FACTORS BEHIND FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY PERFORMANCE OF ZOMBA AND CHITIPA DISTRICT COUNCILS IN MALAWI

Abstract

Malawi had no elected councilors in 1995 and 2000, and between 2005 and 2014 despite existence of policy and legal frameworks. Their absence resulted into lack of accountability and loss of citizen and donor trust, among others. However, periodic assessments by Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development found that Zomba District Council performed better on public service delivery and accountability than Chitipa District Council. This paper, therefore, investigated factors behind fiscal accountability performance of Zomba and Chitipa District Councils. The argument is that it is not only increased funds par se that defines local council performance but rather intergovernmental fiscal transfer formula, genuine community participation, usage of information and communication technologies and access to information. The study used mixed methods and accountability theory to collect and analyze its data. Findings show that the degree of district councils‘ accountability to their constituents has an impact on their performance in delivering public services. The aggregate of factors that promoted accountability failed to realize fiscal accountability. A mix of strategies, favored by intergovernmental fiscal transfer system, differentiated fiscal accountability performance of the two councils. Further areas of study include: effects of existing legislation on fiscal accountability; impact of service charter on district councils, and effects of many principals‘ on fiscal accountability.