BY KALALUKA MUSHAUKWA
Residents have welcomed the announced increase in councilor’s allowances from K700 to K3, 000.
In an interview with Komboni Radio News today, the residents say the increment will go a long way in motivating councilors to even work harder.
The residents charged that the increment is long overdue as councilors are engaged in a lot of community work compared to Members of parliament.
The residents observed that councilors are ever present at funerals, accidents and almost every emergency that happen in their wards and most of the times use money from their pockets to assist members of the community.
The residents have since commended the government for responding to concerns raised by various stakeholders on the need to increase allowances for councilors.
Meanwhile, Forum for Development and Democracy (FDD) spokesperson Antonio Mwanza has described the K3, 000 councilor’s monthly allowance increment as a mockery.
Mr Mwanza has since asked government to further review the increment stating that it is too little to meet the councilor’s requirement to run their wards effectively.
On Wednesday, Local government and Housing Minister Vincent Mwale announced that government has raised councilor’s allowances from K700 to K3, 000.
Mr Mwale told parliament in a ministerial statement that adjustment will be affected after publication of a statutory instrument (SI).
