By Solister Mogha

Zomba, January 26, Mana: Zomba District Council has pegged its 2025/2026 budget at MK47.2 billion from MK35.4 billion in the 2024/25 fiscal year.

Presenting the budget during a budget review and hearing session in Blantyre, Director of Finance, Ellen Kayira said the increase is as a result of expected enhanced disbursements from projects such as the Regional Climate and Resilient Project (RCRP), Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP).

In addition, Kayira said an increase in the budget is also due to an increase in personal emoluments.

“If you check our budget, you will see that a fair share is also under personal emoluments which are taking a substantial percentage,” she said.

According to the Director, out of the total budget, MK2.6 billion is for Other Recurrent Transactions (ORT) MK1.8 billion is Constituency Development Fund (CDF) MK1.42billion GESD, MK1.1 billion for hospital rehabilitations and MK5.3 billion for Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSEPWP) under the SSRLP.

On local revenue generation, Kayira said the council has under budgeted from MK274 million last year to MK259 million, adding that there were some areas that the council needed to work on enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in revenue mobilization.

“We are supposed to collect revenue in estates but we don't have bylaws that allow us do that. Additionally, the council is supposed to construct toilets and market shades for it to easily collect revenue in markets,” she said.

NLGFC Budget Analyst, Yohanne Nyanja hailed the council for what he described as a detailed budget, saying the council should work more on revenue generation avenues.

However, this is a proposed budget, which awaits final ceilings from the NLGFC and approval by Zomba full council.