Kasungu-based organisation Good Health has called for an upward revision of market fees in the district, arguing that the current charges are too low to enable local councils to provide quality public services.
The organisation's Executive Director, Gentry Kamanga, said many local councils are failing to generate adequate locally generated revenue to effectively implement development projects because of low daily market fees.
Kamanga said the current MK300 daily market fee charged in Kasungu is no longer realistic given the country's prevailing economic conditions.
"With the current MK300 daily market fee, local councils will struggle to improve sanitation, security, infrastructure and other essential public services because the revenue being collected is simply inadequate," said Kamanga.
He further said Kasungu District Council and Kasungu Municipal Council are among the local authorities charging the lowest market fees in the country, a situation he believes is limiting their ability to finance development projects and improve service delivery.
Kamanga therefore proposed increasing the daily market fee to at least MK 500, saying the adjustment would strengthen councils' financial capacity and boost locally generated revenue.
"Councils should embrace the spirit of regularly disclosing how market fee collections are spent by providing routine financial updates to vendors to enhance transparency, accountability and public confidence in the management of locally generated funds in order for the vendors to easily accept the move," Kamanga said.
Commenting on the proposal, Kasungu Municipal Council Mayor Hastings Nyirongo welcomed the recommendation, saying the council will carefully assess it before making any decision on revising the current market fees.
"We have received the recommendation and the council will carefully consider it before deciding whether to revise the current market fees," he said.
Kasungu Municipal Council has proposed to collect MK 920 million in locally generated revenue during the 2026/27 financial year.
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