By Jones Gadama
Lilongwe Nyanja MP and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, Steve Malondera, has misled Malawians with public complaints about the Constituency Development Fund that expose a glaring ignorance of the 2026 CDF Guidelines.
Speaking on Times Exclusive, Malondera accused the Democratic Progressive Party government of deception for failing to disburse CDF quarterly and for not releasing K5 billion per constituency automatically.
He also questioned the K100 million MADEF loan facility and claimed government-side MPs have gone silent.
What Malondera failed to disclose is that the system he is attacking was deliberately reformed months ago, and as PAC Chair he should be the first to understand it.
The 2026 CDF Guidelines, issued by the Ministry of Local Government, abolished the old practice of automatic quarterly cash releases that fueled rushed, incomplete and abandoned projects.
Under President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika’s DPP government, CDF funds are no longer dropped automatically.
Money is now released project by project, only after constituencies complete project identification, technical designs, Bills of Quantities, approvals and procurement.
Malondera’s lament that “four months have passed without disbursement” only confirms he has not read the new framework. The delay he complains about is intentional.
The guidelines front-load planning before spending because bigger allocations now come with bigger responsibility.
There are new administrative structures, stricter procurement rules, and accountability checks built in before treasury releases funds.
The shift is clear: from spending fast to spending right, from political mileage to quality infrastructure that benefits communities.
For the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee to claim his mandate “focuses on audited reports” and not disbursements is an admission that he occupies the office in name only.
If Malondera understood the 2026 reforms, he would be orienting councils and MPs on compliance instead of confusing the public on national media.
The DPP government under Professor Mutharika has sealed the loopholes that wasted public money for years. It is demanding proper planning and ensuring CDF delivers lasting development. Malondera’s outburst is not oversight. It is misinformation.
Malawians deserve leaders who read policy before they speak. The real reason CDF has not been disbursed in the old way is reform, not failure.
