Chenda urges councils to curb corruption, financial mismanagement

Minister of Local Government and Housing Emmanuel Chenda has called on all councils in the country to curb corruption and mismanagement of funds by embracing electronic transactions in revenue collection.

In speech read for him by his deputy Nicholas Banda during the launch of the Direct Debit and Credit Clearing (DDACC) partnership between Lusaka City Council (LCC) and ZANACO, Mr. Chenda said corruption and mismanagement of funds can only be reduced by lessening human interaction with cash.

He said DDACC, which is a service that will allow Lusaka City Council clients to pay for rates using ZANACO’s electronic platforms, will enhance the local authority’s ability to collect revenue.

The minister also directed the council to explore other avenues of collecting revenue and not to depend on already established systems.

Speaking earlier, ZANACO Managing Director Bruce Dick said the DDACC service will improve the council’s cash-flow management which will eventually translate into improvement of the local authority’s liquidity while at the same time reduce the cost of doing business.

At the same occasion, Lusaka Mayor Mulenga Sata said the partnership between the LCC and ZANACO will help improve efficiency in collecting revenue.

Mr. Sata said the council was trying its best to reduce human contact in financial transactions in its effort to address challenges of theft of funds by employees.