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Muluzi backs Lilongwe chief
By
McDonald Chapalapata - 06-02-2003 |
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President Bakili Muluzi has directed the Ministry of Local Government to renew Lilongwe City Assembly Chief Executive Donton Mkandawire’s contract brushing aside a wrangle between the assembly’s councillors and the chief executive.
A letter Ref. No.C/04/Vol.IV dated February 4, 2003 and signed by Commissioner for Local Authorities Cuthbert Nanthambwe to Lilongwe Mayor Charles Chimdzeka informs the assembly that Mkandawire’s contract has been renewed and that he should report for duties with immediate effect.
“I wish to inform you that the contract of Chief Executive Prof. Donton Mkandawire has been renewed through a directive from the Head of State,” reads the letter in part.
Mkandawire was in the office yesterday but has not started using his official car which was had tyres removed by the councillors on Monday.
Nanthambwe, however, said in an interview yesterday Mkandawire has not yet signed the two-year contract.
“We are still negotiating the contract with him and we have sent him a draft of the contract and if he agrees with the terms, then he will sign it,” said Nanthambwe.
But the president’s directive has not gone down well with the councillors, who yesterday had a caucus on the issue.
“We are consulting our lawyers for advice. We plan to get an injunction so that the Chief Executive should not be in the office as this may incite workers to put their tools down,” said councillor Wakuda Kamanga when he was briefing members of the press soon after the caucus.
Kamanga, flanked by Chimdzeka and other councillors, said there is need to follow proper procedures for the appointment of chief executive of the assembly.
“If you read section 6 (g) together with section 11 (2) of the Local Government Act 1998, you will find that the assembly has got powers to appoint the chief executive of the assembly,” he said.
Kamanga said the Local Government Service Commission (LASCOM) is mandated to recruit assembly staff from the position of director and above, but that should be in consultation with a particular assembly.
“When the contract of the chief executive expired, we mandated the mayor to inform the Ministry of Local Government that now there is a vacant post and an acting chief executive should be appointed in preparation for the process of appointing another chief executive, but this was not done,” he said.
Kamanga said the councillors have vowed to remove Mkandawire because “when we were coming in 2000 we found a strike by assembly staff because they did not want him’.
Mkandawire yesterday, through a memorandum dated February 5, 2003, informed directors and heads of departments to remind staff of the declaration and oath of office they took when they reapplied to continue offering services to the assembly following a strike in February last year.
“You should also remind your members of staff that the assembly is yet to respond to their offers to continue working for the assembly following the assembly resolution contained in Minutes LCA/02/004 of the 1st Extraordinary Meeting of the Assembly held on February 15, 2002,” reads the memorandum signed by Mkandawire himself.
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