ascertaining the completeness of payment vouchers, IFMIS usage and procurement processes.

Blantyre DOF giving instructions in

cleaning cashbooks in IFMIS


In June, LGAP provided support to M’mbelwa District Council to conduct a pre-audit exercise for

FY2018/19. In order to address existing capacity challenges due to inadequate Internal Auditors, LGAP

employed a pairing and peer support model. As such, the exercise was undertaken with the support of

Audit Manager from NLGFC, peer support from an Internal Auditor from Balaka, and an Accountant

from Lilongwe together with LGAP staff. Examples of key findings of the exercise that were observed

and recommended for council management attention included:

• Missing Payment Vouchers: The review of financial records for July 2018 to May 2019

revealed that 112 transactions amounting to MWK33,944,503.65 were not supported by IFMIS

generated payment vouchers. This represent 3% of the transactions in volume and 2% in

monetary value. The cause of the situation could be attributed to inadequate controls regarding

processing of checks, lack of due process in authorization of payment vouchers, or weak review

mechanisms. Due to the difficulty in accounting for transactions and ascertaining the authority

of the transactions, the situation may lead to the processing of fraudulent transactions.

• Lack of Supporting Documents: Payments not supported with sufficient documents amounted

to MWK90,655,682.57. Despite Treasury requirements for supporting documents, 20% of the

transactions for the July 2018 to May 2019 period lacked sufficient supporting documents. This

may arise due to lack of review mechanisms, which would have made sure that all the

accounting documents are complete, before and after making payments. It was noted that, due

to the inherent structure and size of the district, the Council processes a lot of payments at once,

rendering it difficult to sufficiently support the payment vouchers. However, lack of sufficiently

attached documents may give reviewers difficulties in reviewing payments and ascertain if the

Council has attained ‘value for money’ from the payments.

• Other issues: Fuel not recorded in ledger, procurements not recorded in stores ledger, and

procurements not sanctioned by Internal Procurement and Disposal Committee (IPDC).

At the end of the exercise, the team produced the Main Audit file- 2018-19 and Procurement Audit

file- 2018-19. The Council also managed to prepare IFMIS Bank reconciliation statements and Fourth

Quarter IFMIS Generated Financial Report.

Based on the audit findings from last year (see box), the Council has improved its filing system and

almost all transactions

are being processed in

IFMIS, hence the

decline in the volume

percentage of the

missing vouchers. The

Council has also

improved in payment

voucher supporting.

1.2.3 Improve Record-Keeping Systems

Several audit reports have found that district councils have poor record keeping systems, resulting in

missing finance documents. Related to this is the failure by councils to manage public assets due to

absence of records. The failure to maintain proper asset records, such as title deeds and asset registers

make it difficult for auditors to ascertain Councils’ position in terms of value and accountability.

Treasury Instruction (8.15.1) requires Statutory Bodies to have proper accounts and records of

FINDING

JULY ‘17

to

SEPT ‘17

JULY ‘18

To

MAY ‘19

CHANGE

Missing Payment Vouchers 28% 3% -25%

Insufficient Supporting

Documents 34% 28% -6%

Comparison of July-September 2017 and July 2018 - May 2019 findings

show considerable improvement (Transaction volume percentage)


transactions and financial position to ensure that all payments are correctly made and properly

authorized, and that authorities shall safeguard assets, and control liabilities.

The District Councils have raised concerns of the lack of policy direction and excessive valuation costs

as bottlenecks towards asset management, particularly in relation to assets devolved or belonging to

sectors. On the other hand, the central government has maintained that Councils have their own

autonomy as ‘body corporates’ and are responsible for managing their assets. The MLGRD envisages

that asset devolution as the last stage in completion of devolution in Malawi (see sub-result 3.1.4).

LGAP engaged Blantyre and Mulanje District Councils on this issue during the quarter.

Reflection Meeting on Asset Management for Blantyre and Mulanje Districts

In the previous quarter, LGAP supported Blantyre District Council to pilot an approach to update the

list of council assets, code the assets, paste inventory sheets in all offices, and insert the current cost of

all current procured assets. This activity was based on advice from auditors on how the Council could

resolve an audit query on asset management in the short-to-medium term. Blantyre made reasonable

progress in this area, working towards its goal of constructing an updated asset listing and register.

Due to demand from other District Councils to improve asset management, LGAP and Blantyre District

Council held a reflection meeting on the Council’s experience in updating asset registers before moving

to other Councils. This meeting engaged national stakeholders, including NLGFC, Ministry of Finance

and the MLGRD, for further policy guidance on asset management and to share the status and roadmap

to asset devolution. The Ministry of Finance represented by Mr. Pakisu Mwentembera commended the

Blantyre district council for taking steady steps in improving asset management, and shared the asset

management cycle, asset register preparations and also a few principles in the draft Asset Management

Policy and an Asset Register Template for use by Councils. Another important guidance was that MDAs

must always make use of government departments like Plant Vehicle Hire Organization and Lands in

valuation to minimize the cost, while office equipment must be valued at market value. MLGRD,

represented by Mr. Darwin Pangani, shared the status and roadmap to asset devolution. While

devolution of some assets has yet to be completed, he urged Councils to maintain updated asset

registers.

Blantyre District Council Director of

Administration Mrs. Carol Sibale,

commended LGAP for supporting the

council. “We believe that we will fare

reasonably well in subsequent audits as

our previous audits have always failed

because of the absence of asset registers

and valuations,” she said. Through

mentorship, the council’s capacity in

asset management improved. The

Council continues to finalize updating

the register for all assets and plans to value all assets belonging to the Council.

To promote cross-learning and inter-district collaboration, Mulanje District Council senior officials led

by the District Commissioner, Mr. Charles Makanga, participated in the reflection and learning meeting

with the intent to commission a similar exercise in his district to mitigate audit concerns.

Asset Register Consolidation for Mulanje District Council

Guided by lessons from Blantyre, Mulanje District Council commenced consolidation of the asset

register using the Asset Register Template. For valuation of some assets, the Council sought additional

Blantyre District Council Director of Administration Mrs.

Carol Sibale, speaks on behalf of Blantyre District

Commissioner


personnel support from the Blantyre Land department. LGAP provided technical support to the Council

to coordinate this process and promote best practices. The process entails actual asset identification,

pasting of inventory sheets in all offices, coding of items, and inserting costs of current procured assets.

This activity involved all the sectors under Mulanje District Council and will continue during the next

quarter.

Sub-Result 1.3: Capacity of Councillors to Serve as Effective Representatives Improved

Malawi voted on May 21st in the tripartite general elections, ushering in a new cohort of councilors and

Members of Parliament. In the period before and after the general elections, LGAP facilitated and

supported initiatives to prepare for the capacity building of new councilors. These initiatives included

preparation of councilor training materials as well as supporting councils’ ushering in the councilors.

1.3.1 Support for Review and Preparation of Councilors Training Materials

Decentralization relies on a democratic environment and institutions for governance and development

at the local level which facilitate grassroots decision-making. Effective and high performing councilors

are critical to ensuring functional governance institutions. LGAP had provided responsive support to

Councils for the previous cohort, including enhancing capacity of councilors to execute their functions.

This ranged from councilor training local government systems and decentralization, as well as

mentorship on key functional areas. In the previous quarter, LGAP provided technical support to the

MLGRD and MALGA to facilitate updating of the training materials in view of emerging performance

experiences of the outgoing councilors, in anticipation of the new councilors (see KRA 3).

The main task now for Councils is to develop a cohort of councilors able to effectively represent

constituents and exercise robust oversight to ensure that Councils deliver quality public services. LGAP

therefore supported the Ministry through MALGA to update the Facilitators Guide for the trainers of

the newly-elected councilors and other Council officials. The review exercise aimed at making the

Manual/Guide more relevant and effective as an orientation tool for councilors and other stakeholders

at the local level. Based on the critique of the previous training manuals, the review focused on:

• Aligning the document to other relevant handbooks that guide Council business;

• Agreeing on the appropriate content and priority areas for the revised Manual/Guide;

• Reflecting on and determining an appropriate format for the revised Manual/Guide; and

• Identifying the right approaches and strategies for delivering the training modules.

The technical review dwelled on the insights and lessons across Councils on councilors’ performance.

The review consultations facilitated an interface of selected District Commissioners, DPDs, Human

Resource Officers, key Ministry Directors, LASCOM, MALGA, DFLA, Staff Development Institute

(School of Government), other CSOs/NGOs and LGAP. As noted by Kasungu District Commissioner

J.J. Kanyangalazi “The review of the manual is demonstration of preparedness for incoming councilors.

We the need to develop content and methodologies that consider targeting of councilors and MPs

together.”


In general, the review explored whether the content was relevant and consequential, whether the topics

were well categorized and sequenced, and how useful the guide is in guiding facilitators. The training

manual for councilors is expected to help address the gaps noted in the past 5 years in local government

and has been linked to all relevant resource materials that can aid the functioning of councilors and an

improved local government system. In its revised form, the manual makes reference to all resource

documents recently developed and updated, including guidance on decentralization. The Guide is also

expected to be sensitive to literacy levels of participants, making the training needs assessment to be

conducted in the next quarter critical, and will aim to address previous issues of antagonism between

councilors and MPs.

1.3.2 Training of trainers of councilors

Following the review of the training manual, LGAP further supported MLGRD through MALGA to

train trainers of councilors on the revised manual related methodology. The 35 participants to the

training were district training teams drawn from all over the country, including a selection from the

pool of trainers previously trained by LGAP. The induction exercise and mentoring thereafter is

expected to enable councilors to effectively play their representative roles and exercise robust oversight

of the Councils for quality service delivery. This ToT therefore shaped resource persons to ensure that

the orientation will key this key

objective.

Key modules covered in the

training were: Local government

systems in Malawi; Operations and

functions of local Councils; Local

development planning systems;

financial management in Councils;

Human resources in Councils; and

leadership and development in

Councils. The ToT modules were

facilitated by the Ministry Officials

from MLGRD, LASCOM, NLGFC

and SDI.

Key Improvements on the Trainers’ Manual

• Now aligned to the national MGDS III. Previously, based on Vision 2020 aspirations.

• Modules on functioning of Council committees updated following review of the local

authority business handbooks.

• Synthesized facilitators’ notes without sacrificing essential detail. Still need to improve

sections that make mention of reference documents such as the Local Government Act

without sufficient detail.

• Number of modules reduced from 10 to 8: The module on cross-cutting issues is

recognized as important but was dropped as issues evolve from time to time.

• How to use the manual – a training needs assessment to be conducted to provide a basis

for prioritization of topics per Council and determine areas that will need emphasis.

• Each module allows for an action planning moment for participants.

• The language of the document reflects the ‘spirit’ of drafting as in other MLGRD guides.

Charles Chunga, CEO MALGA, leading reflections on

emerging capacity gaps of councilors in the just ended

term.


As soon as full Councils are constituted, LGAP will support the MLGRD and MALGA in implementing

the plan of building the capacity of the new cohort of councilors through trainings at the earliest stage

of their term. The ToTs have been clustered in teams of complementarity skills. LGAP has positioned

itself to support the facilitators’ team in the LGAP target districts.

1.3.3 Ushering in of New Councilors Following LGAP-Facilitated Technical Guidance to Councils

The Guide Book on Local Government System in Malawi (2019) stipulates that once councilors are

elected into office, the Controlling Officer calls for the first meeting of the Council. LGAP facilitated

convening of controlling officers from all the 35 districts for the MLGRD to outline technical guidance

on how to reconstitute and conduct the first full council. Accordingly, Councils across the country held

the first full Council meetings on June 28th and 29th. The purpose of this first Full Council meeting was

to constitute the Council; the main business of the first full Council meetings was swearing in new

councilors and electing leadership (Council Chair and Vice).

Guided by Model Standing Orders, the Controlling

Officers (District Commissioners) presided over the

first part of the full Council meeting. After outlining the

objectives of the Full Council Meeting the DCs invited

the Magistrates to preside over the swearing in

ceremony of the councilors. The elections of the

leadership of the Full Council in all the districts were

presided over by the Controlling Officers. Across the 8

LGAP supported districts, there were variations in who

administered the election process. In Balaka, the

District Commissioner invited 3 technical members to

administer the elections process. Among them was the

LGAP Program Manager Aaron Luhanga. Effectively

on the day of the first full council, the newly elected

Council Chairs became new political heads of councils. As chairpersons, they are responsible for

observance of the provisions of the Local Government Act and shall provide leadership in the Council.

In the coming quarter, LGAP plans to support rolling out the Ministry’s comprehensive plan of

induction and trainings of councilors. According to the MEC local government results, 85% of the

incoming councilors are new. This suggests a robust re-investment of capacity building for the

councilors if they are to sustain the gains of institutional development that were done with the previous

cohort. Below is an overview of changes in councilors in the 8 LGAP target districts. It also shows the

position held by the returning councilors in the previous full Council. This does not include the MPs.

District Councilors Number Position Total

Balaka

Old

3

Former Council Chair

8

Former Agriculture Service Committee Chair

Former Education Service Committee Chair

New 5

Machinga

Old

3


14

Former Vice Council Chair

Former Finance Service Committee Chair

New 11

Zomba

Old

3

Former Council Vice Chair

18

Member

Member

New 15

Councillor Nelson Chimera, Balaka,

taking oath.


District Councilors Number Position Total

Blantyre Old

3. Of the 3, 2

were office

bearers.


14 Former Vice Council Chair

New 11

Mulanje Old

5.Of the 5, 3

had key

positions

before.

Former Council chairperson

Former Vice Council Chair

Former Agriculture Service Committee Chair

18

New 13

Lilongwe Old

11. of the 11,

7 were office

bearers.

Former Vice Chairperson

Former Vice Chair Agriculture Service

Committee

Former Chairperson Finance & Audit Service

Committee

Former Vice Chairperson Finance & Audit

Service Committee

Former Chairperson Health Service Committee

Former Vice Chairperson Health Service

Committee

Former Vice Chairperson Education Service

Committee

34

New 23

Kasungu Old 3

18 New 15

M’mbelwa New

3. Of the 3, 1

was office

bearer.

Former full council Chairperson 22

Old 19

As LGAP continues to support Councils in

enhancing the capacity of councilors to

represent, we will engage the returning

councilors to animate the capacity

enhancement interventions as well as the

mentorship processes in the service

committees. Some of the councilors that

have retained their seats were beneficiaries

of LGAP’s mentorship interventions in

Finance & Audit, HR and Development

service committees on processes such as

bylaws formulation, development planning,

participatory budgeting and how to conduct service committee business. It is, however, necessary that

all service committee members including the secretariat be oriented on their roles at the beginning of

the term.

As the MLGRD begins an extensive induction of councilors, LGAP is positioned to provide technical

support to the teams discharged by the MLGRD. LGAP will work closely with the clusters especially

in the target districts. LGAP’s technical support during the induction training of councilors will include:

• Support on production of necessary materials for the trainings including the pre and post

evaluation tools.

New Council Chair Steve Sauka of Balaka, led by

two MPs


• LGAP specialist staff acting as animators weighing in relevance of material delivered to the

council specific issues related to councilors’ oversight function.

• Identifying inroads for further mentoring councilors in their functionality as they serve in

allocated service committees.

LGAP will continue to utilize its district presence to support mentoring of the councilors once they are

allocated to service committees, through similar orientations in cooperation with fellow IPs.

Sub-Result 1.4: Own-Source Revenue and Local Economic Development Increased

Under this sub result, LGAP works with Councils to increase locally generated revenue. To date, this

work has been guided by the Impact Evaluation (IE) study, which began to wrap up in this quarter with

findings from the analysis expected in the next reporting period. LGAP is currently using lessons from

the IE to design council-appropriate interventions to bolster own-source revenue.

1.4.1 Development of Local Revenue Enhancement Strategic Plans (LRESP)

During the quarter, LGAP supported several Councils to initiate the process of formulating their

LRESPs to boost the councils’ capacity to generate local revenue. This activity builds on support LGAP

provided to the Councils to formulate development plans. Now that all 8 Councils have DDPs, they

need to find sustainable mechanisms to generate revenue to support implementation of those plans.

Mulanje District Council

Mulanje District Council continued to refine its LRESP with support from LGAP. The strategy aims to

achieve optimal performance in sustainably increasing locally generated revenue collections. In

particular, the strategy is designed to:

• expand and maximize sources of revenue and revenue collection points;

• strengthen revenue collection and management system;

• strengthen market governance for improved revenue collection;

• implement e-ticketing system;

• strengthen District Council’s capacity in revenue collection and management; and

• strengthen enforcement mechanisms for local revenue collection and compliance.

The plan also includes key interventions to improve the current management of revenue, as well as

expand the revenue base, such as:

• Promotion of Public Private Partnerships in market management;

• Implementation of E-ticketing system to reduce use at source, pilferage and fraud;

• Manage and monitor vendor and business registers;

• Promotion of social accountability through partnership and collaboration among stakeholders;

• Regulation of taxis and utility vehicles and enforce fee/tax compliance;

• Expansion of levying estates and regulation of tourism site levies;

• Introduction of occupational licenses; and

• Lobby for introduction of toll fees.

The council intends to roll out some of these activities in the budget year 2019-2020.

M’Mbelwa District Council

Similarly, support to M’Mbelwa District Council was provided to review and develop its LRESP. The

main objective was to work with the Council’s LRESP task team to formulate, review and consolidate

the outdated LRESP with an ultimate goal of helping the Council generate enough local revenue that


will be used to implement projects as indicated in the DDP. Upon the completion of the formulation

session, the task team produced a draft LRESP, which was shared with NLGFC and others for input.

Kasungu District Council

Consultations were also held with Kasungu District Council’s LRESP Task Team during the quarter.

The main objective of the planning meeting was to come up with terms of reference for the team and to

develop an implementation plan. As such, support to develop Kasungu’s LRESP will be conducted in

the next quarter.

1.4.2 Update on Infrastructure Projects

With the Impact Evaluation (IE) concluding, LGAP used this reporting period to finalize outstanding

construction projects, which had been supported in consultation with Councils and local markets, with

the aim of increasing market fees to support such investments. An overview of progress is as follows:

Completed Checkpoint Market Shed

(Kasungu) Bua Market Slab (Kasungu)

Chinkhoma Refuse Bunk (Kasungu) Edingeni Market Shed (M’mbelwa)

Govala Market Shed (Zomba) Nsanama Market Shed Machinga)

Remaining construction sites from LGAP’s Impact Evaluation


Update on Provision of Infrastructure

Planned Activities Accomplishments Plans for next Quarter

Implementation of

borehole drilling

works

• Procurement of the borehole drilling

services for the Msundwe Market in Progress.

• Implementation of rectification works on defects that might develop from

the successful/ operating borehole with the cause traced back to the work

done by the contractor. As per contract, the contractor under the supervision

of LGAP and the District Council will rectify any construction/installation

related defects developed within the 9 months from the substantial

completion of the successful boreholes.

Provision of CBM

trainings for

successful boreholes

• Community Based Management training

(CBM) facilitated by the district council

water, health and community development

departments, and offered to water/ borehole

committee at the market for at least 3 days.

• Total CBM trainings completed = 27

• Provision of Community Based Management (CBM) training to the

anticipated successful borehole in markets at Msundwe. LGAP will

instigate and provide resources for the CBM training to be facilitated by the

district council water, health and community development departments, and

offered to water/ borehole committee at the market for at least 3 days.( For

Msundwe Market)

Infrastructure

handovers to client

for successful

boreholes

• Infrastructure handed over to client (District

Council and market committee), through a

small ceremony on site, for use after

substantial completion of works.

• Total Infrastructure handovers

completed = 27

• Upon substantial completion of drilling works and the provision of CBM

training to the borehole committee, one anticipated successful borehole at

Msundwe will be officially handed over to the Lilongwe District Council

market community for operation.

Supervision of

borehole drilling

works

• Continuous supervision and reporting of site

works in collaboration with District Councils

and market committee, which has resulted in

the rectification of defects in several sites in

Blantyre, Lilongwe.

• Periodic supervision will be exerted towards the operation of all the

successful boreholes with regard identification & rectification of defects

and

• Comprehensive water quality testing to be undertaken by a

recognized water quality testing lab (Malawi Bureau of Standards)

Implementation of

building and civil

works in markets

• Three building contractors commenced

construction works, and 2 have completed

their projects.

• Building contractors to construct and complete all the construction work

in their lots according to specifications, with quality and within a reasonable

time. Prowl Civils: Balaka (1 market shed- ongoing), Blantyre (1 market

shed- ongoing, 1 pavement- pending start), Machinga (1 market shed-

ongoing), Mulanje (1 market shed- ongoing) and Zomba (1 market shed-

finishing stage)

Supervision of

construction works • Continuous supervision and reporting of site

work by infrastructure officers in each district.

• In conjunction with the department of public works in the District

Councils and market committees, LGAP will supervise all infrastructure


• Supporting of relevant district council

personnel to assist with the supervision

works in all 6 lots on a regular basis to ensure quality is well applied

/maintained and defects are rectified.

• Upon substantial completion and certification (by the District Council and

LGAP) of construction work in the 18 sites, the market infrastructure will

be officially handed over to the District Council and market communities

for operation.

Challenges/issues related to Infrastructure Projects:

• Slow progress of work on sites in Lot 1, 2 & 3 due to allocation of insufficient materials and resources spread across all the 6 live construction sites.

Over time, the contractor lacks the capacity to work in all sites with sufficient resources to ensure that work is completed in good time and with

quality. Furthermore, it seems funds gained from payment claims are spread across the 6 project sites which does not result in significant work

progress. With reference to this situation, there are two ways forward: (1) Extension of the contract to 30 August, 2019 while instructing the

contractor to focus and complete work in 2 simultaneous sites per period (of 3 weeks) to ensure efficiency and effectiveness, or (2) terminate the

contract as under the clause 13.2 Termination for Default as highlighted in the contract. Nevertheless, this option would require a fresh procurement

request/process for construction services that would most likely require a minimum period of 2 months to be finalized. Hence recommendation was

to stay put with option 1.

• Scarcity of materials (quality roofing timber) in some districts affected the progress of works in some sites like Zomba and Machinga.

• The uncertain political environment prior to, and after, the national elections affected (stopped/slowed) the implementation of several activities such

as the implementation of handovers for completed projects, progression of sites works, and branding (plaque installation) of infrastructure.


Sub-Result 1.5: USAID Activities are Better Integrated in District Planning and Budgeting

During the reporting period, LGAP continued to coordinate fellow IPs at the district level while

engaging in integrated problem solving and implementation at both the local and national level. LGAP

is currently assessing existing modes of cooperation in anticipation for scaled-up integration under the

pending expansion. In addition, LGAP initiated the Integration Factory series to allow for IPs to share

lessons and ensure a coordinated an integrated approach to governance and sector efforts. The first

series focused on the development and implementation of bylaws, and is reported in Section 3.4.

1.5.1 Ensure district development priorities are coordinated with donor partner plans

Integration Forums

In the spirit of co-location, collaboration and coordination of USAID, UKAID and other donor-funded

projects with the District Councils, and ensuring that the donor resources are well integrated into the

DDP, LGAP, together with the M’mbelwa District Council, organized a M’mbelwa Integration Forum.

The activity which took place on June 18th and targeted participants from the Council Secretariat and

selected Implementing Partners from the health, education, and agriculture sectors for Mzimba North

and South.

During the meeting, participants shared their current work and engaged with Council staff on both

successful interventions, and areas where improvement is needed. Discussion on the current gaps

focused on how best to work with the Council in line with the DDP. In addition, there was also a

discussion on how best cross sector integration can be improved. Jhpiego, Find Your Feet and CCAP

Livingstonia Synod shared progress reports of their work to the rest of the group. Partners indicated a

willingness to offer greater support to integration activities, but were unable to due to restrictions in

their current budgets. However, participants recognized that coordination of the 9 thematic groups

comprised of USAID-funded CSOs could be strengthened, and recommendations are expected from all

participants in the coming quarter.

Partner Mapping and Data Collection

Similar to M’mbelwa, peers in Blantyre and Mulanje also used the reporting period to lay the foundation

for closer coordination. Both Blantyre and Mulanje District Councils commenced mapping of partners

operating in their districts for improved development planning, systematic implementation and

monitoring of development priorities and goals – gathering information on existing partners, resources

and capacities, services, skills and gaps in the district. Following the successful development of SEPs

and DDPs, Blantyre and Mulanje district councils sought to harness partners and services towards

quality service delivery and equitable implementation of the DDP. The process started with mapping of

partners/implementing agencies operating and services provided in the district within the framework of

the SEP and DDP and phased in AIPs. Process mapping enables Councils to determine whether all

development priorities are being implemented effectively and efficiently, while determining which

partners should be involved at various stages of development planning, implementation, monitoring and

reporting. It helps councils to equitably distribute services and track progress in the implementation of

the DDP and shape district AIPs and improves overall development planning in district councils.

The process entailed review of available mapping tools2 and engagement with partners and service

providers—including Government MDAs, Donors, INGOs, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector—

resulting in a database which captures service providers and services, organized according to priorities

2 Adopted from the Ministry of Health. This tool can be adapted suit the needs of district councils in general.


set in DDPs and linked to national development priorities. LGAP joined meetings with District M&E

Coordination Committees for the respective Councils to develop the mapping tool and to consolidate

data collected on partners operating in the respective district councils. In Blantyre 24 people were

involved while in Mulanje the 23 people were involved to review the available mapping tools in relation

to DDP M&E framework. LGAP also engaged DECs to review and approve the partners mapping tool

seek ownership of the mapping exercise. Thirty-six people participated in DEC meetings in Blantyre

district and 33 in Mulanje. Each district shared the mapping tool with all partners operating in the

district. Partners provided profiles of their organizations, described department, program areas as

related to district development priorities set out in the DDP, nature/type of activities implemented,

funding source, annual budget commitments, and coverage of interventions/services according to Area

Development Committees. The DMEC consolidated this information into Excel worksheets or

database. The two districts plan to transcribe the Excel worksheet into a web-based database to form

part of the information hub at district level.

Moving forward, each Council will develop MOUs to provide direction and guidance on operations of

in-coming partners. Blantyre District Council intends to upload the database onto its website and

explore hosting the same on e-government. It is envisaged that the partners’ map will improve

integration of activities, coordination and collaboration of partners at VDC, ADC, district and donor

levels in respective districts and also help strengthen their M&E systems to include frameworks,

indicator lists, data collection and analysis tools, and reporting.

Monitoring Implementation

LGAP supported joint monitoring of project activities between USAID IPs and Kasungu District

Council, following a request made at the previous district Integration Forum. The M&E Office

developed a six-month plan for monitoring the activities. Since January 2019, the M&E office and other

DEC members have been monitoring the IP projects. With this phase closing in June, a new phase is

being planned allowing IPs and the District Councils to cooperate in monitoring progress of

development projects.

1.5.2 Coordinate support for functionality of sector service committees and improved service

delivery

LGAP’s role in facilitating district level support continued to provide avenues for joint programming,

such as in the wake of the launch of Blantyre’s DDP and SEP. For education, LGAP facilitated a

showcasing of sector activities with Mary’s Meals Malawi, Development Aid from People to People

(DAPP), One Community; while for the health sector, LGAP worked with One Community, Jhpiego

and Baylor University. In the previous quarter, LGAP was dedicated to assessment of, and support to

DEMs – with findings analyzed in this quarter. In addition, LGAP made strides with both agriculture

and health partners, which are detailed in Part II – Relevant Activities by Sector.

Assessment of Capacity Gaps in Northern Education Service Committees

Through collaboration with MERIT, LGAP supported the Ministry of Education to assess capacity gaps

in the functioning of education service committees. Conducted in the northern education division, in

preparation for the new councilors that will be assigned to serve in education committees, the

assessment focused on how the secretariat interacts with and serves the councilors in the education

committee. The insights of the assessment will guide upcoming mentorship plans for the committees.

As a governance hub, LGAP will be key in enriching the content for guiding the sector committee on

interpreting the orders of reference and orders of delegation. The assessment exercise was a joint

reflection of DCs, DEMs, and DPDs from the Northern Education division from Rumphi and Chitipa,


and DEMs from Mzimba North Karonga and Mzimba South. Although this specific assessment was

about Education Service Committees, the major gaps identified reflect the status of all other service

committees generally. Key findings of the assessment:

RESULT AREA 2: DEMAND FOR ACCOUNTABLE

GOVERNMENT STRENGTHENED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

LGAP’s efforts to improve the functionality of DCs and promote Malawi’s decentralization efforts

would have limited impact without increased citizen engagement and oversight. Citizens must be

empowered to demand quality, efficient, and effective public social services. LGAP’s approach is to

create space for citizen engagement, support civic education, and enable local organizations and media

outlets to facilitate public debate and articulate citizen needs. As this reporting period covered the end

of the electoral cycle, efforts concentrated on mobilizing voters to vote for development-focused

councillors in order to strengthen oversight functions of the Councils. In addition, LGAP supported

local CSOs in public expenditure tracking of SIGs and DDFs, and continued the process of ensuring

citizens’ voices are heard in the planning stage.

Sub-Result 2.1: Citizen Participation in Local Government Planning and Policy Development

Increased

2.1.1. Strengthen Communication on Implementation of the Decentralization Agenda in Malawi

LGAP has long supported community awareness and engagement in the implementation of the

decentralization agenda, including through the district development planning process (see Result 1) and

supporting the decentralization policy environment (see Result 3). During this reporting period, LGAP

concluded efforts to promote understanding of, and support for, the decentralization agenda through

participation in the tripartite elections. LGAP utilized a variety of channels, as described below.

Community Radios

During the campaign period, LGAP worked with six community radios and the MEC to produce 15

unique programs on the importance of voting for local councillors3. As each was broadcast by all 6

stations, and repeated once, in total there were 180 programs aired by the close of the official campaign

3 During the Elections LGAP focused on local councillors due to its mandate to promote council performance and

accountability, for which councillors play a critical role. In addition, councillors have traditionally received the least

attention in elections.

Key capacity gaps in Education Service Committees

• Service committees are not well conversant with their terms of reference. At

minimum, they know that they at least hold a quarterly meeting shortly before the

full Council meeting, with a report required of them.

• The participants said that the MLGRD organizes inductions for all councillors at the

beginning of their term but not specifically for any service committees.

• A strong coherent relationship between the committees and lower structures is

lacking.

• Most members of the Education Service Committees, including the technical staff,

are not aware of Education Policies; there is no clearly defined mechanism to ensure

that committee members are aware of the relevant policies.


period on May 19th. Each program followed a different format, including panel discussions, focus

groups, interviews with local officials, and questions from listeners during live broadcasts. Programs

included themes, as listed below:

Program Topic Example of Participants (from Maziko

Radio)

Relations between the District Council and

Councillor Experts DC, LGAP Officer, NICE Rep

Understanding the office. Who is the Councillor? Community and Government

Representative, NICE

Qualities of a Good Councillor, and Leadership

Skills MEC, NICE

Importance of Voting for a Councillor MEC, NICE, DC

Roles of the Councillor at Council Chamber and to

the Community ADC, NICE, MEC

Difference between a Councillor and an MP Councillor, MP, DC, Independent expert

Funding mechanisms of a Council – CDF and LDF Finance Director, Council Finance chair,

NICE, DPD

Funding mechanisms of a District – DDF and Local

Revenue Collections

Finance Director, Council Finance chair,

NICE, DPD

Development Committees that Work with the

Councillor (Composition, Functionality and Tenure) VDC, ADC, NICE, LGAP, DPD

Involvement of Community Members in Decision-

Making Processes of Developmental Projects. ADC, T/A, DPD, Councillor, MP

Channels of Ensuring Transparency and

Accountability at District Level – Budget Tracking DOF, DOC, DPD, NICE

Feedback on the Communities’ Convictions to Vote

and Have a Ward Councillor ADC, DC, MEC, NICE

Voting Process and Vote Casting MEC, CCJP, NICE

Behaviour Conduct (Before and After Results) CCJP, NICE, MEC

District-Specific Issues in Relation to the Councillor

and Local Government Open

In addition to these customized radio programs, the community radios aired jingles which LGAP had

prepared to promote the importance of voting for local officials. Each radio was given 35 slots -

totalling 210 slots among the six stations. Furthermore, some radios facilitated, recorded and aired

debates in three public universities, with an estimated 1,500 students in attendance (see below).

Election Related Materials

To complement the work of the community radio stations, LGAP maintained 10 billboards with voter

education messages across the eight LGAP districts through the end of May. On each billboard was the

message “Vote for Development-Oriented Councillors” in both English and Chichewa. The same

messages were disseminated through 1,000 posters (in Chichewa, Chitumbuka and English) and 1,000

brochures (in English) across LGAP’s 8 districts, through offices of the National Initiative for Civic

Education (NICE), the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), the MLGRD, and various NGOs and

universities (i.e. LUANAR, CHANCO and MZUN).

Road Shows

LGAP, with cooperation from the MLGRD, conducted 46 road shows in 8 districts from May 4th to

17th, highlighting the value of voting for local councillors, which had not received the same attention


as parliamentary and presidential candidates. The Road Shows were conducted as “whistle stop tours,”

where a team of officials and CSO representatives made brief appearances in highly populated areas,

such as markets, and used a combination of education and entertainment to engage citizens. The Road

Shows reached over 60,000 people and focused on the importance of selecting councillors given their

role in strengthening local government and improving service delivery. The Road Shows:

• Provided information on the importance of effective councillors and strong local governments;

• Created a platform where citizens inquire about the roles of councillors and district councils;

• Broadened citizen understanding of issues related to decentralization and local governance; and

• Provided general civic education on matters related to operation of district councils.

Road Show the audience were engaged and responsive to the messages. Officials from MLGRD, MEC,

and NICE were on hand to share information and answer questions from the gathered citizens. Issues

raised by participants included the possibility of changing voting stations in order to vote for a preferred

local councillor (which is not allowed), process for sanctioning councillors involved in mismanagement

of funds, and opportunities to recall councillors not serving local interests. These Road Shows helped

to build interest in local elections by targeting a series of heavily trafficked areas, such as markets, in

the weeks leading up to the election.

Part of the audience during one of the Road Shows in Blantyre


Debates in Public Universities

In order to engage youth in the elections, LGAP worked with community radios to conduct debates at

Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Chancellor College

(CHANCO), and Mzuzu University (MZUN). Emphasizing the importance of councillors in enhancing

accountability and performance, the topic of the debate was “Why is it important to vote for

councillors?” It was also a forum for exposing youth to local government issues at an early stage. About

1,500 students attended the debates from all the universities.

Two teams of student debaters faced off against each other in each debate. During the live broadcast,

students had to address a series of topics, including the qualities of a good councillor, the role of the

Council, and the difference between a councillor and an MP. A moderator summarized the presented

points, and a guest speaker closed each event to highlight the importance of local issues in the upcoming

elections. The events were interspersed with performances, such as poetry and music, and relevant IEC

materials on the elections were distributed.

2.1.2. Support Citizens to Demand Services from Duty Bearers through DDP Launches

As noted under Result 1, during the reporting period LGAP supported the district councils of Lilongwe,

Machinga, and Blantyre, in the launch of the DDP and SEP. In each district, communities were provided

with information on the services their council plans to provide, as well as planned investments, in the

next five years. Key priorities were conveyed to the audience through photographic essays, banners,

fact sheets and flyers, as well as T-shirts and caps, all of which contained messages on how citizens can

engage the council to demand services. The launch enhanced transparency between councils and

-

2,000.00

4,000.00

6,000.00

8,000.00

10,000.00

12,000.00

14,000.00

Mzimba Kasungu Blantyre Mulanje Balaka Machinga Lilongwe Zomba

ESTIMATE ATTENDANCE OF ROAD SHOWS BY DISTRICTS

Male

Female

Total

Left: LUANAR students engaged in a debate; Right: group photo after the debate


citizens on its operations and plans; the DDP itself was shared as a reference tool for citizens to use in

following up on implementation and holding councils accountable.

2.1.3. Strengthen Participation of Citizens in Development Planning Processes

As noted in sub-result 1.1.4, LGAP supported feedback sessions on the DDP process and provided

copies of the DDPs and SEPs to ADCs. The sessions offered citizens an opportunity to see how their

participation in the VAP process informed the formulation of the DDP by looking at the product. LGAP

will build on these engagements in developing social accountability opportunities going forward.

Sub-Result 2.2: Social Accountability and Transparency of Public Expenditure Management

and Service Delivery Improved

2.2.1. Budget Tracking/Advocacy and Oversight of Transparent Utilization of Resources

LGAP continued support to CSOs in budget tracking, with the aim to improve understanding, manage

expectations, and limit abuse of public funds. Specifically, LGAP and partners identified a lack of

understanding of SIG and DDF guidelines among ADCs, VDCs, and other stakeholders as a major

impediment to tracking expenditures. Without a clear understanding of their role in ensuring

accountability, citizens and community leaders may often decline to participate in oversight activities.

To address this gap, LGAP supported CSOs to compile guidelines on SIGs and DDFs for targeted

communities, trained ADCs and Ward Councillors on public expenditure tracking (PET) and reporting,

and compiled information from the citizen budgets in the previous two quarters (see below). PET efforts

were conducted in in Blantyre, Lilongwe, M’mbelwa, Balaka, Machinga and Mulanje.

Decentralized structures had previously noted

that they felt side-lined in decision-making

processes. In the reporting period, LGAP’s

support focused on sensitization activities

with citizens and governance structures

involved in SIG management (e.g., PTAs,

SMCs) and management structures (ADCs,

and council sub committees) on PET for

development resources.

In one case, CSOs provided PET findings to

the Blantyre District Council. The DC

emphasized the need for accountability

structures to be proactive and engage the

Council on pressing issues. The DC also

advised CSOs to gather all necessary information and guidelines when conducting a PET to ensure an

accurate and comprehensive assessment. He further noted that it is not always possible for the Council

to implement all activities outlined in yearly budgets as financial flows from the central government is

erratic, citing significant reductions in the DDF as an example. In total, 9 exercises were held with

ADCs in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzimba, Balaka, Machinga and Mulanje, and LGAP will build on this

work to support decentralized structures will continue taking an active role in safeguarding public funds.

2.2.2. Assessment of Quality of Service Delivery/Performance Tracking and Monitoring

VDCs and ADCs operate in liaison with sectoral committees such as HACs, Mother Groups, and SMCs.

Sectors, through extension workers, diligently establish community sectoral committees but the

committees are often not equipped with the expertise of tracking quality of services in their respective

SMC Chair for Mdeka Primary school, Blantyre

responding to issues raised by community on

mismanagement of SIG funds


sectors. Hence, their role does not provide the necessary evidence for holding duty bearers accountable.

Through sub-grantees, LGAP supported training of the community sectoral committees so that they are

well positioned to track quality service delivery and address this shortcoming.

Service standards for health and education were compiled in selected TAs in Lilongwe, Kasungu,

Blantyre and Machinga followed by development of simplified service charters. Engagement meetings

conducted across districts provided a platform for citizens to engage duty bearers on issues affecting

service delivery. For example, at the Kabudula Health Centre, there was no guardian shelter or kitchen,

which forced communities around the center to sleep, and food to be prepared, outside. During a public

debate (organized by CCJP Lilongwe) which was covered by Times Television on May 21st, the kitchen

which stalled at construction stage started to be constructed one week after airing the TV program.

At Kabudula Primary school, community members complained to the Primary Education Advisor that

teachers were inactive in the classroom. In response, the PEA indicated that it is not practical for one

person to supervise teachers in all schools every day, and community members should be engaging

SMCs, PTAs and Mother Groups on concerns affected the performance of pupils. Service standards

will be used as a benchmark for developing indicators upon which the assessment of performance and

quality of service will be based. The assessment tool aims to collect data regarding how various sectors

are performing and the quality of service they offer in their impact areas. In the subsequent quarter, the

information generated from these engagements will be used for evidence–based lobbying and advocacy

where duty bearers at community, district and national levels will be engaged in order to promote

service delivery in the areas of in health, education and agriculture.

2.2.3. Oversight Function of LGAP in Monitoring CSOs on LGAP Grants Under Contract

LGAP conducted monitoring visits to subgrantee

CSOs to check the progress of implementation

of activities for this quarter. The monitoring visit

focused on checking the quality of

implementation in relation to agreed milestones

and standards and address any implementation

challenges. During one of the monitoring visits

at T.A Nkoola where various ADCs and VDCs

were outlining their roles and responsibilities to

citizens under NANES (one of the LGAP

subgrantees), it was reported that mothers and

caregivers are ill-treated by nurses, especially at

the maternity wing. As a way forward, LGAP

will to raise the issue in the next quarter with

A community member at Chitimba VDC,

Machinga reporting her treatment at Mpiri

Health Center


fellow USAID IP ONSE and the District Council-DHO office to ensure that citizens around Mpiri

Health Centre are not denied access to quality of care.

2.2.4 Formulation of citizen budgets for enhanced public expenditure monitoring

During the reporting period, LGAP facilitated the formulation of citizen budgets (CBs) in M’mbelwa,

Lilongwe and Kasungu, completing work initiated in the other LGAP districts in the previous quarter.

The CBs are awaiting validation of the figures and final drafting sessions, to be conducted by the DOFs

in the upcoming quarter. A CB is a simpler, less technical version of a government's budget specifically

designed to present key information to the public. CBs are used for budget transparency and are a

simplified tool for posting financial information for the public to understand and track major elements

contained in the council budget.

Sub-Result 2.3: USAID Support is Better Integrated in Social Accountability

The launch of the DDPs provided further impetus to integration efforts at the council among

Implementing Partners (IPs) funded by USAID and other donors who participated in the launches and

crafted displays demonstrating their capacity and potential to work with other partners to develop the

districts in a coordinated manner. For example, during these launches critical partners like ONSE, One

Community, SANE and MERIT participated. Throughout the reporting period, LGAP sought other

opportunities to expand its integration work with organizations promoting citizen engagement, many of

which are counterparts to interventions reported in sub-result 1.5 and Part II of this report.

Political Debate

In addition to the election-related work under sub-result 2.1, LGAP worked with NICE and the District

Education Network (DEN) to conduct 2019 political debates for councillors and Members of Parliament

for Kasungu Central Constituency. The debate was organized under the theme of ‘Making Democracy

Work - Take Part in Public Life’ on May 6th at Kasungu Community Hall. Eight shadow councillors

from different parties in the constituency participated in the debate while two Shadow MPs, namely

Ken Kandodo (MCP) and Misheck Mwanza (UDF) were present. The main objective of the debate was

for the candidates to interact with people and respond to questions regarding their development agenda.

The debate tackled a number of issues, which included improving the functionality of both the

Municipal and District Council services. At the end of the debate, the candidates signed a pledge card

in front of the audience and chiefs present. This pledge card will be used to hold the political leaders

accountable on their campaign promises and performance if elected into office.

Growth of LGAP social media platforms

The project continued to utilize social media as a feedback mechanism tool during the reporting period

as per illustrations below:


Facebook Analytics

Twitter Analytics

April 2019 May 2019 June 2019


RESULT AREA 3: DECENTRALIZATION POLICY ENVIRONMENT

AND SYSTEMS IMPROVED – POLICY INTERFACE Continuing support towards improvement of Decentralization Policy Environment and Systems, LGAP

focused this quarter on supporting, refining, and strengthening the policy and regulatory environment

for decentralization while supporting the MLGRD in exploring ways to improve the internal

coordination of its multi-faceted functions. Specifically, support included:

• Reviewing the policy and legal framework for the effective operations of the Councils;

• Promoting an effective system of local governance and development;

• Providing linkages between central and local governments; and

• Promoting socio-economic development of the rural masses.

LGAP supported the MLGRD in providing technical backstopping to LASCOM in kick-starting the

staff redeployment exercise in Councils, and to MALGA in development of orientation materials in

preparation for the incoming councilors after the May 2019 tripartite elections.

The hallmark of a successful decentralized environment lies in the clarity and coherence of

intergovernmental relationships and communication. In this quarter, LGAP prioritized the following:

1. Strengthening coordination of the decentralization process by advocating for a Whole-of-

Government approach;

2. Facilitating learning and sharing for senior officials to foster ownership of the agenda;

3. Supporting key policies that can advance the actualization of decentralization;

4. Supporting DHRMD, LGSC and the MLGRD in rationalization and integration of staff at the

local level as well transferring staff from central level whose functions have been devolved;

5. Supporting efforts to professionalize local government, for which LGAP and the MLGRD

have initiated dialogue with the Staff Development Institute in Mpemba – to anchor all local

government training for officers – short term and professional courses; and

6. Support efforts to enhance intergovernmental dialogue together with GoM, MALGA, Civil

Society and supporting donors.

Sub-Result 3.1: Select Policies and Legal Reforms Related to Decentralization Supported

3.1.1 Strengthening the Inspectorate Function of the MLGRD.

LGAP has been supporting the MLGRD to strengthen their inspection function. In October 2018, the

MLGRD, with support from LGAP, developed the Inspection Manual, which is aligned to new and

emerging development programs and strategies. The inspectorate function entails an assessment of the

status quo in relation to “best practice” as defined in law or policy. In pursuing integrity, accountability

and transparency, inspections are concerned with processes of decision-making and implementation to

ensure that rules, regulations and laws are adhered to. In pursuing effectiveness, inspections focus on

establishing that results for which resources were appropriated are actually being achieved and enjoyed

by the citizens. In pursuing efficiency, inspections focus on whether resources are used prudently to

achieve defined results and timeliness in the delivery of services. With this in mind, MLGRD and LGAP

prepared this quarter to support the Director of Local Government Services in conducting pilot

inspections in Blantyre and Mulanje. These inspections will focus on health and education service

delivery, as well administrative operations, in the two Councils. Specific areas for inspection will

include assessing the functionality of agriculture governance structures and assessing the quality of

education services (including classroom environment, pupil teacher ratio, and record management).

Preparations were concluded during this reporting period, with the inspections planned to be carried out

in July.


3.1.2 Strengthen Coordination of Decentralization across the GOM

Interface with MLGRD and MALGA in preparation for the incoming councilors

In this quarter, LGAP supported the MLGRD and MALGA to prepare for incoming councilors, with a

focus on building their capacity. Recent setbacks in decentralization have constrained the performance

and influence of local Councils to emerge as responsive and accountable service providers. For 9 years

(2005 – 2014), there were no councilors to champion development initiatives and provide oversight of

council operations. The May 2014 tripartite elections brought back councilors who are expected to play

a leading role in matters of local governance and development.

To aid this process, LGAP supported the review and update of the Trainers Manual/Facilitators Guide

for the trainers who will train the newly elected councilors and other council officials (see sub-result

1.3). Considering that previous trainings were not considered effective, LGAP focused attention on a

centrally-delivered Training of Trainers (ToT), following the finalization of the Trainers Handbook.

The MLGRD was therefore supported to convene a ToT from June 18th to 21st. The TOT drew

participants from MoLGRD, local governments, various MDAs (MALGA, LASCOM, MOH, MOEST,

and NLGFC) and Training Institutions. The workshop equipped the TOTs with the training

methodologies and content necessary to induct the councilors into their oversight role.

LGAP is supporting MALGA through a grant and technical support to facilitate review sessions of the

Manual/Guide so that it is more relevant and effective as an orientation and training tool for councilors

and other stakeholders at the local level. Through LGAP’s support to MALGA, the association has ably

coordinated the newly established relevant structures for the association, such as the Management

Network and Finance Network, thereby becoming more responsive and broadening its outreach service

delivery interventions in local government authorities.

3.1.3 Improve information sharing and facilitate dialogue among GoM entities and advocate for

full ownership of the decentralization agenda

LGAP also worked with MLGRD officials (Chief Director, Director Policy and Planning and the

Deputy Director Decentralization) for an induction of new Members of Parliament (MPs) on the local

government system in Malawi and roles of MPs. Such an intervention was deemed important

considering that MPs are still voting members in the councils and most of the MPs are new and have

limited institutional knowledge of local government structure and operations.

Briefly, the presentation, which included LGAP’s technical input, focused on:

a) Decentralization; background and progress;

b) Local Government funding/financing;

c) Development planning and budgeting; and

d) Roles of MPs as policy makers, change agents, decision makers, enablers, resource mobilizers,

communicators and leaders.

During the discussion time, concerns raised by MPs ranged from conflicting roles between councilors,

chiefs, and MPs; limited civic education and awareness on decentralization; high vacancy rates; the

need to revise the formula for CDF; limited higher-level political championship of the process; ad hoc

transfers of controlling officers and politicization of local development programs.

The parliamentary inductions were used as a platform to sensitize and lobby the MPs on the plight of

local authorities in Malawi, such as limited financing and high vacancy rates. Additionally, the MPs

were lobbied on their roles, with an emphasis on:


• Collaborating with councilors and other members of the Council to provide strategic leadership

and oversight;

• Ensuring that investments at the district level reflect district priorities rather than central

government or donor interests (i.e. use of CDF, LDF and DDF take into consideration priorities

reflected in the DDP);

• Taking lead in supporting resource mobilization within and outside councils for DDP projects

implementation; and

• Providing policy feedback and support formulation of policies to enhance local development

planning and budgeting.

After the induction LGAP will support MLGRD to engage the Parliamentary Committee on Local

Authorities once constituted. This will involve a more focused and detailed induction of the Committee

members on their roles and how they can promote the decentralization agenda.

3.1.4 Support Key Policies and Legislative Reforms

Review and development of local government documents

In this quarter LGAP provided support to MLGRD to review and develop materials, handbooks to guide

operations of Councils and raise awareness among the general populace. The main objective of the

exercise is to increase stakeholders’ awareness, knowledge, understanding, participation and ownership

of the decentralization processes in order to achieve smooth and effective implementation of the Policy.

Among the documents, reviewed were:

• Guide on the Local Government Systems in Malawi

• A Guide for Conducting Local Authority Business in Malawi

• Code of Conduct for Elected &Non-Elected Members of Council

• Conditions of Service for Councilors and Other Council Members

• Model Standing Orders for Councils in Malawi.

• Malawi Country Profile

Documents will be used in the orientation and induction of newly elected councilors. Considering the

importance of enhancing the understanding of the decentralization reform by the public and given the

complexity of the changes that have to be affected according to emerging issues, the Government

recognizes the need to sensitize all the stakeholders on the documents in terms of contents and

implications on how the country will be governed. Sensitization, civic education and the consolidation

of a democratic culture are considered important to the extent that they create awareness and

understanding among stakeholders to enable them to play their roles more effectively. Thus, LGAP -

through KRA 2 - will use the documents in strengthening communication on implementation of the

decentralization agenda in Malawi.

Support to by-law formulation in selected councils

For the first time in many years, the MLGRD, with support from LGAP, has resumed its support to

local government authorities to develop bylaws. The purpose of this initiative is to support local

governments to formulate local policy for the management of various sectors in the area under their

jurisdiction in line with the provisions of Section 103 of the LGA. The bylaws are expected to deal with

problems and opportunities related to the development and management of services and development,

although a wide variety of other issues may be addressed. Bylaws have the force of law and should not

only be capable of being understood by the ordinary citizens, but be legally enforceable as well.


By end of this quarter, LGAP supported all 8 Councils to have submitted their by-laws to MLGRD and

Ministry of Justice for vetting and approval. LGAP also convened a working session among IPs working

at the district level on bylaw formulation to ensure that external support is in line with the government

legal framework and local interests (see sub-result 3.4).

Support strengthening and review of decentralized planning system and processes

In this quarter, LGAP provided financial and technical support to the MLGRD to undertake a review

of the District Development Planning System Handbook (DDPSH). The purpose of this handbook is to

facilitate the preparation of DDPs and the planning and implementation of development programs and

projects. It also provides the mechanism for linking the district and national level planning and

budgeting processes.

The objective was to ensure that the DDPSH should be more consistent and responsive to current

national policies, such as the Decentralization Policy and the LGA, and development priorities, in

particular the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III (MGDS III) and the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs). Overall, the Handbook should respond to emerging issues and dynamics

of local governance in improving service delivery.

LGAP staff consolidated two versions of previously compiled Handbooks into a working document,

which was shared, with the MLGRD. The Ministry officials will use this document during district

consultations on the DDPSH to solicit immediate feedback. The consultations will be conducted in the

next quarter, as well as a national stakeholder consultative forum to solicit comments and inputs from

a wide range of stakeholders before printing and dissemination.

Sub-Result 3.2: Public Financial Management Systems Improved

LGAP continued working in collaboration with central level Ministries and government departments to

strengthen and improve public finance management systems at the district level.

LGAP worked with the NLGFC in supporting Councils to undertake their financial management and

reporting obligations. As referred to in 1.2.2, NLGFC provided technical support to several councils in

collaboration with LGAP. During the pre-audit exercise in M’mbelwa, NLGFC Internal Audit Manager

led the team in scrutinizing financial records and compiling a report. Similarly, during the IFMIS

training for Lilongwe district, facilitation of the training was mainly done by a NLGFC team comprising

of the IT Officer, Desk Officer and PFM Officers. As a follow up, the NLGFC Desk Officer for

Lilongwe sternly warned the Council against missing reporting deadlines in a communication addressed

to the DOF. NLGFC also worked with LGAP in providing mentorship support to Mulanje District

Council to properly manage the auditing phase.

Other central agencies such as Ministry of Finance, Treasury and MLGRD were engaged to provide

policy direction during the asset management exercise commenced in Blantyre and Mulanje. In a lesson

learning meeting in Blantyre, an official from the Ministry of Finance presented the draft Asset

Management Policy for all Ministries and Government Departments (MDA). However, it was noted

that a general policy which regards Councils as part of the ‘MDA’ would not serve the interests of

devolution. The meeting recommended that there would be a need to customize some of the general

principles and develop a council specific policy recognizing them as asset holders in their own right.

The MLGRD indicated that there have been attempts to develop an Asset Devolution Policy which will

guide all sectors to transfer assets to councils and assist councils to manage all assets under their


jurisdiction effectively. A national level task team comprising of MLGRD, MoF, Treasury and sectors

was instituted to help the development of an Asset Guideline/ Policy for Councils.

LGAP also held discussions with the World Bank as they are consulting stakeholders to provide input

into the design phase of a new program on public sector administration to improve delivery of services

in a decentralized system. One of the areas of interest is performance-based grants, with the intention

to reward good performance using selected indicators, such as PFM. LGAP met with a team of

Consultants and provided its recommendations to improve the design.

LGAP also commenced a process to strengthen the design and implementation of LGAP’s PFM

component by ensuring that the interventions are effectively aligned to, and facilitate, the intentions and

aspirations of Malawi’s fiscal decentralization vision. The main objective of the assignment is to assess

progress and gaps in Malawi’s fiscal decentralization, and provide recommendations for aligning

LGAP’s PFM interventions. In the next quarter, LGAP will work with an international and local

consultant to carry out the assessment and compile a report which will inform changes to the current

focus and design of the PFM interventions particularly at the central level.

Sub-Result 3.3: Human Resources and Key Management Systems Improved

3.3.1 Support Staff integration and Rationalization process in councils

With support from LGAP, LASCOM commenced the intra-district staff redeployment. In the exercise,

LASCOM collaborated with the MLGRD, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education to engage

Councils on the findings of the headcount of council staff. In the process, each council was supported

to conduct an analysis of headcount figures against council establishments and most recent staff returns.

In this exercise, LASCOM covered Kasungu, Ntchisi, Nkhotakota, Dowa, and Salima

The objective was to support Council HR personnel and management to identify current vacancy gaps

and excesses in the Councils and ultimately commence work on intra-district staff redeployment. This

is where the excesses and vacancies identified within the districts are normalized through lateral

movement of personnel within the districts to fill those gaps. Participation of the sector Ministries

education was critical considering that that they are the sectors most affected by high vacancy rates as

well as geographical staffing inequalities where personnel are concentrated in urban and semi-urban

areas, leaving rural areas with high pupil teacher ratio or inadequate health personnel.

The meetings involved presentation of Council-specific headcount results to District Commissioners,

Heads of Sectors and HR officers in the councils. This was followed by discussion and orientation of

Council staff in the redeployment guidelines that were prepared by LGAP, LASCOM, and the MLGRD.

Using the guidance from the redeployment guidelines, the HR officers were split into sectors supported

to commence analyzing headcount results in comparison with the current staff returns. This exercise

provided up-to-date staffing profiles in the Council with more accurate vacancy and excess analyses.

At the end of each day, all sectors present had covered close to 35% of the analysis. Kasungu Health

Sector had instantly identified several positions recommended for lateral redeployment, followed by

Salima Fisheries.

Participants agreed that the District Redeployment Focal persons, who were appointed in the meetings,

with support from the Controlling Officers, should finalize the work and all sector draft redeployment

plan proposals will be discussed and validated at sector level first before approval by Sector Heads


Management meetings. Councils started with intra- district redeployment followed by inter- district

redeployment.

• Excess Bodies at any grade will be compiled for further redeployment within the Council

where possible. (Intra-district redeployment)

• Excess bodies that will not be able to be redeployed within the Council should be submitted to

LASCOM for further redeployment to other Councils. (Inter-district redeployment)

It was observed during this exercise that although human resource management has been devolved to

the local level, the actual progress to date varies from one sector to the other and from one Council to

another. It was also revealed that progress on sector devolution is slow because most of the officials in

the Councils are still siloed as ministries at local level, while continued resistance in some ministries to

decentralize exacerbates the situation.

Strengthened and clear intergovernmental relations is integral to success of these efforts and critical to

council operations. From this field exercise, it is evident that there is need for clear demarcation,

disaggregation and distribution of duties, roles and responsibilities between central and local

government and local authorities. For instance, while councils are expected to manage personnel at

local level, there are other sectors that are still transferring staff or sending staff for long trainings

without consulting host Councils. Additionally, apart from the education sector, most of the sectors are

still holding on to personnel data and files.

3.3.2 Support adoption of conditions of service for staff serving in local

In this quarter, LGAP continued its focus on refining and strengthening the policy and regulatory

environment for decentralization and deepening decentralization while supporting the MLGRD in

exploring ways to improve the internal coordination of its multi-faceted functions. Additional attention

was towards supporting central level processes to at guide local governments to carry out their functions

effectively and in a coordinated manner. To this end, LGAP supported the MLGRD in providing

technical backstopping to 4 local governments in formulation and adoption of council conditions of

service for staff. At the end of the quarter, Balaka and Zomba District Councils have produced first

drafts of their conditions of service while Mzimba and Machinga District Councils have set up task

teams and have roadmaps in place.

These efforts are necessary to support Councils to attract and retain the right quality and quantity of

staff capable of implementing the Councils’ plans and programs. It is hoped that the conditions will

enhance common understanding and uniform application of the employee policies, organizational

structure and individual roles within it, resulting in the optimum utilization of Council’s human and

material resources in order to accomplish its mission in the most efficient and effective manner. To this

end, the staff service regulations present both policies and procedures in a consolidated manner for ease

of interpretation of the various provisions. After Council meetings approve the conditions of service at

the Council level, Councils submit them to the MLGRD for final approval before they are

commissioned and operationalized.

3.3.3 Filling of vacancies in Local Authorities to address the issue of high vacancy rate.

Also in this quarter, to ensure preparedness for the recruitment process, LGAP supported MLGRD,

DHRMD and LASCOM in updating job descriptions for 90 key positions, focusing on those whose

terms of reference have changed due to institutional integration at local level. The process involved

conducting a comprehensive job evaluation exercise for local Councils to ensure that all management


and non-management positions in the Council are appropriately classified and aligned. Specific

attention was paid to achieving alignment along the decentralization scale.

The authorized establishment had some posts, which had just been created following the merger of

some departments and sectors at the district level. This development necessitated the review of the job

descriptions coupled with the fact that there were now more demanding and challenging tasks that

Councils needed to undertake following the decentralization process. Ninety job descriptions covering

all the sectors at the Council were reviewed with the aim of ensuring their relevance to the activities

being undertaken at the Council level. The review identified emerging issues and challenges with some

jobs. The review of the job descriptions is expected among others to facilitate the filling of vacancies

in the District Councils and enhance the performance of staff who will have to perform their duties in

line with their job descriptions

3.3.4 Professionalize local government - Diploma in Local Government Administration and

Management

In this quarter, LGAP commenced support to the Staff Development Institute (SDI) to introduce a

program that is based on local government administration challenges and skills shortages. It is

anticipated that the successful implementation of this training will address specific local government

skills gaps and challenges in local authorities and concerned ministries.

The main goal of the Diploma in Local Government Administration and Management is to develop a

new level of local government professionals who promote development-focused local government.

Local administration has been the concern of every responsive political system in the world. This is the

case because local authorities are seen as a hub of development and democratic decentralization. The

Diploma of Local Government Administration qualification is therefore designed to meet the current

and future needs of local governments. The course is best suited to those who are seeking to move into

administrative roles within local governments or currently working within local government

administration but are looking to gain an esteemed qualification to improve their skills and enhance

their opportunities for career advancement. Further, the program offers strategic insight into policy

development, governance structure and principled strategic decision making.

Given the role local authorities play, the range of matters for which they are responsible and their

closeness to local communities, local governments have a more immediate effect on the day-to-day

lives of people than most other sectors of public administration. As such, through this diploma program

participants shall gain competences to perform tasks involving high level of autonomy. Presently, the

SDI has developed the first draft which has been commented on by LGAP and MLGRD, who provided

some of the module content.

Sub-Result 3.4: USAID Sectoral Support for Policy Reforms Coordinated, Reinforcing

Decentralization

As LGAP facilitates integration at the district level, corresponding efforts are made at the central level

to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach by all IPs in supporting the proper implementation of

the Decentralization Policy. In light of recommendations made during LGAP’s national-level

Integration Forum in the previous quarter, LGAP sought to develop the Integration Factory series,

which provides a venue for IPs to conduct deep dives on shares areas of work, assess their approach

against the prescribed approached under the current legal framework, identify challenges, and ascertain

how to best share knowledge and resources to combine separate efforts into one coordinated and

integrated approach. The sessions focus on one specific topic, include an overview of the policy and


legal guidance behind that topic, and identify areas where IPs can improve their own interventions.

Underlying this was the suggestion that when interventions are conducted based on different

understandings or methodologies, these efforts can be counterproductive.

Bylaw Integration Factory

To launch the series, LGAP convened a session on bylaw development and implementation. In the

previous quarter, LGAP and the MLGRD held a reflection meeting concerning ongoing support to

bylaw development, with the aim to assess progress and learn from previous experience. During this

reflection session, LGAP’s consultant reported on existing challenges facing bylaw development, and

the need for all stakeholders involved to follow due procedures and collaborate with local councils in

line with their own needs and capacity. As a result of this reflection session, LGAP recognized the need

to hold an Integration Session with interested parties to (i) review the above-mentioned findings, (ii)

share experiences and concerns, and (iii) agree on cooperative mechanisms to ensure that IP-supported

by-law development efforts are in line with the prescribed process.

LGAP joined over a dozen other programs and organizations to provide an update on the program’s

ongoing work in bylaw formulation. An expert on bylaws presented on the process and the numerous

challenges districts faced in executing this task. During the discussion, it was noted that there had been

occasions where external support did not follow the specific procedures, risking laws that are not

enforceable or aligned with local interests. PERFORM also reflected on its own experience and noted

that the existing legal framework may lead to confusion or conflicts in specific sectors. Other programs

represented, including FISH offered advice based on their own work. By incorporating colleagues from

the health, education, agriculture, environment, and governance sector, the different sectors needs were

seen to be outweighed by the common goal and procedures which affect all.

Moving forward, LGAP has engaged in consultations with peer IPs to develop an ongoing platform to

ensure that future projects and efforts to develop bylaws build on these lessons. In the following quarter,

LGAP will initiate this support and solicit buy-in from other projects, once the mechanism is agreed

upon. Future sessions are expected to focus on HR Devolution and support to DECs.

Challenges Identified

LGAP’s focus on ensuring coordinated support for decentralization requires a prudent assessment of

challenges faced, and proposals to address these challenges. Such issues noted during this quarter

include:

• Non-Adherence to strategic meeting schedules – It was noted that there was difficulty in

following and adhering to the agreed diary of meetings such as the Technical Working Group

(TWG) and Sector Working Group (SWG) meeting on Integrated Rural Development and

Decentralization. The new PS will be sensitized on the problem as a remedial measure.

• Limited commitment to finalization of work processes - In this quarter, progress was slow in

commencing district inspectorate exercises and it was not possible to approve by-laws and

formulate decentralization implementation plan (roadmap) as planned in the last quarter.

LGAP will convene a Technical Committee meeting for with MLGRD to address this.

• Slow pace of progress in some activities supported through other MDAs (such as LASCOM

and MALGA) - Work on redeployment through LASCOM has been very slow due to limited

number of staff on the task. The two organizations have already been advised to speed up all

process by supported through and by LGAP, and other IPs will be engaged to support this

effort.


RESULT AREA 4: PUBLIC SERVICE PERFORMANCE

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IMPROVED AND IMPLEMENTED

Sub-Result 4.1: Policy and Performance Management Systems Reforms

4.1.1 Support OPC/DHRMD in Harmonizing Legislation and Policies

The legal review exercise revealed the need to expedite the development of standard operating

procedure manuals in key result areas of human resources management (HRM) for successful

implementation of the changes embedded in the revised legal and administrative instruments. The

objective of this activity is, more specifically, to enhance DHRMD’s human and institutional capacity

and, more generally, OPC’s capacity and competencies in the delivery of key HR systems and practices.

The development impact of this initiative is that good governance practices will be strengthened in

MDAs because of improved HR systems and processes, and that DHRMD will have increased influence

over MDAs’ HR systems and processes.

To facilitate this process, two key activities were pursued during the quarter. First, a human resource

management framework has been developed to provide a unified, structured approach to human

resource management in the public sector. The HR framework highlights key result areas in HR

management and traces the public servant’s footprints through the career cycle – from entry into the

public service to exit. The purpose of the Framework is to enable the DHRMD in the OPC and other

MDAs to effectively manage their human resources. The framework is designed to achieve a

fundamental paradigm shift from a process-oriented approach in the management of human resources

to a results- and performance-based approach. It is further expected that the HR framework will form

the basis for review of human resource policies, systems and procedures in public service and, hence,

provide guidance on the procedure manuals development process.

Second, a lot of preparatory work has been done to pave the way for recruitment of a human resources

management consultant who will facilitate the development of procedure manuals for the civil service.

Following issuance of a request for expressions of interest and subsequent evaluation of technical

proposals, the Principal Secretary of DHRMD has granted necessary approvals for LGAP to proceed

with the remaining recruitment formalities of a consultant to undertake this exercise. The HR consultant

will facilitate development of HR procedure manuals in order to operationalize the revised Malawi

Public Service Regulations (MPSR) and the Public Service Commission Regulations (PSCR). This

exercise will be undertaken in the next quarter.

4.1.2 Preparatory Work for Strengthening the Civil Service Performance Management System

A fundamental principle of performance improvement is to put in place an appropriate and robust

performance management system with clear policies and guidelines to ensure that employee

performance is evaluated objectively so that associated rewards and sanctions are merit-based. In

addition, the system needs to better respond to the government-wide decentralization agenda which

recognizes the critical need to have robust performance management systems at both the central

government and District Council levels.

During the reporting period, LGAP collaborated with both the Performance Enforcement Department

(PED) and DHRMD to ensure that preparatory activities relating to the forthcoming performance

management systems consultancy are undertaken. Accordingly, following invitations for expressions

of interest from potential consultants, the Principal Secretary, DHRMD, effected the necessary


approvals for LGAP to recruit a consultant to undertake this exercise. This activity forms a critical part

of government’s effort in reforming the public service HR system.

Sub-Result 4.2: Institutional Capacity Building

4.2.1 Supporting DHRMD to Prepare for Expanded and/or Changed Mandate

DHRMD’s mandate emanates from the Public Service Act of 1994. This Act has now been revised and

a new Public Service Bill (2018) is awaiting legislative clearance. The new bill substantially expands

DHRMD’s mandate and strengthens its strategic posture from a mere DHRMD to the Department of

Public Service Management (DPSM), to be headed by the Secretary for Public Service Management.

This new department shall assume overall responsibility and related functions on behalf of the Chief

Secretary to the Government with respect to the administration and management of the public service.

Creation of the DPSM is one way of implementing the new architecture of administering the Public

Service as proposed in the Public Service Bill (2018).

As part of a process of operationalizing the revised Public Service Act (once approved), LGAP engaged

DHRMD and OPC in drafting a scope of work (SOW) for an anticipated functional review exercise of

DHRMD. The proposed strategic functional review and change management planning of DHRMD will

result in mandate and functional alignment with the revised provisions of the Public Service Act. This

will also prepare DHRMD to fulfil the requirements of a revitalized and modernized central agency

capable of meeting mandated standards for service delivery, strategic and integrated HR planning and

management, as well as performance management and use of technology.

4.2.2 Enhancing Institutional Capacity of the Public Sector Reforms Management Unit

The Government of Malawi is pursuing extensive public service reforms, emphasizing human and

institutional performance improvement and capacity building; and the Public Sector Reforms

Management Unit (PSRMU) in OPC is central to these efforts. During the quarter, LGAP supported

capacity building efforts of the PSRMU in two areas:

• Website Development: PSRMU has, in the past, facilitated a number of reforms across the

public service. To a large extent, this initiative has changed the face of the Public Service, but

little sensitization has been done to inform the public and stakeholders about the aims and focus

of the reform process, as well as progress achieved. Through LGAP’s support, a website and e-

library system has been developed for the PSRMU as a logical entry point for enhanced

visibility, accountability and stakeholder communication. It is expected that primary users of

the site will be public servants, CSOs, development partners and the general public. PSRMU’s

website will be formally launched in the next quarter.

• Development of Messages relating to public service reforms: Within the quarter, LGAP

supported PSRMU in developing reform-related messages that will be factored into various

information, education and communication (IEC) materials which will be disseminated through

different communication channels. Recently, the Government developed a Reforms

Communications Strategy (2018-2022) to ensure that primary and secondary target audiences

understand the reforms being undertaken and therefore implement the vision, milestones, key

activities, challenges and opportunities of public sector reforms. Accordingly, the development

of reform-related messages/jingles for both radio and television in English, Chichewa and

Chitumbuka is part of a process of operationalizing the government’s Reforms Strategy.


RESULT AREA 5: PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT RELATED

TO HUMAN RESOURCES IMPROVED

Sub-Result 5.1: Strengthening Accountability and Policy Making

Significant assistance is already being provided to the government in supporting improved public

financial management including bank reconciliations to enhance accountability of public funds. Given

that labor constitutes a significant proportion of the national budget and the need to improve both payroll

processing and fraud detection, it is critical to ensure appropriate linkages between IFMIS and the HR

Management Information System (HRMIS).

During this quarter, LGAP has continued to engage DHRMD in finding sustainable solutions to the

challenges encountered by the HRMIS. To ensure that key HR modules are fully activated and that the

HR devolution to local councils is effectively implemented, LGAP has also agreed to deploy two servers

in support of HRMIS in DHRMD. LGAP will continue to build on this strategic support in the next

quarter.


PART II. INTEGRATION AND KEY ACHIEVEMENTS BY

SECTOR Sector support in this quarter continued to be informed by findings in the Citizen Perception Survey

(CPS), the Local Authorities Performance Assessment (LAPA), and ongoing engagements with peer

IPs and District Councils concerning DDPs. In addition, LGAP continued working with the MLGRD

on sector-specific interventions, such as the development of an M&E Database that will incorporate a

consistent M&E Framework across all districts, including the collection and analysis of sector-specific

data for use in planning. LGAP continued to engage local CSO networks in other areas, such as

participatory budgeting exercises, to provide feedback for needs in service delivery. In general, LGAP’s

cross-sectoral work – including the integration session on bylaws (see sub-result 3.4) and community

engagement on service delivery (see Result 2) support the overall objective of improving basic services

through functional District Councils and promotion of decentralization. In addition to efforts previously

detailed in this report, LGAP explored deeper engage in our three priority sectors of health, agriculture,

and education, as detailed below. Finally, in light of the election of new local councillors, LGAP

anticipates building on the planned orientation for new councillors with additional support for service

committee members, in coordination with sector-specific IPs. This is projected to take place in the

following quarter.

Health Sector

Orientation of Health Centre Management Committee in Balaka – The Government of Malawi, through

the Ministry of Health, published revised Health Centre Management Guidelines to promote community

participation in health center management. The revised guidelines advocate for the establishment of

Health Centre Management Committees (HCMC) a governance structure at each health facility. The

members of HCMC, comprising of citizens from the catchment area, are elected to represent their

community regarding the management of health facility in their area. This ensures citizen participation

in Health Service Delivery.

The Balaka District Council, through the Health Sector, approached LGAP for support to train HCMCs

in all the health centers in Balaka using the new guidelines. In line with the intention of ensuring that

USAID interventions are better integrated, Balaka LGAP office collaborated with MSH-ONSE Project

and supported Balaka District Health office to reconstitute and orient new Health Centre Management

Committees (HCMCs) from 16 Health Centers across the district on their roles and responsibilities in

order to improve their functionality. HCMCs are an essential governance structure to promote citizen

voice and participation to ensure accountability between service providers and service users. Therefore,

participants were empowered to promote linkage between health center staff and community, in

overseeing effective drug supplies and management of health services at facility and community levels

The Committees were also mentored on their linkage with the existing decentralized structures VDCs

and ADCs. Their relationships with these structures will improve accountability of service providers to

the communities. These governance structures will promote citizen voice in health service delivery. In

appreciation of the training, one participant Mr. Adamson Chitalo, in his closing remarks on behalf of

the other members said, “This training has strengthened the capacity of our committee to better serve

our communities because we have clear understanding of the rights and responsibilities of community

members in relation to access to and utilization of healthcare services”.

Resolving Conflicts at Namanolo Health Centre (Balaka) – During the above-mentioned orientation, it

came to the fore that there were challenges between Health Workers and the community surrounding


Namanola Health Centre in Balaka. Patients at Namanolo Health Centre had raised concerns for years

about the poor service provided. Village leaders and communities, who live around the health center,

also complained about their lack of involvement in the management of the center. Unknown to the

communities, health staff had not been able to fill the majority of prescriptions due to lack of supplies

and staff, leading to conflicts between communities and health workers. Hence, health workers at the

facility threatened to relocate to other health facilities or resign if the situation could not improve. The

new Chairperson of Namanolo HCMC, Mr. Adamson Chitalo, acknowledged these challenges and

sought a solution during the orientation.

Upon hearing this from the participants at Mmanga TDC Cluster, the facilitators sought to address the

situation at Namanolo. Led by the District Council through Mr. Baluti Director of Administration, other

members included the Police and Health Staff from DHO they went to Namanolo Health Centre where

they brought all parties together to resolve the problems through an engagement facilitated by LGAP.

During the interface meeting, speakers, who included District Council, DHO and Police officers,

traditional leaders and community members, emphasized that HCMC is there to advocate for the health

needs of the communities they serve; acting as the key point of contact between communities and other

stakeholders to help identify health needs, and monitor the performance of the health center.

Unfortunately, it was learned that for a long time, Namanolo HCMC has been non-functional.

Consequently, stakeholders neglected their duties to monitor drug usage and health workers’

performance at the facility.

Group Village Head at Namanolo Health Centre

However, Mr. Baluti, Director of Administration for Balaka District Council, encouraged Namanolo

HCMC members to use their training to serve their facility and communities better. He said, “Real

change can come only from the local community itself by harnessing the energy, skills and commitment

of local people in setting clear objectives for change and forming new partnerships for action”. Mr.

Baluti, who represented Balaka District Commissioner, also asked the health workers at the facility to

apply strategies and methods that are culturally and socially acceptable to enhance sustainable

relationships with the communities and said, “Effective community participation needs a good


understanding of our communities and individuals we work with. Therefore, you need to get to know

their needs, priorities, capacities and any barriers to taking action before launching into any

interventions.”

In his closing remarks, Traditional Authority Amidu, expressed gratitude with the outcome of the

interface meeting because it helped his communities to organize themselves and be involved in their

health care and development. This will ensure peaceful existence between communities and health

workers because all activities will be carried out by the people and with the people to define their health

goals and influence decisions to address collective health issues and meet their health needs. T.A.

Amidu said, “I am very happy with response from our District Council because it has ensured that

people are consulted, persuaded, and given responsibility in decision making under technical and

professional guidance of health care professionals”.

Meeting with Kasungu DHO on Alignment of Plan to DDP - In April, Kasungu Programs Manager and

Integration Coordinator had a meeting with the Kasungu DHO. The meeting aimed at analyzing the

proposal which the DHO Office is soliciting for support from different partners on the development of

a multiyear plan (MYP) and District Implementation Plan (DIP). LGAP had previously supported the

formulation, launch and dissemination of the DDP and SEP. It is from this background that Kasungu

District Council Health Sector now plans to align its Multi-Year Plan (MYP) to the DDP and also to

disseminate the approved plans to stakeholders.

As of reporting time, only three steps of the DIP have been done funded by INPATH Project and the

DHO Office. However, due to limited resources that the DHO’s office has, the office requested

different partners, including LGAP, to support the remaining stages including third and fourth stage

which is ‘alignment of MYP to the DDP and dissemination of the plans to stakeholders. LGAP will

continue this support in the following quarter.

Agriculture Sector

During this reporting period, LGAP and SANE

increased cooperation in Blantyre. The training that

the two projects jointly organized in Blantyre opened

up greater opportunities for strengthening

coordination and collation at district and community

level. With greater pluralism, it is possible to achieve

stakeholder interaction, linkages and harmony

towards fulfilling common goals and realize collective

impact.

The two USAID projects jointly organized a capacity

building training for local governance structures with

the aim to harmonize and share standard operating procedures for the agricultures sector structures and

mainstream local governance structures. SANE that supports the agriculture sector and LGAP that

support the local government system acknowledged the disconnect between the local governance

structures (DEC, ADC, VDC) and agriculture sectoral structures (DAECC, ASP &VAC).


LGAP worked with the USAID-funded

Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition

Extension (SANE) to provide capacity to Area

Stakeholders Panel (ASP), Area Development

Committees (ADC), District Nutrition

Coordinating Committee (DNCC) and District

Agriculture Extension Coordinating

Committee (DAECC). The training also built

capacity of the structures in Agriculture to

promote effective farmer engagement in

agricultural and nutrition extension delivery

and also making sure that CSOs are helping in

facilitating aggregation of farmer demands at local level, as well as helping communities establish

systems for ensuring that service providers are being accountable, meeting their obligations to the

people at the grassroots. The capacity building training took place from 2-3 May, 2019 and LGAP also

closely worked with sub-grantee Development Communications Trust (DCT) in building capacity of

the participants on linkages of Local Government Structures and District Agriculture Extension Support

Service (DAESS) structures. LGAP also put emphasis on the importance of decentralization and drilled

the participants on the importance of these local structures working together in developing plans for the

communities, including agriculture plans. DCT’s presentation centered on drilling the participants on

the importance of citizens through different governance structures in assessing quality of services

provided by the Local Government.

Education Sector

In the previous quarter, LGAP worked with MERIT to assess and support district officials working on

education, including DEMs. Results from this assessment were reviewed (see sub-result 1.5), but

follow-on work was limited due to LGAP’s pending expansion, which will include a deeper focus on

education. Therefore, much of the quarter was spent planning for education work under the expansion

instead of direct implementation.

Zione Maya of DCT making a presentation on the

DAESS structures.


PART III: PROGRESS BY INDICATOR AND MONITORING AND EVALUATION

TABLE 11: LGAP DATA PERFORMANCE TABLE FROM OCTOBER 2016 TO JUNE

2019

Performance Indicator Tracking Table

No. Performance Indicator Unit of

Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

LGAP Activity Goal: Government accountability and effectiveness improved

A-1

Percent of households satisfied with

how District Government consults

citizens. (CDCS indicator).

Percentage 46.86% 49.20% This indicator will not be reported this period as the

survey that feed it has not been done on scheduled

time and the last one was done over a year ago.

Numerator 20759 21796.9

5 -

Denominator 44300 44300 -

A-2 Composite District Capacity Index

(DCI) (CDCS Indicator) Score 114 125.4 -

This indicator is also not going to be reported in this

period as it heavily relies on CPS which has not been

done recently.

A-3 Composite score of Integration

Index Score 0 22 - This indicator is under review; as such it will be

reported in subsequent quarters.

A-4

# of projects financed and

implemented by district

governments originating from

district led local development

planning process (Custom)

Number 14 19.6 126 156 0

There was no funding available from central

government for development projects in all councils.

However, projects from different sources such s

CDF were implemented, and those do not form part

of this indicator.

Health 0 6 23 32 0

Agriculture 0 3 0 4 0

Others (Roads & Bridges) 14 6 66 72 0




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

Result 1: Local Government Performance and Transparency Increased

R1.1 Own-source revenue as a

percentage of total district budget Percentage 8% 9% 11% 11% 11.4%

Mulanje 8% 8% 8% 8%

Blantyre 11% 16% 16% 16%

Zomba 4% 5% 5% 5%

Machinga 8% 11% 11% 11%

Balaka 5% 11% 11% 11%

Lilongwe 11% 33% 33% 33%

Kasungu 4% 3%

Mzimba 6% 4% 4% 4%

R1.2

% of district budget entities’

publishing budgets, audits, and

reports to share budget

performance (Custom)

Percentage 0 100% 100% 100% 100%

This indicator normally uses LAPA or random

checks. We re utilizing LGAP review results which

essentially used LAPA tool but was done by external

assessor.

Mulanje 100% 100% 100% 100%

Blantyre 100% 100% 100% 100%

Zomba 100% 100% 100% 100%

Machinga 100% 100% 100% 100%

Balaka 100% 100% 100% 100%

Lilongwe 100% 100% 100% 100%

Kasungu 100% 100% 100% 100%

Mzimba 100% 100% 100% 100%




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

R1.3

# of sub national entities receiving

USG assistance demonstrating

improved performance (Custom)

Number 0 3 8 8 8

Like the case above, information is based on LGAP

review assessment done in 2018 which essentially

used LAPA tool and was done by independent

consultant

R1.4

# of consensus building forums

(multi-party, civil/security sector,

and/or civil/political) held with USG

Assistance (DR.3.1-1)

Number 0 20 11 13 15

National 1 3 3

In the Period, LGAP supported 3 key consensus

building forums. The review of by-laws formulation

process, DDP formulation process and National

integration forum

Multi-party 0 8

Civil/security 0 0

Civil/Political 0 12 10 10 12

This includes all LGAP supported process to ensure

agreement on key development planning and

budgeting issues

Sub national 10 10 12

R1.5

# of entities receiving capacity

building assistance during the

reporting period (Custom)

Number 0 2304 18 363 450

Under this indicator, will target council, DEC, ADC,

VDC, CSOs, MALGA, DHRMD, MLGRD, LGSC &

NLGFC. In FY17, 117 AEC and 117 ADCs will be

fully involved in capacity activities. From FY18, the

capacity activities will roll out through the AECs to

all the VDCs, This is cumulative. The indicator has

been revised. Sub national entity has been replaced

with entity to accommodate the national level

forums.

National 5 5 5 5

MALGA 1 1 1 1




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

NLGFC 1 1 1 1

MLGRD 1 1 1 1

LGSC 1 1 1 1

DHRMD 1 1 1 1

Sub National 2299 13 358 445

Council 0 8 8 8

DEC 0 8 1 8

AEC 0 117 28 28

ADC 0 117 28 28

CSO 0 115 13 13 13 Under the grants component, LGAP supported 13

CSO's in the reporting period.

VDC 0 1934 280 360 These are mostly VDC's that CSO under grants have

worked with in the reporting period

R1.6

# of technical activities jointly

designed with cross sector partners

(Custom)

Number 0 38 10 19 12

LGAP will support district-based partners joint plans.

The joint work plans will outline key activities that

are jointly implemented by partners. Each district is

expected to identify 4 activities. In the quarter,

activities conducted were relatively few presumably

because of elections, LGAP slowed down its

implementation of activities especially from mid-April

up to end May.

Result 2: Demand for Accountable Government Strengthened at the Local Level

R2.1

% of households in focus districts

that understand roles of districts,

ADCs, and VDCs (CDCS)

Percentage 0.4284 0.44979

4 This indicator is informed by CPS, and it’s not going

to be reported in the period

Numerator 6854 7196.7 -

Denominator 16000 16000 -




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

R2.2

# of citizens who participate in

participatory planning

processes(custom)

Number 0 161000 0 100 2222

In FY2018, expect a huge participation due to District

Development planning process and falls back in

FY2019, Through the AECs, LGAP increase

participation budget review and performance, and

DDP project monitoring

Male 0 80500 68 1187

Female 0 80500 32 1035 At least 30% of the females are participating in

decentralized structures

Disability 267 Disability is someone with physical impairment.

Expects 5% disabled participation

Youth 1602 A youth is an individual 35 years below. Expects 30%

being youths

R2.3

# of mechanisms for external

oversight of public resource use

supported by USG assistance

(DR.2.4-2)

Number 0 16 8 8 8

R2.4

# of individuals receiving voter

education through USG-assisted

programs (DR.3.2-4)

Number 38815 783000 1305356 1305356 69,183

In the quarter LGAP conducted Public events such

Debates, Roadshows, in efforts to reach out to

citizens in targeted districts on elections awareness

campaigns

Male 17274 391500 657271 657271 37113

Female 21541 391500 648085 648085 32,070

R2.5

# of individuals receiving civic

education through USG-assisted

programs (DR.3.2-5)

Number 38815 787000 1305356 1305356 69183

In the quarter LGAP conducted Public events such

Debates, Roadshows, in efforts to reach out to

citizens in targeted districts on elections awareness

campaigns

Male 17274 393500 657271 657271 37113

Female 21541 393500 648085 648085 32,070




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

R2.6 # of human rights organizations

trained and supported (DR.4.2-1) Number 0 115 13 13 13

In FY17, 115 CSOs will be trained and supported

through the years with both technical and financial

support. The CSOs will focus on women’s

participation in development planning and their

representations. This is not cumulative.

Number of women's rights groups 0 54 Will target WILSA, CCJP, Justice link

Number of disability rights

organizations 0 8 FEDOMA per district will be supported and is

responsible for people with disabilities

Number of youth rights

organizations 0 53 13 13 13

youth CSOs per district especially YONECO and

CEYCE

R2.7

# of civil society organizations

(CSOs) receiving USG assistance

engaged in advocacy interventions

(DR.4.2-2)

Number 0 115 8 22 13

In FY17 and onwards, LGAP will engage CSOs to

advocate for key issues such as women participation,

transparency, increasing funding to councils, changes

in policies affecting councils. This is not cumulative.

Number of women's rights groups 0 54

Number of disability rights

organizations 0 8

Number of youth rights

organizations 0 53 22 13

R2.8 # of beneficiaries reached through

joint cross-sector activities. Number 0 384 273 342

In FY17, LGAP expects to hold district-based

integration forums every quarter and will reach

approximately 40 participants in each district. Each

beneficiary will be counted once to avoid double

counting. This is cumulative.

Male 0 192 165 283

Female 0 192 108 59

Result 3: Decentralization Policy Environment and Systems Improved




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

R3.1

# of policies to devolve authority to

district governments being

implemented with USG assistance

(Custom)

Number 0 54 13 14 14

In FY17, expects 29 policy to be implemented. This

includes policies passed for implementation under

R3.3 which is stage 5. In total LGAP will support 55

policies, procedures for implementation

National 0 14 5 5 5

The policies will be implemented by NLGFC, MALGA

and MLGRD. Linked to R3.3 under stage 5 on

national level. In the second quarter, LGAP

supported the review of 1) A guide for conducting

Local authority business in Malawi, 2) Code of

conduct for elected and Non-elected members of the

council, 3) Condition of service for councilors and

other council members, 4) Model Standing orders for

councils in Malawi, Malawi country profile.

Sub National 0 40 8 9 9 Linked to R3.3 Sub national under stage 5.

R3.2

# of sectoral budgets being

managed by district governments

(Custom)

Number 9 10 17 17 17

In FY17 expects 9 sectors in the councils fully

devolved. This will increase over the years by 10%

up to FY21. By FY21, LGAP will have achieved full

budget devolution for 13 out of 17 sectors. This is

cumulative.

HR budget 0 10 17 17 17

Considered devolved if either the HR or

development budgets are being managed by the

councils

Asset budgets 0 0

Development budget 9 10 17 17

R3.3

# of policies regulations, and/or

administrative procedures in stages

of development as result of USG

assistance (CDCS)

Number 0 54 45 46 55

A total of 55 policies will be supported or

implemented targeting MALGA, LGSC, NLGFC and

MLGRD and out of these 40 will be at district council

level by FY21. In FY17, LGAP will support 37 policies

and procedures and out of these, 13 are from

national entities such as NLGFC, MALGA, LGSC,

MLGRD, DHRDM




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

National 14 21 21 29

Stage 1: Analyzed 7 7 7

MALGA 1 1 1 Strategic Plan in FY2017, Institutional Strengthening

plan of MALGA

NLGFC 2 2 2 3 policies: Reviewed the taxation policy, the revenue

audit policy/guidelines and fiscal devolution guidelines

LGSC HR rationalization, HR integration in FY2017

MLGRD 1 4 4 4

Devolution plan, Devolution management guidelines,

LAPA, Local Government Act Review will be

analyzed in 2017. In 2018, functional review will be

conducted for the MLGRD. In FY2019, will support

the review of the decentralization policy,

DHRMD 2 policies: Establishment warrant and Public sector

reforms

Stage 2: Drafted and presented

for public/stakeholder

consensus

4 4 10

MALGA Strategic Plan in FY2017, Institutional Strengthening

plan will be validated during MALGA general

meeting

NLGFC 1 2 policies: Reviewed the taxation policy and the

revenue audit policy


presented to district and national stakeholders

MLGRD 1 2 2 8

DHRMD 2 2 2

2 policies: The Malawi Public sector reform (2018)

AND The public service commission regulations

(2018)




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

Stage 3: Presented for

legislation/decree 4 4 4


plan will be validated and approved during MALGA

general meeting

NLGFC

LGSC

MLGRD 1 4 4 4

Devolution plan, Devolution management guidelines,

LAPA, Local Government Act Review will be

analyzed in 2017. In 2018, functional review will be

conducted for the MLGRD. In FY2019, will support

the review of the decentralization policy,

DHRMD 2 policies: Establishment warrant and Public sector

reforms

Stage 4: Passed/approved 2 2 2


plan will be validated and approved during MALGA

general meeting

NLGFC 4


presented to district and national stakeholders

approved DHRMD & LGSC

MLGRD 1

DHRMD 2 2 2

2 policies: Public service Bill (2018) An amendment to

the public service act(1994) and The constitutional

Amendment of PSA above.




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

Stage 5: Passed for which

implementation has begun. 4 4 6

MALGA 2

NLGFC 3

LGSC 2 2

MLGRD 5 1

In the quarter, LGAP Supported the revision of

Councillors Trainers hand book. It’s also now being

used.

DHRMD 2 2 4 5

Policies that are currently in implementation stage

with suport from LGAP include The Malawi National

Public sector reforms policy (2018-2022) and The

Malawi Public service Management Policy (2018-

2022). HR Rationalization and HR integration. In the

quarter LGAP also supported the review of Job

descriptions for local government staff

Sub National 0 40 24 25 26 Overall LGAP will support 5 policies in eight councils

hence 40 policies or procedures

Stage 1: Analyzed 16 8 1 2

on policy new policy at this stage in the quarter

namely, Conditions of service reviewed in Balaka and

Zomba districts

Stage 2: Drafted and presented

for public/stakeholder

consensus

16 8

Council revenue Administration reforms, SEP and

DDPs in FY17, Each district will develop revenue

enhancement strategies in FY18 and Council by laws

developed in FY19

Stage 3: Presented for

legislation/decree 16 8 8

All councils are at this stage with their respective By-

Laws. They are either awaiting Ministry of Justice

approval or calling for citizen inspection after full

council approval




Measure

Baseline

(May

2017)

FY19

Target

FY19 Q1

Actual

FY19 Q2

Actual

FY19 Q3

Actual Comments

Stage 4: Passed/approved 40 8

Stage 5: Passed for which

implementation has begun. 40 16 16

LGAP expects only the revenue administrative

reforms and SEP to be approved and implemented in

FY17. In addition, in FY18, DDP, revenue strategies,

council by laws will be implemented. For FY19Q2,

SEP's and DDP's are now in implementation use

stage.

R3.4 # of district with completed annual

performance assessments (Custom) Number 0 35 8 8 8

In FY17, the Local Authority Assessment tool will be

administered in 8 districts councils and this will

remain the same through the years. This is based on

LGAP review which used same LAPA tool.

R3.5

# of integration or cross cutting

forums, joint work planning

activities, sector/technical working

groups held with USG assistance

(Custom)

Number 0 40 10 21 13

Decentralization TWG, Decentralization sector

working group, MALGA conference, Local

Government Authorities’ conference, National

Integration forum, and local integration forums.

National 0 8 2 1 1

Decentralization TWG, Decentralization sector

working group, MALGA conference, Local

Government Authorities’ conference, DOF’s

Meetings in collaboration with NLGFC.

Sub National 0 32 8 20 12 Each district will be conducting integration forms

every quarter

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

STTA IN THE REPORTING PERIOD From April-June 2019, LGAP retained the services of the following STTA to support key programmatic

deliverables and operations.

Short-Term Technical Assistance

Hugo Mlewa Integration Consultant

Lee Rosner Acting Chief of Party

The following positions were advertised in the reporting period, with interviews to be conducted in July.

1. Fiscal Decentralization Consultant

2. Public Sector Management and Decentralization Consultant

STAFFING Recruitment

There were no interviews for employee positions in this quarter.

Table 8: DAI/LGAP Project Staff Members

Name Post Start Date End Date Remarks

1 Virginia Chitanda Chief of Party 01/10/2017 23/08/2021 Active

2 Brian Giacometti Technical Director

Integration 24/10/2019 23/08/2021 Active

3 Wasim Muhammad Deputy Chief of Party 01/04/2019 23/08/2021 Active

4 Brenda Kacheche Institutional Capacity

Specialist 21/11/2017 20/11/2019 Active

5 Phaniso Kalua Technical Director PFM 01/07/2017 30/07/2019 Active

6 Chiliritso Gwaza Administrative Officer 01/11/2016 31/10/2019 Active

7 Addien Katawa Information Technology

Officer 01/11/2016 31/10/2019 Active

8 Chisomo Milazi Administrative Assistant 21/11/2016 17/11/2019 Active

9 Macwilliam Shumba Driver 02/11/2016 01/11/2019 Active

10 Chrissy Maleyi Office Assistant 01/12/2016 30/11/2019 Active

11 Ernest Mlenga M&E Specialist 01/03/17 27/02/2020 Active

12 Aaron Luhanga Program Manager- Balaka 07/12/2016 02/05/2019 Active

13 Mabvuto Mkandawire Local Government

Manager 02/07/2018 01/07/2020 Active

14 Vacant ME&L Director 5/11/2018 24/4/2019 Resigned

15 Winston Khamula Decentralization Manager 03/10/2017 02/10/2019 Active

16 Bright Saka District Coordination

Assistant - Kasungu 03/04/2017 30/03/2020 Active

17 Mtende Msendama District Coordination

Assistant - Balaka 03/04/2017 30/03/2020 Active


18 Jimmy Kwangwani Integration Coordinator -

Blantyre 03/04/2017 30/03/2020 Active

19 Elton Edward Program Manager -

Blantyre 03/04/2017 02/05/2019 Resigned

Archangel Bakolo Program Manager-

Blantyre 07/05/2019 06/05/2020 Active

20 Dieckens Binali Grants Associate 03/04/2017 30/03/2020 Active

21 Michael Mwachilale

Public Finance

Management Specialist –

Balaka

08/05/2017 16/01/2019 Resigned

22 Opper Walita

Public Finance

Management Specialist –

Balaka

20/05/2019 19/05/2020 Active

23 Dennis Chikunkhuzeni

Public Finance

Management Specialist -

Blantyre

08/05/2017 30/04/2019 Active

24 Mike Chipalasa Communication and

Outreach Specialist 04/12/2017 16/09/2019 Active

25 Prisca Semu Integration Coordinator-

Kasungu 02/07/2018 01/07/2019 Active

26 Chifundo Kasonga Project Driver - HO 03/07/2017 01/06/2019 Active

27 Davie Simale Project Driver - Balaka 03/07/2017 01/06/2019 Active

28 Benjamin Phiri Project Driver - Kasungu 03/07/2017 01/06/2019 Active

29 Edwin Msewa Social Accountability

Manager 03/07/2017 01/06/2019 Active

30 Victor Lowe Project Driver - HO 17/07/2017 01/06/2019 Active

31 Abby Masikamu Project Driver - Blantyre 01/08/2017 01/09/2019 Active

32 Hentry Mwale Institutional Development

Coordinator - BLK 01/08/2017 01/07/2019 Active

33 Jessie Njikho District Coordination

Assistant-Blantyre 01/08/2017 01/07/2019 Active

34 Gerald Mmelo Project Driver-HO 02/10/2017 01/10/2019 Active

35 Frank Zoto Program Manager -

Kasungu 02/10/2017 19/01/2019 Resigned

36 Clement Nyirenda Program Manager -

Kasungu 09/04/2019 08/04/2020 Active

37 Alfred Kaliwo Infrastructure Specialist 02/10/2017 01/10/2019 Active

38 Frank Chikamba Finance Specialist 23/10/2017 22/10/2019 Active

39 David Ng’onamo Procurement Specialist 06/11/2017 05/11/2019 Active

40 Alice Makhambera

Public Finance

Management Specialist-

Lilongwe

15/11/2017 14/11/2019 Active

41 Chikondi Lunduka Communications Officer 04/02/2019 03/02/2020 Active


42 Georgina Dakalira Receptionist/Administrativ

e Clerk 02/01/2018 01/01/2020 Active

43 Kumbukani Kaduya Project Accountant 2 24/03/2018 23/03/2020 Active

44 Chimwemwe

Mwatengele

Procurement & Logistics

Assistant 03/04/2018 02/04/2020 Active

45 Vacant

Public Finance

Management Specialist-

Kasungu

09/04/2018 08/04/2020 Promoted

46 Sydney Mwakaswaya Institutional Development

Coordinator- Kasungu 02/05/2018 16/01/2019 Resigned

47 Winnie Meke Institutional Development

Coordinator- Kasungu 02/05/2019 01/05/2020 Active

48 Justice Mpinga Project Accountant 02/05/2018 01/05/2019 Active

49 Effie Bvutula Integration Coordinator 07/05/2018 06/05/2019 Active

50 Beenwell Banda TD- Public Service

Reforms 01/06/2018 30/05/2019 Active

51 Ulemu Kambwiri Human Resources

Manager 3/9/2018 02/9/2019 Active

52 Anderson Moyo Institutional Development

Coordinator- Blantyre 03/04/2017 30/3/2020 Active

SUCCESS STORIES

MARKET VENDOR GRACE ZIYAYA BIDS FAREWELL TO DUST AND MUD

Lilongwe, 28 June 2019 - For over a decade, Grace Ziyaya

has been selling vegetables on a roofless floor, braving the

whirling dust on a windy day and running muddy waters when

it rains. The hot sun adds more pain to her already difficult

situation. Nevertheless, she has to soldier on in order to put

food on the table of her five children and husband. On a

normal day at Chigwirizano market in Lilongwe, the 40-year-

old vegetables seller makes approximately K4,000 (USD5) as

profit, but the sales fluctuate because customers are

concerned about patches of dust and mud on her vegetables,

fearing for a possible outbreak of waterborne diseases like

cholera and dysentery.

“It’s been a challenge selling these vegetables and tomatoes on the floor. People just look away from you because

the vegetables are dirty. We lose out because of this,” says the mother of five, originally from Nasawa Village in T/A

Chikowi in Zomba, but now working in the Lilongwe market. Despite her challenges, Grace has been faithfully paying

K150 (USD 0.2) per day as market fee to the District Council, hoping things will improve in the future when she

would have a roof on top of her head.

Thankfully, a new market shed has just been constructed at the market and is earmarked to accommodate 36 vendors

like her who previously were using temporally timber bench structures and the floor. Thanks to USAID and UKAID

through the Local Government Accountability and Performance

(LGAP) program, the newly constructed market shed answers

Grace’s long belief to have a decent market place where all her

vegetables would be under one roof in a neat and secure

environment. Grace says the construction of the market will

improve her fortunes because she would now sell clean vegetables.

“The future looks bright. Customers will no longer have a reason to

run away from me. In fact, this shed is well constructed and

convenient for us because it has drawers where we can put our stuff.

This will be my second home because that’s where my life will

depend and I am going to make more money now here,” says a

smiling Grace who desires to build a 3-bedroomed house with iron

sheets in a year’s time, out of the proceeds she will make from her vegetable sales. As Grace and the other 35

vendors move into the shed, expectation is high that revenue collection will increase to enable Lilongwe District

Council to provide quality services aimed at improving lives of vendors and their families, thus reducing their poverty

and at the same time helping the council be on a path to self-sustenance.

The Chigwirizano Market Shed is one of the eight market sheds that have been constructed in each of the eight

LGAP districts, in direct response to vendors’ request for the facility. Construction of the market sheds accompanied

community-based management trainings and handovers. The shed is part of a larger effort to work with vendors and

Council officials to promote investments which in turn will boost the economy and raise local revenue.

The new market shed where Grace will be doing her business

Grace Ziyaya speaking from the new market shed terraces

ANNEX: ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONALITY OF DISTRICT

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IN COUNCILS – DETAILED

FINDINGS

The DEC assessments in Lilongwe, Kasungu and M’mbelwa were a joint reflection task with the DPDs in

each of the three districts on the following functional areas of the DEC:

• Who presides over the DEC meeting? If the role is delegated, what is the caliber of the delegated

Officers in relation to the expected quality of DEC deliberations as a technical advisory body?

• What is the practice of documenting minutes and resolutions?

• Have the councils institutionalized DEC meetings – Does the council drive DEC meetings? Does

the council have scheduled and written down calendar of DEC Meetings? Standard DEC meetings

are those on scheduled calendar of DEC meetings, the minutes are read and resolutions or action

points are followed up accordingly.

• Does the council have a ring-fenced budget for holding DEC meetings?

• Are the council’s DEC sub-committees meeting based on thematic areas to DEC as stipulated in

the DEC Standard Operating Procedure?

• Membership – The DEC Standard Operating Procedure indicates that ideally heads of sectors and

a representation of NGOs operating in that Council are members to DEC meetings. What is the

average number of members attending DEC meetings? What is the caliber of the members and the

quality of their contributions during the meeting?

• Where officers are delegated to attend the DEC meeting, what is the caliber of these officers? Are

they grounded in the technical matters to make substantive contributions in deliberations?

• What are the practicalities of council consistently having sub-committee meetings?

• With the authority of driving the council agenda devolved to the council,

o What prerogative does the DC have to structure and utilize the DEC as a technical platform to

serve the interests of the district’s development processes?

o What is the role of the ministry on the standard operating procedures of DEC?

o What is your picture of an ideal DEC?

o

From the consultations with the DPDs, the following insights on the three councils’ DECs include:

Lilongwe District Executive Committee

• Lilongwe district council holds regular DEC meetings - every last Thursday of the month.

• When DEC convenes, average participation is about 65 (inclusive of Council officers and NGOs).

• The council and DEC members are already in discussion about areas that are not working well

regarding the DEC. Some of the issues raised are:

o The patronage at DEC meetings. Members delegate participation to DEC anyhow

including sending interns to represent sectors.

o The agenda of the DEC meetings is however consistently about processing approvals for

NGO projects.

o Functions are reduced to approval of projects presented by NGOs. Some of the key

functions not comprehensively done include DEC as advisory to full council, supervision

of projects and monitoring of CDF initiatives, and training of the VDCs, ADCs and AECs.

o Sub-committees of the DEC are not meeting as prescribed in the DDPS Handbook. This

reduces the DEC platform to a committee doing the lengthy processing of new projects

when they should only be endorsing.

o Sector heads rarely attend DEC meetings. They tend to delegate other lower level officers

and this is due to the protracted DEC meetings that are processing new projects.

Presentations by NGOs at DEC take too long as they are not deliberated at sub-committee

level. As such some sector heads find DEC meetings not adding value due to poor and

protracted deliberations.

o DEC calendar – rarely does council have an internally generated agenda.

o No ADC appearing before DEC to report as per DDPS Handbook.

o Missed opportunities for council and sectors to report on critical developments and

emerging issues.

o

The conversations within the DEC on how to improve its functioning suggest three levels of remedial

interventions: Orient Management on an ideal DEC based on the revised DDPS Handbook, facilitate a

reflection session and draw Lilongwe district council specific action points; Facilitate a wider orientation

of the DEC (in its current composition) on an ideal DEC and the key propositions from management on

how to transform DEC; Facilitate a buy in process of the management propositions and develop a plan on

how to operationalize it; and Operationalize on activating sub-committees of the DEC.

Kasungu District Executive Committee

How is the Kasungu DEC functioning as a key aspect of the council committee system?

• DEC is the overall committee steering development interventions.

• Thematic groups under DEC were instituted – Health, Agriculture and food security. They are

supposed to be deliberate in meeting before DEC and secretary to report their deliberations at DEC.

• Regular DEC meetings – every first Wednesday of the month.

• DEC meetings budget is institutionalized – NGOs complement but the council is well capable of

hosting a DEC meeting and financing it without NGO subsidy.

• On participation, under delegation is not allowed and inappropriate delegation is also not allowed.

• Under the DEC, ADC as a conduit of development interventions coming from DEC is not vibrant

enough to remain connected to DEC.

• DEC is supposed to be an executive space and then once in a year hold an all-inclusive general

meeting.

• The revised DDPS will clearly set out limits of who can and cannot attend DEC.

• The DEC is not monitoring projects. Monitoring in the council is done through M&E.

• Regular agenda items: sector updates. NGO business is always an extra to the core list.

• Management – all sectors are obliged to participate. Chairing the meeting is rotated to enhance

active participation ownership of all members including NGOs.

Going forward, an introspective reflection to look at how the Kasungu DEC is performing is necessary, as

well as a team building exercise for the DEC.

M’mbelwa District Executive Committee

How is M’mbelwa DEC functioning as the engine room of development?

• Regular agenda – receive new partners, reports.

• More functions not exploited

• Membership – council not strict. People that are not supposed to be members are allowed to

patronize DEC meetings.

• Other critical members in the district are not motivated to attend DEC e.g. private sector.

• There is need to scrutinize DEC membership against the standard DEC ToR.

o Need members that safeguard the image and integrity of the council (what is the code of

conduct of DEC members)

o Orienting DEC members to have unity of purpose.

o Team building for bonafide members.

• NGOs have a network though some members of the network do not belong to any NGO hence have

no standing to raise issues.

• Membership – average 60 members Mzimba south alone. Mzimba north about 25.

• Regular DEC agenda – characteristic of NGOs agenda items. Too dependent on NGOs.

• 2 DEC meetings per month to cater for NGOs priorities. Every 2nd and 4th week of Thursday.

• Sectors participation – They delegate but usually competent staff.

• Sub-committees not meeting and not presenting reports to DEC.

• DEC deliberating on issues that are supposed to be discussed at sub-committee and referred to DEC

for endorsement. As such bonafide members feel DEC take too long (4 hours).

• DEC subcommittees prescribed in the handbook – not all sectors are provided for e.g. education,

DAECC.

• AEC – not functioning regarding advising ADCs.

• Membership, technical capacity, minutes not usually taken.

Going forward, the DC and the DPD plan to present to the DEC what the Handbook outlines on how the

DEC should operate. This will provide DEC a basis to develop an action plan of improving M’mbelwa

DEC functionality.

malawi local government accountability and performance (lgap)

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