Politics undermining Zambia’s decentralisation agenda – Expert

Development expert Charity Musamba has noted serious […]

Development expert Charity Musamba has noted serious concerns over Zambia’s decentralization program, noting that the process has been slowed by political interests and the continued concentration of decision-making power and public resources in Lusaka.

Musamba indicated that successive governments have promised to decentralize governance since 2002, but the process has remained largely slow despite the country now being in the third phase of its Decentralization Implementation Plan.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Musamba noted that Zambia continues to operate one of the most centralized governance and development systems in the Southern African region, despite its commitment to democracy and inclusive development.

“Zambia has one of the most centralized systems of governance and development in the Southern African region and is also part of the top list of countries in Africa that have failed to decentralize at the rate at which this program is expected to be undertaken,” Musamba said.

She said decentralization has performed better on paper than in practice, with government reports showing progress while citizens continue to experience a highly centralized system.

 “This program has worked very well on paper because you see money spent, reports written, and workshops held, but on the basis of our day-today operations and the daily experiences of the people, you don’t see a big difference between the centralized system that was left by the UNIP government and what is happening today,” she said.

 Musamba rejected financial constraints as the main reason for the slow implementation of decentralization, noting the country has resources but lacks sufficient political commitment to transfer authority from the center.

 “Financial resources cannot be an excuse. Since 2002, when we introduced this program to be part and parcel of what was called the reform process for this country, we cannot be excusing ourselves for failing to decentralize if we’re very serious about its importance,” she said.

 She said decentralization requires the transfer of real decision-making powers, responsibilities, and financial resources from the central government to provincial, district, and lower levels. According to Musamba, political elites have been reluctant to support the process because decentralization would reduce the amount of power and authority concentrated at the center.

 “There was the issue of interest and power relations and the fear of losing constant control,” she said. Musamba said the continued centralization of government functions was also contributing to the migration of people to Lusaka because citizens move towards areas where government services, employment, and economic opportunities are concentrated.

Article by Karen Ngulube