By Linda Kwanjana
The Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralization says the disbursement of resources under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is on track. The process began at the start of the 2026/27 financial year with funding for project preparation.
The clarification comes amid growing public concern over delays in releasing CDF resources.
In a press statement, Principal Secretary for Decentralization in the Ministry, Peterson Ponderani, explained that the reformed CDF operates differently from the previous model, where funding was released quarterly before projects were identified and appraised.
“In the previous CDF, local councils would decide which projects to implement after they had already received funding. Under the current CDF, funding will only be provided after projects have been identified, technically appraised, and all procurement processes completed,” Ponderani said.
He added that resources for project implementation will only be released once procurement is finalized saying this will cover advance payments to contractors.
According to the statement, subsequent disbursements will then be performance-based, and will be made upon submission of valid work certificates and funding requests.
“As of 1st July 2026, not all local councils had finalized the identification and appraisal of projects to be implemented. Some have, however, completed the process and are now procuring contractors. Once contractors have been identified, resources for advance payments will be provided to those councils. It is therefore misleading to suggest that CDF disbursement has been delayed,” the statement reads.
Ponderani further clarified that the disbursement of project preparation resources which are part of CDF began in May 2026.
By the end of June 2026, a total of MK7.8 Billion has been disbursed to local councils.
“Treasury will continue disbursing project management resources based on cash flow submissions from local councils,” the statement concluded.
