By Edwin Mauluka

Members of Parliament have expressed concern over the continued absence of guidelines for the reformed Constituency Development Fund (CDF), as the National Assembly concludes its current sitting next Friday.

Raising a point of order in the House, Lilongwe Msinja MP Francis Belekanyama said lawmakers remain in the dark on how the newly allocated MWK5 billion per constituency will be implemented and accessed.

He noted that despite Parliament passing the 2026–2027 National Budget — now in effect from April 1, 2026 — the government has yet to present the much-needed CDF guidelines.

“Each time we stand to request the status of the CDF guidelines, it is seen as politics. But for the past 20 years, the biggest problem in this republic has been implementation,” Belekanya said.

He stressed that the push for the guidelines is not politically motivated, but rather aimed at ensuring effective service delivery at constituency level.

“If a teacher’s house collapses, people expect immediate intervention and they turn to their Member of Parliament. But when we receive such issues, we don’t know where to take them. When we raise the issue of guidelines here, the government assumes it is politics. We need to go beyond politics,” he added.

Belekanya called on the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Justice to table the guidelines before Parliament for debate and final adoption.

Supporting the call, Dowa East MP Richard Chimwendo Banda revealed that Dowa District Council has already received the full disbursement of MWK211 million for the 2025–2026 financial year under CDF, but remains unable to utilize the funds due to lack of direction.

“We don’t know how to use the funds because there are no guidelines. I want to ask the Leader of the House whether the guidelines will be provided so that, starting tomorrow, we can begin to use the money,” he said.

Deputy Speaker Musowa acknowledged the seriousness of the matter, noting that guidelines are essential for MPs to effectively carry out their oversight role.

“The Speaker ruled on this issue last week. We need these guidelines before we rise sine die. It is critical for the oversight role we are expected to perform,” he said.

He added that if the guidelines are not ready, the government should at least advise MPs on how best to oversee the funds already disbursed to councils.

In response, Leader of the House Mhango assured the House that the government will ensure resources are utilized within existing frameworks.

“We will make sure that the resources provided are used within the available guidelines. So, just be patient,” he said.

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