Malawi - Zomba

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Regional and Technical Cooperation Division

MALAWI:

ZOMBA URBAN PROFILE


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Copyright United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABIA), 2011All rights reserved

United Nations Human Settlements Programme publications can be obtained from

UN-HABIA Regional and Information Offices or directly from:

P.O. Box 30030, GPO 00100 Nairobi, Kenya.

Fax: + (254 20) 762 4266/7

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.unhabitat.org

Tis Zomba report and project was prepared and managed by the Late Dalitso Mpoola,Costly Chanza, Fred Nankuyu, Hilary Kamela, the Late Marcel Kaunda, Alex Chirambo,Lucky Kabanga, Mavuto D. embo, Dominic Kamlomo, and John Chome in Malawi.

HS Number: HS/084/11E

ISBN Number(Volume): 978-92-1-132376-4

DISCLAIMER

Te designation employed and the presentation of the material in this publication donot imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of theUnited Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or ofits authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding itseconomic system or degree of development. Te analysis, conclusions and recommendations

of the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Human SettlementsProgramme (UN-HABIA), the Governing Council of UN-HABIA or its MemberStates. Tis document has been produced with the financial assistance of the EuropeanUnion. Te views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion ofthe European Union.

Excerpts from this publication may be reproduced without authorisation, on condition thatthe source is indicated.

Photo credits: UN-HABIA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENS

Design and Layout: Florence Kuria


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FOREWORDS 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8

BACKGROUND 10

GOVERNANCE 14

SLUMS AND SHELTER 16

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS 18

ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN DISASTER RISKS 20

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 23

BASIC URBAN SERVICES 25

LAND 30

PROJECT PROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE 32

SLUMS AND SHELTER 35

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS 37

ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN DISASTER RISKS 40

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 42BASIC URBAN SERVICES 44

LAND 48

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MALAWI:ZOMBA URBAN PROFILE

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME

REGIONAL AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION DIVISION


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FOREWORDS

According toresearch publishedin UN-HABIAs1flagship report, TeState of the WorldsCities 2010-2011,all developingregions, includingthe African,Caribbean andPacific states, willhave more peopleliving in urban thanrural areas by theyear 2030. With

half the worldspopulation already living in urban areas, the challengeswe face in the battle against urban poverty, our quest forcities without slums, for cities where women feel safer,for inclusive cities with power, water and sanitation,and affordable transport, for better planned cities, andfor cleaner, greener cities is daunting.

But as this series shows, there are many interestingsolutions and best practices to which we can turn. Afterall, the figures tell us that during the decade 2000 to2010, a total of 227 million people in the developingcountries moved out of slum conditions. In other

words, governments, cities and partner institutions have

collectively exceeded the slum target of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals twice over and ten years ahead ofthe agreed 2020 deadline.

Asia and the Pacific stood at the forefront of successfulefforts to reach the slum target, with all governmentsin the region improving the lives of an estimated 172million slum dwellers between 2000 and 2010.

In sub-Saharan Africa though, the total proportion ofthe urban population living in slums has decreased byonly 5 per cent (or 17 million people). Ghana, Senegal,Uganda, and Rwanda were the most successful countriesin the sub-region, reducing the proportions of slumdwellers by over one-fifth in the last decade.

Some 13 per cent of the progress made towards theglobal slum target occurred in Latin America and theCaribbean, where an estimated 30 million people havemoved out of slum conditions since the year 2000.

Yet, UN-HABIA estimates confirm that the progressmade on the slum target has not been sufficient to counterthe demographic expansion in informal settlements inthe developing world. In this sense, efforts to reduce thenumbers of slum dwellers are neither satisfactory noradequate.

1 UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme

FOREWORDS

As part of our drive to address this crisis, UN-HABIAis working with the European Commission and theBrussels-based Secretariat of the African, Caribbeanand Pacific (ACP) Group to support sustainable urbandevelopment. Given the urgent and diverse needs, wefound it necessary to develop a tool for rapid assessmentand strategic planning to guide immediate, mid andlong-term interventions. And here we have it in theform of this series of publications.

Te Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme is basedon the policy dialogue between UN-HABIA, the

ACP Secretariat and the European Commission whichdates back to the year 2002. When the three parties metat UN-HABIA headquarters in June 2009, more

than 200 delegates from over 50 countries approved aresounding call on the international community to paygreater attention to these urbanization matters, and toextend the slum upgrading programme to all countriesin the ACP Group.

It is worth recalling here how grateful we are that theEuropean Commissions 9th European DevelopmentFund for ACP countries provided EUR 4 million (USD5.7 million at June 2011 rates) to enable UN-HABIAto conduct the programme which now serves 59 citiesin 23 African countries, and more than 20 cities in sixPacific, and four Caribbean countries.

Indeed, since its inception in 2008, the slum upgradingprogramme has achieved the confidence of partners atcity and country level in Africa, the Caribbean and inthe Pacific. It is making a major contribution aimedat helping in urban poverty reduction efforts, as eachreport in this series shows."

I wish to express my gratitude to the EuropeanCommission and the ACP Secretariat for theircommitment to this slum upgrading programme. Ihave every confidence that the results outlined in thisprofile, and others, will serve to guide the developmentof responses for capacity building and investments inthe urban sector.

Further, I would like to thank each Country eam fortheir continued support to this process which is essentialfor the successful implementation of the ParticipatorySlum Upgrading Programme.

Dr. Joan Clos

Executive Director, UN-HABIA


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FOREWORDS

Poverty reduction is the Malawi Governments

overriding development objective as espoused in theMalawi Growth and Development Strategy. In linewith this, the Government recognizes the critical roleplayed by cities and other urban centres in the socio-economic development of this country. Triving and

well functioning cities will in turn lead to thrivingnational economic development.

Our cities and other urban areas which are growingrapidly face a number of challenges, key among themis urban poverty characterized by, among others, poorhousing, poor access to water and sanitation, as wellas unemployment. Te cities also face environmentalchallenges that are in part heightened by poor urban

planning and environmental degradation.Te Government therefore welcomes the ParticipatorySlum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) that is coordinatedby the Ministry of Local Government and RuralDevelopment (MLGRD) and is being implementedin all the four cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu,and Zomba. Te urban profile for Zomba City is animportant document that sets out the key challengesfaced by the city in the areas of governance, land andhousing, slums, basic urban services including waterand sanitation, local economic development, genderand HIV/AIDS, energy, disaster risks, environment,and waste management.

Trough a consultative process of city stakeholders,the city council has identified the priority actions to becarried out in support of efforts to achieve sustainableurban development and reduce urban poverty. Techallenge is now to implement these priority actionsthat seek to improve the quality of life of the urban poor.In this regard, the Government of Malawi will continueto support the city council under the decentralizedframework in achieving the poverty reduction goals.Zomba City Council will need to redouble its effortsand ensure that more resources are allocated towardspro-poor activities in the city. Te goal of ensuringsustainable urban development and poverty reductioncannot be achieved by the efforts of central governmentand the city councils alone. More importantly, it willneed the concerted efforts of all stakeholders involvedin the development of Zomba including the privatesector, civil society, political and community leaders,development partners, and city residents.

Te Government of Malawi would like to thank UN-

HABIA

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, the European Union and the ACP

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Groupof States for the technical and financial support towardsthe formulation of this profile. Te commendable role ofMzuzu University in facilitating the process of the urbanprofile formulation as well as that of the chief executive,the PSUP city focal point, and management of ZombaCity Council is appreciated. Special mention is made ofthe first National Coordinator of the PSUP in Malawi,the late Mr. Dalitso Mpoola who dedicated his time,skills and effort to ensure the successful implementationof this phase. May his soul rest in peace.

Kester E. Kaphaizi

Principal Secretary for Local Governmentand Rural Development

1 UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme2 ACP - Africa, Caribbean and Pacific


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FOREWORDS

Zomba City Council is very pleased to present this profilefor slum upgrading. Te profile was prepared througha consultative process of a wide range of the councilsstakeholders, following UN-HABIA1 guidelines. Ithighlights seven major themes that are crucial to theoverall improvement of the livelihood of the citysresidents, more especially the urban poor, in the areasof Governance, Local Economic Development, Land,Shelter and Slums, Environment and Urban Disaster,Gender and HIV/AIDS, and Basic Urban Services.

Malawi is urbanizing rapidly and Zomba is not anexception in this regard. Tis rapid urbanization isimportant for national development by diversifyingincomes, expanding options for more affordable service

delivery, and widening the horizons for innovation andskill acquisition; but has its own challenges as well.Tese challenges are more evident with the majorityof the city residents living in appalling conditionsdue to poor urban governance and lack of basic urbaninfrastructure and services among others. Tis situationrequires urgent redress to enhance positive contributionof urbanization to city as well as national development.

As such the profile has proposed projects consideredto be the prime focus areas of intervention in thisinitiative.

I would therefore wish to emphasize and highlight thesignificance of this document for the citys development

as well as national development. Te Zomba urbanprofile is intended to focus on the most importantissues that the city grapples with and to steer investmenttowards improved urban development.


I would like to thank the National Steering Committeeunder the Ministry of Local Government and RuralDevelopment for taking the lead in coordinating theprocess of preparing this urban profile. Special thanksgo to Mr John Chome, the UN-HABIA CountryProgramme Manager for his support and assistancein all stages of the profiling process. Furthermore I

would like to thank UN-HABIA and the EuropeanCommission, which financed the profiling process.

Without their financial support, we would not havebeen able to undertake this elaborate process. I thankMzuzu University for undertaking this elaborate processas consultant through Mr Lucky Kabanga and MrDominic Kamlomo. I am also greatly indebted to allthe stakeholders that made contributions to this profile

through the consultation process. Tank you.

Charles Kalemba

Chief Executive Officer

Zomba City Council


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EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

Te Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP)is an accelerated and action-oriented urban assessmentof needs and capacity-building gaps at the city level. Teprogramme is supported by funds from the EuropeanCommissions European Development Fund and iscurrently being implemented in 23 African countries, 59

African cities, 4 Pacific countries, 3 Caribbean countries,and 21 Pacific and Caribbean cities. Te ParticipatorySlum Upgrading Programme uses a structured approach

where priority interventions are agreed upon throughconsultative processes. Te PSUP methodology consistsof three phases: (1) a rapid participatory urban profilingat national and local levels, focusing on Governance,

Local Economic Development, Land, Gender,Environment and Urban Disaster Management,Slums and Shelter, Basic Urban Services, and WasteManagement, and proposed interventions; (2) detailedpriority proposals; and (3) project implementation. TeParticipatory Slum Upgrading Programme in Malawiencompasses a national profile, as well as profiles forBlantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba, each publishedas a separate report. Tis is the Zomba report and itconstitutes a general background, a synthesis of the seventhemes; Governance, Local Economic Development,Land, Gender, Environment and Urban Disaster Risks,Slums and Shelter, and Basic Urban Services; andpriority project proposals.

BACKGROUND

Under the motto of Floriate Zomba (Make Zomba aFlowery City) Zomba City, the first capital of Malawiup to 1975, is undergoing rejuvenation since it wasdeclared a city in March 2008. Te city is experiencingrapid population growth with a population of 88,314 in2008 and an annual growth rate of 3 percent. Some 51percent of the citys population is male and 49 percentis female. Te city has a population density of 2,264per km1. Te local economy of Zomba comprises of

trade and distribution, community and social services,agriculture, and some light industries. Poverty standsat 29 percent and over 60 percent of the populationlives in informal settlements. Comprehensive urbanmanagement and development of land use and localeconomic development plans will help in positivelyaddressing various challenges being faced. Te citycouncil needs to foster public-private partnerships(PPP) in order to maximize the potential in urbandevelopment and poverty alleviation and improve itscapacity in terms of physical economic infrastructureand environmental planning.

1 National Statistical Office, September 2009, Population and Housing Census2008 Main Report.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

GOVERNANCE

Zomba City Council is mandated to implementby-laws and legally binding policies and decisions

with support from central government departments,statutory institutions and other private and civil societyorganizations. Te city has had no councilors since2005 and some of the by-laws are yet to be approved bythe city council and the Ministry of Local Governmentand Rural Development. Te lack of a comprehensiveland use plan, land tenure insecurity and unplannedand illegal developments are some of the challengesfacing the city. Service delivery and maintenance ofinfrastructure is inadequate. Unless popular support andgood governance are regained through the restoration

of elected councilors; recruitment of skilled staff; anddevelopment of a comprehensive physical, economicand environmental plan; the city will continue to facethe current challenges.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Zomba City Councils economy largely depends on theinformal sector for employment. Te absence of aneconomic development plan makes economic investmentdifficult. Having emerged from a predominantlyadministrative background, formal employment inZomba is dominated by financial services at 29 percent,agriculture and mining at 26 percent, marketing at 25percent, manufacturing at 9 percent, and constructionat 4 percent2. Te economy is dominated by small-scale enterprises at 93 percent, medium enterprises at6 percent and large-scale enterprises at 1 percent. Temajority of the small and medium sized enterprises(SMEs) are informal businesses operated by vendorsand petty traders. Te agro-processing sector playsa significant role in the local economy but lacks thecapacity to utilize raw materials from the surroundingareas. Tere are 1,465 entrepreneurs and only 23 percentare women.

LAND

Zomba City Council currently does not own enoughland to manage and administer. Te city council isconfronted with inadequate capacity in developmentcontrol, lack of an up to date urban structure plan andmultiple players in land administration including theMinistry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development(MLHUD), Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC), andZomba City Council. Land is administered through thePlot Allocation Committee while the own PlanningCommittee manages physical development in the city.UN-HABIA3 (2010) indicates that private landis only 0.5 percent, public land is 9 percent and 90.5percent of land is under customary practices.

2 National Statistical Office, 2008, Statistical Yearbook.3 UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme


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SUMMARY

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS

Zomba City Council is responsible for coordinatinggender and HIV/AIDS at the local level. About 28percent of females and 24 percent of males in Zomba areilliterate. 7 percent of Zomba residents have obtained a

Junior Certificate Examination (JCE) while 9 percentof males and 5 percent of females have obtained theMalawi Schools Certificate of Education (MSCE)4.

Zomba City Council has an HIV/AIDS WorkplacePolicy in place. Various development and humanitarianorganizations compliment the efforts of the city councilin gender and HIV/AIDS. In 2006, it was estimated thatZomba had 19,000 reported HIV/AIDS cases. Zombahas 36 service providers addressing various HIV/AIDSissues in areas of prevention, treatment, care, support,and impact mitigation.

ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN

DISASTER RISKS

Environmental management is led by ZombaCity Council. Zomba City Councils engineeringdepartment manages environmental issues and thePublic Health Department manages environmentalpollution and waste management. Environmental

degradation is linked to a number of factors such aspoor land use planning, lack of waste managementservices in residential areas, poor farming practices, anddeforestation. Addressing issues of insufficient solid andliquid waste management capacity will also improvesanitation in the city. Te contribution of the Planningand Development Department, the Agriculture andForestry Department and the private sector has a keyrole to play in environmental management.

SLUMS AND SHELTER

Rapid urbanization and lack of proper land use

planning has led to an increase in the informalsettlements and unsafe housing developments. Housingchallenges are ranked fifth in Zomba City CouncilsUrban Development Plan for 2007 2012. Informalsettlements are growing rapidly and these residents ofthese settlements do not have access to the basic urbanservices or basic infrastructure5.

4 National Statistical Office, 2008, Statistical Yearbook.5 National Statistical Office, September 2009, Population and Housing Census

2008 Main Report.

BASIC URBAN SERVICES

Te Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) supplies12,200m of water daily to the citys residents6. About27 percent of Zombas residents have piped water intheir homes7.

Te Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi(ESCOM) is the sole supplier of electricity in Zomba.49 percent of Zombas households rely on electricity forlighting.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Solid and liquid waste management in the city is a sharedresponsibility between the central government, ZombaCity Council and the private sector. Due to limitedcapacity in terms of human resources and equipment,

waste management services are only available in thelow-density areas and the city centre. Te uncollected

waste in the informal settlements is dumped in openspaces, on the road sides, in the rivers and streams,and in other undesignated areas. Tis has resulted inenvironmental degradation and pollution. Te sewersystem has a conventional treatment plant situated atChikanda raditional Housing Area (HA) whichserves about 20,000 people in the low density housingareas, commercial and public institutions such as the

army barracks, hospitals, Zomba Central Prison, andChancellor College8.

Te National Statistical Office (September 2009)highlights that majority of the residents in the city, whoreside in the informal settlements rely on pit latrines forhuman waste disposal. Tis has resulted in high rates ofpollution of the water table. Te major challenge facingthe city council is how to expand and extend wastemanagement services to all residents of the city, both inthe formal and the informal areas.

6 National Statistical Office, 2003, 1998 Malawi Population and Housing Census:Population Projections Report 1999-2023.


8 Zomba Municipal Assembly, 2007, Zomba Urban Socio- Economic Profile 2007.


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BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Urban Profiling

Te Zomba urban profiling consists of an acceleratedand action-oriented assessment of urban conditions,focusing on priority needs, capacity gaps and existinginstitutional responses at local and national levels.Te purpose of the study is to develop urban povertyreduction policies at local, national, and regionallevels, through an assessment of needs and responsemechanisms, and as a contribution to the wider-rangingimplementation of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs). Te study is based on analysis ofexisting data and a series of interviews with all relevanturban stakeholders, including local communities andinstitutions, civil society, the private sector, developmentpartners, academics, and others. Te consultationtypically results in a collective agreement on prioritiesand their development into proposed capacity-buildingand other projects that are all aimed at urban povertyreduction. Te urban profiling is being implementedin 30 ACP1 countries, offering an opportunity forcomparative regional analysis. Once completed, thisseries of studies will provide a framework for centraland local authorities and urban actors, as well as donorsand external support agencies.

METHODOLOGY

Te Participatory Slum Upgrading Programmeconsists of three phases:

Phase one consists of the rapid profiling of urbanconditions at national and local levels. Te capital city,a medium-sized city, and a small town are selectedand studied to provide a representative sample ineach country. Te analysis focuses on eight themes;governance, local economic development, land, gender,environment, slums and shelter, basic urban services,and waste management. Information is collectedthrough standard interviews and discussions with

institutions and key informants, in order to assessthe strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats(SWO) of the national and local urban set-ups. Tefindings are presented and refined during city andnational consultation workshops and consensus isreached regarding priority interventions. National andcity reports synthesize the information collected andoutline ways forward to reduce urban poverty throughholistic approaches.

Phase two builds on the priorities identified throughpre-feasibility studies and develops detailed capacity-building and capital investment projects.

1 ACP - Africa, Caribbean and Pacific

Phase three implements the projects developedduring the two earlier phases, with an emphasis onskills development, institutional strengthening, andreplication.

Tis report presents the outcomes of Phase One at thelocal level in Zomba.

URBAN PROFILING IN ZOMBA

Te urban profiling in Zomba is one of four similarexercises conducted in Malawi; the other urban profilingcentres are Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.

Zomba City Council representatives participatedin the national consultation process, a partnershipplatform co-developed with Malawis Ministry ofLocal Government; the Ministry of Lands, Housingand Urban Development; parastatals; and nationaland international development and humanitarianorganizations. Te aim was to develop options forformal inter-agency collaboration in order to create acoordination body integrating a wide range of urbanstakeholders in a single response mechanism.

REPORT STRUCTURE

Tis report consists of:1. a general background of the urban sector in Zomba

City, based on the findings of the Zomba CityAssessment Report, a desk study, interviews, anda city consultation that was held in Zomba on 18

August 2010 (see back cover for a list of participantsin the City Consultation). Te background includesdata on administration, urban planning, economy,the informal and the private sector, poverty,infrastructure, water, sanitation, public transport,street lighting, energy, health, and education;

2. a synthetic assessment of the following seven

main thematic areas: governance, local economicdevelopment, land, gender, environment and urbandisaster management, slums and shelter, and basicurban services in terms of the institutional set-up,regulatory framework, resource mobilization, andperformance; this second section also highlightsagreed priorities and includes a list of identifiedprojects;

3. a SWO analysis and an outline of priority projectproposals for each theme. Te proposals includebeneficiaries, partners, estimated costs, objectives,activities, and outputs.


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ZOMBA IN DATA

Zomba is experiencing rapid population growth, witha population of 88,314 and an annual growth rate of3 percent in 2008. About 51 percent of the populationis male and 49 percent is female, with a populationdensity of 2,264 per km. Te city ranks fourth in thecountry in terms of population density. Tere are severalinformal settlements in the city.

ZOMBAS DEVELOPMENT

Zomba served as the capital of Malawi under theBritish colonial rule until 1975 when the capitalfunction was transferred to Lilongwe. Historically,the city boasts of magnificent colonial relics andclassical buildings. Te citys population has grownfrom 70,134 people in 1999 to 88,314 people in2008, and over 60 percent of the current populationlives in informal settlements2. Te population isprojected to reach 164,898 by 2015 and 202,076by 2020. Te table below shows the population ineach ward3.

2 National Statistical Office (2003). 1998 Malawi Population and HousingCensus: Population Projections Report 1999-2023.

3 National Statistical Office (2009). Population and Housing Census 2008 MainReport.

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION IN ZOMBA

Ward Population

Chambo 6,072

Chikamveka 2,978

Chikamveka North 13,710

Chilunga 3,636

Chilunga East 6,960

Likangala Central 7,696

Likangala North 12,855

Likangala South 1,541

Masongola 872Mbedza 4,207

Mtiya 9,688

Sadzi 9,103

Zakazaka 6,423

Zomba Central 2,573

Source: National Statistical Office (2003). 1998 Malawi Population

and Housing Census: Population Projections Report 1999-2023.

TABLE 1:

ADMINISTRATION

Zomba City Council is mandated by the LocalGovernment Act of 1998 and the DecentralizationPolicy of 1998. Empowered by section 6 of the LocalGovernment Act number 42 of 1998, the city councilmakes policies and decisions on local governance anddevelopment of the city. Te mayor heads the citycouncil while the chief executive officer heads thesecretariat which is divided into 11 departments, eachheaded by a director (see below).

ZOMBA CITY COUNCIL

Department /Section

Sector

Mayoral Local governance

Chief Executive Local governance and citymanagement

AdministrationServices

Local governance and citymanagement

Financial Services City financial management andservices

Trade and

Commerce

Local economic development

Health and SocialServices Department

Health and social services

Engineering ServicesDepartment

Infrastructure provision andenvironmental managementservices

Agriculture andPublic HealthServices Department

Public and open spaces andenvironmental health services

Planning andDevelopmentServices Department

Town planning, developmentcontrol and land administrationservices

Education ServicesDepartment

Urban education services

Internal auditSection

Internal auditing services

TABLE 2:


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URBAN PLANNING

Zomba City Council is responsible for planning anddevelopment control in the city through the Departmentof Planning and Development. Te city lacks a CityDevelopment Strategy, an Urban Master Plan andan Economic Development Plan to ensure guideddevelopment. Te city has some legal urban planningframeworks in place but enforcement is a challenge.Te local authorities have failed to accommodatethe growing population in a well planned manner.Te poor implementation of integrated economicdevelopment and planning results in disorderlyeconomic development. Environmental planning needsto be taken on board to encourage sustainable urban

development.

ECONOMIC SITUATION

Some of the economic activities in Zomba include trade,agriculture and industry. Te informal sector in Zombais very vibrant. Zomba City Council gets its revenuemainly from property rates (major source), market fees,licensing fees, parking fees, and plan application andscrutiny fees. However, poor financial management andlack of transparency in revenue collection has resultedin low revenue in the city council, for the improvementof infrastructure and basic urban service provision.

INFORMAL AND PRIVATE SECTOR

Te economy of Zomba comprise largely of informalincome generating activities, and few formal activities.Tere is no data to indicate the actual size of the informalsector, and the sector also lacks adequate regulation andsupport. Inadequate infrastructure and basic urbanservices, lack of access to business capital for expansion,and lack of entrepreneurial and business skills are majorobstacles to economic growth.

POVERTY

Unemployment, rapid population growth and aneconomy largely dependent on small and mediumenterprises are the major factors that contribute tohigh levels of poverty in the city. Some 66 percent ofZombas population lives in the informal settlementsamid high levels of unemployment and lack of basicurban services and social infrastructure4. Access toadequate loan facilities for economic development isdifficult for the poor due to high interest rates on loansand collateral requirements. Te city council needs todevelop an economic development plan and establishpro-poor policies to aid the economic empowerment ofthe poor.

4 National Statistical Office 2008, Statistical Yearbook.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC URBAN

SERVICES

Provision of infrastructure and basic urban services to thecity residents favours the planned areas while the highdensity and informal settlements do not have adequateaccess to these services. Te city council is mandatedthrough the Local Government Act of 1998 to providesocial infrastructure and basic urban services to all cityresidents, both in the formal and informal areas.

WATER

Water supply in Zomba is not evenly distributed. Teformal areas of Zomba have adequate access to watersupply while the poorer informal settlements, wheremajority of the population live, have little or no accessto water supply. Residents of informal settlementsmainly rely on communal water points for their waterneeds, and are sometimes forced to acquire their waterfrom unprotected water sources when the communal

water points run dry.

Te Southern Region Water Board supplies 12,200mof water daily to the city and has the capacity to supply

water to a population of around 145,000 people perday. Tis roughly equals the population expected to beliving in the city by 20125. About 27 percent of Zombas

residents have access to piped water6

.

SANITATION AND REFUSE COLLECTION

Sanitation and waste removal services are poor in Zomba.While the high income areas have their waste collectedat regular intervals, the informal settlement residents areforced to find ways to dispose of their waste because thecity council does not provide any waste managementservices to them. Most of their waste ends up in pitlatrines, rubbish pits, on the road sides, on river banks,and in any available open spaces. Zomba City Council,private companies and Malawi Housing Corporation

provide septic tank emptying services at a fee.

5 National Statistical Office, 2003, 1998 Malawi Population and Housing Census:Population Projections Report 1999-2023.



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PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Zomba residents depend largely on minibuses andbicycles to transport them from one location to another.Tere are buses that offer long distance transportationservices and taxis which offer transport services both

within and outside the city. With the increasingnumbers of cyclists, the roads are getting more andmore congested. Footpaths and bicycle paths have notbeen provided adding to the challenge of congestionand frequent conflicts between cyclists, pedestrians andmotorists.

STREET LIGHTING

Street lighting is restricted to the central businessdistrict and the low-density housing areas. Te informalsettlements do not have adequate street lighting, further

worsening insecurity in these areas. Te city councilneeds to put up street lights in all areas and securityfloodlights in the informal settlements where electricitysupply is minimal.

ENERGY SOURCES

Te most common sources of energy in Zomba areelectricity, charcoal, firewood, and petroleum fuels

(petrol, diesel and paraffin). At a very small scale, somehouseholds use solar power, gel oil, crop residues, andgas for heating and lighting. Te major energy sourcefor industrial development is electricity provided byElectricity Supply Commission of Malawi7. Te highuse of wood fuel has resulted in deforestation andenvironmental degradation. Cheaper alternative energysources should be explored in order to avert this trend.

HEALTH

Medical care services in the city are provided at thecentral hospital, health centres and clinics run by the

government and private organizations. Zomba residentsalso rely on traditional healers and traditional birthattendants for health services. Te current health facilitiesare inadequate and lack enough medical equipment andqualified staff to handle the high number of patients.Major health challenges facing Zomba include highrate of HIV/ AIDS and malaria which are major killerdiseases and affect the development of the city.


EDUCATION

Zomba has 17 public primary schools and 270classrooms with a total of 21,748 pupils, with a ratio ofalmost 1:1 between boys and girls. Te public schoolshave 175 male teachers against 424 females8. Primaryschool in Zomba is free and there is a good teacher-pupil ratio. In addition, there are private schools whichalso provide good quality education, but only the well-off can afford to take their children to private schools.

Te quality of education in Zombas schools has beensuffering lately due to inadequate learning equipment,lack of instructional material, vandalism of schoolfacilities, and uneven distribution of teachers. Tecurrent secondary schools in Zomba are inadequate to

cater for all the students who graduate from primaryschool. Zomba City has several colleges and technicalschools, both public and private.

8 National Statistical Office (2008). Statistical Yearbook.


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GOVERNANCE

Zomba has not had any councilors since 2005. Teamended Local Government Act of 2009 empowers theState President to set the date for local elections. TeMinister for Local Government and Rural Developmenthas powers to nominate chief executive officers forthe city council according to the amended LocalGovernment Act. Te mayor is elected from amongthe councilors. Zomba City Council has inadequateresources to provide adequate infrastructure and basicurban services to all its residents. In addition, the slowpace of decentralization is constraining good governance.

Political interference by councilors in technical mattershas led to inappropriate decisions being taken andmultiplicity of land owners and land managers makesland governance difficult. Zomba City Council does nothave adequate land and this complicates the delivery oflow income housing. Revenue collection by the ZombaCity Council is also low due to inadequate capacity,inadequate property database, high number of taxdefaulters, lack of transparency in revenue collection,and unreliable billing practices and systems. A ServiceCharter that defines the city councils responsibilitiesto the city residents is not in place. In the absence ofcouncilors, communication between the city authorityand residents is poor.

Te lack of a comprehensive physical, economic orenvironmental plan affects the ability of the city councilto collect and generate revenue, to efficiently deliverservices and to maintain orderly development and anattractive environment for economic growth in thecity.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND

EMPOWERMENT

Zomba City Council with support from the GermanDevelopment Services (DED), the Malawi-GermanProgramme for Democracy and Decentralization(MGPDD) and the Malawi Local Government

Association trained Ward Development Committees(WDCs) on their roles and responsibilities. Te aim

was to empower communities to contribute to citydevelopment effectively by participating in governanceand the decision making process.


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REVENUE ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE BY THE

COUNCIL

Zomba City Council developed a local RevenueMobilization Strategy as a guide to improve localrevenue collection. Te strategy highlighted theneed to maximize revenue collection on the existingrevenue sources and outlined new and potentialrevenue sources to be explored by the city council.

INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP

Te Ministry of Local Government and RuralDevelopment oversees governance issues inZomba and is supported by the Local GovernmentFinance Committee.

Zomba City Council is headed by a mayor electedfrom among the elected councilors.

Zomba City Council secretariat is headed by thechief executive officer.

Tere are no specific regulatory frameworks tocontrol service provision in the informal areas.

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Te Local Government Act (1998), the National Decentralization Policy (1998) and the own andCountry Planning Act (CPA) of 1988.

Zomba City Urban Structure Plan.

PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Weak communication and coordination betweenZomba City Council, other stakeholders and cityresidents.

Absence of a Service Charter weakens the city

councils obligation in service delivery.Zomba City Council encourages participatorygovernance.

Alleged corruption by the public.

No monitoring and evaluation system is in place forperformance measurement and improvement.

RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

axation and property rates are the major sources ofthe city council revenue.

Zomba City Council is supported by the centralgovernment and donors in various projects.

GOVERNANCEN1

Project proposal Page 33

Zomba City Council capacity buildingprogramme

AGREED PRIORITIESStrengthen community development structures.

Establish an urban coordination body of variousurban stakeholders, for example Zomba UrbanNetwork.

Improve financial management systems andrevenue base.

Review legal frameworks and improveenforcement.

Review the structure of the city council (organogram) and conditions of service to reducestaff turnover.

Establish a monitoring and evaluation system(MES) as a learning tool.

Civic education for members of parliament andcouncilors on their roles and responsibilities.

GOVERNANCEN2


Zomba City Council public awareness

campaign

GOVERNANCEN3


Local Urban Observatory (LUO)


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SLUMSAN

DSHELTER

6

SLUMS AND SHELTER

Te population of Zomba was estimated at 88,314people with an annual growth rate of 3 percent between1998 and 2008 and a population density of 2,264people per km in 2008, up from 1,690 people perkm in 19981. Over 60 percent of the population lives

in the informal settlements. Te high density areas aresplit into permanent and raditional Housing Areasand the informal settlements. Te population in theinformal settlements is rapidly growing due to the rapidincrease in population and migration of people fromthe rural areas into the city in search of better economicopportunities2. Housing in the informal settlements lackthe minimum requirements for low-income housingand have little or no access to the basic urban services orinfrastructure. Zomba City Council ranks Shelter andSlums in Zomba in fifth position in order of priority inthe Urban Development Plan for 2007-2012.

In the high-density permanent housing areas, the MalawiHousing Corporation charges rent between MK 3,000to MK 25,000. Challenges facing the housing sector inZomba include inadequate supply of serviced housingplots, inadequate capacity of Zomba City Council toimplement concrete slum upgrading programmes, andinvolvement of chiefs in land administration in thecity which has led to increased incidences of illegaldevelopments. Several development organizationsoperating in Zomba, such as the Malawi HomelessPeoples Federation (Federation), Centre for CommunityOrganization and Development (CCODE) and Habitatfor Humanity Malawi (HfHM), are involved in slumupgrading activities.

1 National Statistical Office, September 2009. Population and Housing Census2008 Main Report.

2 National Statistical Office, September 2009. Population and Housing Census2008 Main Report.

INSTITUTIONAL SET UP

Te Ministry of Lands, Housing and UrbanDevelopment, Malawi Housing Corporation andZomba City Council are responsible for housing

and land issues.Zomba City Council is responsible for slumupgrading.

New entrants into the housing market from theprivate sector are helping to relieve the housingshortage in the city. However more pro-poor housingconstruction needs to be done to help prevent furtherdevelopment of informal settlements.


Te Zomba Municipal Urban Development Plan(2007-2012), the own and Country Planning Act(1988), the Public Health Act, the Local Government

Act (1998), the Environmental Management Act,the Procedures, Management and Administrationof raditional Housing Areas (1994), Zomba CityUrban Structure Plan.


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Tere is weak coordination between Zomba CityCouncil and other public and private institutionsinvolved in housing programmes.

Tere is lack of transparency in land allocationprocedures and high cases of corruption amongofficials involved in land administration.

Tere is no Service Charter that obligates thecity council to provide basic urban services andinfrastructure to the city residents, or empowers theresidents to demand for services and infrastructure.

Outdated legal frameworks and absence of strategiesto address urbanization challenges facing the city.

Zomba City Council has inadequate land andcapacity to make meaningful contributions towardslow-income housing.


Te city lacks the capacity (nancial, human andtechnical) needed to carry out significant slumupgrading.

Development organizations such as Habitat forHumanity Malawi and Centre for CommunityOrganizations and Development are using theirresources to construct pro-poor housing.

Te poor are not able to access housing finance/loans due to the high interest rates.

SLUMS AND

SHELTERN1


Zomba City Council informalsettlements upgrading project

AGREED PRIORITIESDevelop new pro-poor housing estates and resettlethe poor informal settlement residents.

Upgrade and expand existing socialinfrastructure.

Formulate a city resettlement and compensationscheme.


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GENDER AND HIV/AIDS

Gender and HIV/AIDS are treated as crosscuttingissues in all development programmes in the city. Te

current stand of the city council is that gender and HIV/AIDS issues are guided by national policies supportedby the citys HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy. More maleshave attained education beyond the Junior CertificateExamination. Females marry earlier, between ages12 and 19, unlike their male counterparts1. Womenrepresentation in governance and leadership positionsaccount for 40 percent.

HIV/AIDS prevalence in Zomba stands at 13.9 percent,and majority of those infected are women2. Tere isno direct link between education levels and HIV/AIDSprevalence in women. However HIV/AIDS prevalencein men increases with increase in socio-economicstatus. HIV infection is lowest among single people andhighest among married people3. In terms of economicdevelopment, only 23 percent of small and mediumenterprises are owned and run by women.

Most development and humanitarian organizationssupport gender equality and affirmative action for

women. Gender-based violence is a major challengefacing women in Zomba and various institutions areinvolved in creating awareness on the negative effects ofviolence against women.


2 National Statistical Office, 2008, Statistical Yearbook.3 National Statistical Office, Malawi and ORC Macro. 2005. 2004 Malawi

Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings


Te Ministry of Women and Child Development leads in implementing gender activities.

Te Ministry of Health and Population leads inimplementing HIV/AIDS activities.

Te National AIDS Commission (NAC) funds mostHIV/AIDS programmes in the city.

Zomba City Council leads in the implementation ofHIV/AIDS programmes at the local level and workstogether with development and humanitarianorganizations.


Te National Gender Policy, the National HIV/AIDS Policy of 2003, the National Plan of Actionfor 2005-2010, the National Response to CombatGender Based Violence (2008), and Zomba City

Assembly HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy (2003).

Zomba City Council does not have a localizedgender policy.


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NDHIV/AIDS


Development and humanitarian organizationsas well as various private sector organizations areactively involved in gender and HIV/AIDS issues.

Voluntary councelling and testing (VC) facilitiesare available in public and private institutions.

Lack of coordination among development andhumanitarian organizations in carrying out genderand HIV/AIDS programmes.

RESOURCE MOBILISATION

Donor funding is available for carrying out genderand HIV/AIDS awareness.

Te Malawi Government, through the NationalAIDS Commission, provides funds to the citycouncil and other agencies involved in HIV/AIDSprevention and control.

Micro-financing agencies are providing low interestloans to women entrepreneurs to enable them to setup their own businesses.

Zomba City Council has set aside funds in its budgetto deal with HIV/AIDS control and prevention.

AGREED PRIORITIESDevelopment of a gender policy for the citycouncil.

Offering counselling and rehabilitation for victimsof gender-based violence.

Supporting women entrepreneurs to expand theirbusinesses by providing them with low interestloans.

GENDER AND

HIV/AIDSN1


Formulation of a city council genderpolicy

GENDER ANDHIV/AIDSN2


Zomba City Council social supportprogramme

GENDER ANDHIV/AIDSN3


Establishment of recreational facilitiesfor the youth


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ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN DISASTER RISKS

Environmental degradation in the city is linked toa number of factors such as poor land use planning,lack of basic urban services - especially in the informalsettlements, poor urban farming practices anddeforestation. A number of stakeholders and departmentsare involved in environmental management and theyinclude various non-governmental, community basedand faith based organizations. Rapid population growthin the city is putting pressure on land and is one of thecauses of deforestation, as people clear trees to make

way for human settlements. Rapid population growthhas also resulted in people migrating to marginal landareas which are prone to disasters such as land slides.Te limited coverage of the sewer system in the cityhas led to high reliance on pit latrines, especially in theinformal settlements, which has resulted in high levelsof pollution of the water table. Te absence of specificregulations for the management of informal settlementsis further worsening the situation. Indiscriminate liquidand solid waste disposal in rivers, and along the roadsis a huge challenge. Many rivers in the city are heavilypolluted by industrial and domestic effluents.

Te planned and formal areas of the city are regularlyserviced while the informal settlements and traditionalhousing areas hardly have any access to the basic

urban services. Most recreational parks, green beltsand playgrounds are in poor condition due to lack ofmaintenance by the city council. Vandalism of sewerlines and manhole covers is also a major challenge.


Zomba City Council provides environmentalmanagement services within the city through theDepartment of Engineering and the Department ofHealth.

Te Departments of Environmental Affairs andForestry is involved in tree planting exercises andhas put in place measures to control environmentalpollution.

Te Malawi Environmental Endowment rust(MEE) works with various institutions in theimplementation of the Environmental Management

Act.

Some development and humanitarian organizationsoperating in Zomba are involved in environmentalmanagement.


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ENTANDURBANDISASTE

RRISKS


Te following legal frameworks are applicable: TeEnvironmental Act, the Environmental ManagementPolicy and Guidelines, the Public Health Act, cityby-laws on health, the Forestry Act, the own andCountry Planning Act, Mining and Minerals Act,Sanitary Arrangements by-laws, Te City of Zomba(Plot Allocation in ownships and ImprovementAreas) by-laws of 2006, and the City of Zomba(General Cleanliness, Refuse and Rubble Disposal)by-laws of 2006.


Lack of a specialized department to manageenvironmental services makes environmentalmanagement challenging.

Liquid and solid waste management capacity remainsa big challenge due to lack of capacity.

Zomba City Council lacks a City Strategic Plan toguide implementation of policies and regulate urbandevelopment.

Involvement of traditional leaders in land matters

encourages unplanned development which negativelyaffects the environment.

Lack of a City Land Use Plan is stalling environmentalprojects such as tree planting.

Tere are high levels of pollution due to poor liquidand solid waste management. Majority of residentsrely on pit latrines which pollute the water table.

In order to further heighten environmentalawareness, environmental studies including climatechange have been introduced in the universitycurriculum in Malawi.


Te Malawi Environmental Endowment rustprovides funding for environment related projectsand scholarships for capacity building on properenvironmental management at the postgraduatelevel.

A few private organizations provide waste disposalservices at a fee to those who can afford.

Tere are several development and humanitarianorganizations involved in environmental conservationinitiatives such as tree planting.

URBAN DISASTER RISKS

Te main urban disaster risks facing the city includefloods, landslides, wind storms, environmentaldegradation, high incidences of road accidents,and disease epidemics. Landslides have becomeincreasingly common and are an effect ofenvironmental degradation and illegal developmentson fragile land. Some of the mitigation measuresput in place by the government to reduce the effectsof disaster include shifting households from floodprone areas to safer locations and provision ofnecessary road signs on the roads to warn motoristsof any impending dangers on the road.


Te Ministry of Poverty and Disaster ManagementAffairs and Zomba City Council leads on disastermanagement.

Te National Disaster Preparedness and ReliefCommittee (NDPRC) and subcommittees fordisaster management work together with the officeof the Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness,Relief and Rehabilitation.

Other key stakeholders in disaster managementinclude the police, the Ministry of Health andPopulation, Electricity Supply Commission ofMalawi, the Southern Region Water Board, theForestry Department, and the Department ofMeteorological Services and Climate Change.

AGREED PRIORITIES

Carry out awareness campaigns on the need forproper environmental conservation practices.

Update and reform the existing environmental by-laws and formulate new ones if need be.

Carry out afforestation and re-afforestationexercises, especially in the water catchment areas.


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Te Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act (1991).

Zomba City Council has no by-laws on disastermanagement activities.


Te government is involving communities in theimplementation of disaster management activitiesbut this is limited by lack of knowledge aboutdisaster risks and hazards by the communities.Disaster awareness among the communities andtheir involvement in disaster mitigation activities

will help to greatly reduce the effects of disasterwhen they occur.

Absence of regulatory frameworks on disasterrisks at the local level interferes with the planningand implementation of disaster risk managementactivities.

Deforestation and poor farming practices suchas overgrazing and over cropping have led to theincreased occurrence of landslides and flash floods.


Te Department of Poverty and Disaster ManagementAffairs receive funding from the central governmentand donors for disaster risk reduction.

Tere are several development and humanitarianorganizations that are assisting the governmentin the implementation of disaster risk reductioninitiatives.

Te National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Funddistributes funds to various organizations involvedin disaster risk reduction.

AGREED PRIORITIESDevelop the participation of communities in urbandisaster risk management.

Increase fire fighting equipment and provide waterhydrants in the informal settlements in case of fireoutbreaks.

ENVIRONMENTN1


City rehabilitation and afforestationproject

ENVIRONMENTN2


Zomba urban community disasterrisk management programme


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NOMICDEVELOPMENT

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Tere are numerous economic opportunities in Zomba,especially in the agro-processing industry. Te majorityof economic activities in Zomba fall under small-scaleactivities (93 percent) while medium scale activities standat 6 percent and large scale at 1 percent. Retail trade,construction, manufacturing, transport, marketing,finance, social services, and public administration are themost important local economic development activities.Employment activities include agriculture and mining,manufacturing, construction, marketing, finance, andsocial services. Te informal sector is also very vibrantin Zomba1. Many informal settlement residents workin the informal sector. Poverty in Zomba stands at 29percent, with 12 percent being ultra poor. Te poorare unable to access loans for economic development

due to the high interest on loan repayments and lack ofcollateral. Te Malawi Government has introduced theLocal Development Fund to support various economicdevelopment activities and several programmes tosupport access to micro finance by the poor.


Te Ministry of rade and Industry and the ZombaCity Council are the leading institutions in issues oflocal economic development.

Te One Village One Product (OVOP) initiative

has created economic opportunities in Zomba.

Development organizations such as the Centre forCommunity Organization and Development arecoming up with new local economic developmentinitiatives that will benefit the poor.

Some micro-finance institutions such as MalawiRural Finance Company and Malawi RuralDevelopment Fund (MARDEF) offer basic trainingand give loans for supporting small businesses.


Te Local Government Act of 1998, theDecentralization Policy of 1996, the own andCountry Planning Act of 1988, and the axation

Act.

1 National Statistical Office 2008, Statistical Yearbook.


Local Economic Development activities are notwell coordinated in the absence of a Departmentof rade and Commerce and an Urban EconomicDevelopment Plan.

Tere are high rates of unemployment and poverty.

Availability of a growing local market which presentseconomic opportunities.

Weak communication and coordination and poorconsultations between Zomba City Council, theprivate sector and small and medium enterprises.

Te Informal sector lacks adequate support from Zomba City Council and operates in a disorderlymanner.

Local Economic Development activities are greatlyhindered by unreliable energy supply by theElectricity Supply Commission of Malawi.

Insufficient capital loans from micro-financeinstitutions, high interest rates and use of katapila(informal financial sources).

Poor infrastructure and supply of basic urban servicesis a major obstacle to local economic development.

Tere are high incidences of illegal street vendingand hawking in undesignated places due to theinadequate capacity of the market to accommodateall traders in the city.

Tere are no pro-poor local economic developmentpolicies in place.

Zomba City Council lacks the adequate resourcesrequired to meaningfully invest in local economicdevelopment infrastructure and basic urbanservices.

Lack of entrepreneurial skills among local traders.


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Zomba City Council depends largely on revenuecollected from property rates and taxes.

Te informal sector can also be a major source ofcity council revenue if properly managed.

Exploring the possibility of public-privatepartnerships with micro-finance institutions willease accessibility to capital loans for the poor,

without the use of collateral.

Rehabilitate and expand existing infrastructure

to stimulate business growth and revenuecollection.

AGREED PRIORITIES

Formulate an economic development plan.

Provide entrepreneurial training to small scalebusinessmen.

Improve the capacity of Zomba City Councilsfinancial management systems.

Promote public-private partnerships.

Provide basic urban infrastructure for localeconomic development.

LOCAL ECONOMICDEVELOPMENTN1


Putting in place an economicdevelopment plan


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BASIC URBAN SERVICES

Zomba City Council is responsible for the provisionof basic urban services such as waste collectionand disposal, health services, education, roadsand sanitation. Water is supplied by the SouthernRegion Water Board while electricity is suppliedby the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi.Te provision of basic urban services is inadequate,particularly in the informal settlements which havelittle or no access to basic urban services. ZombaCity Council lacks adequate financial, technical andhuman resource capacity to expand the provisionof basic urban services to all city residents. TeMalawi Housing Corporation and several privatecompanies offer waste collection and septic tankemptying services at a fee. Roads construction

and maintenance in the city are the responsibilityof Zomba City Council and the National RoadsAuthority (NRA).

WATER SUPPLY

Te Southern Region Water Board supplies about12,200m of water per day through a gravity-fed systemfrom Mulunguzi Dam located in the Zomba PlateauForest Reserve. Tis volume is adequate to supply apopulation of 145,000 people per day. Tis roughlyequals the population expected to be living in the cityby 2015. Majority of the population in Zomba live inthe informal settlements and access their water throughcommunal water points provided by the SouthernRegion Water Board1. Most public schools and healthfacilities are connected to piped water.


Te Ministry of Irrigation and Water Developmentoversees water development and supply matters inthe city.

Te Southern Region Water Board is the sole supplierof piped water in Zomba.

Zomba City Council coordinates and facilitateswater supply to all residential areas of Zomba.


Te Local Government Act of 1998, theDecentralization Policy of 1998, the Public Health

Act, the Environmental Management Act, the WaterWorks Act, the own and Country Planning Act,the National Sanitation Policy, and Zomba City by-laws.



Te Southern Region Water Board supplies water toany applicant as long as they can afford to pay forthe services.

Water supply is intermittent in some areas in thecity.

Te city council lacks adequate financial, technicaland human resource capacity to improve basic urbanservice provision in the city.


Te city council needs to review the citys urbanstructure plan and come up with policies andstrategies for protecting the water catchment areasin the city.

Basic urban service provision is normally interruptedby vandalism of basic urban service infrastructure.


Te Southern Region Water Board, through astatutory body, operates on a commercial basis anddepends on resources received from payment of

water supply services to continue its operations.

AGREED PRIORITIESAfforestation and re-afforestation of all water

catchment areas in the city.

Expansion of existing water sources or findingalternative water sources for future water supply.

Awareness creation among the communitymembers on the importance of preserving the

water catchment areas.


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ELECTRICITY

Te most common energy sources in Zomba areelectricity, charcoal, firewood, and petroleum fuels. At avery small-scale some households rely on solar power, geloil, crop residue, and gas for heating and lighting. TeElectricity Supply Commission of Malawi is the onlysupplier of hydroelectric power to the city, generatedand transmitted from the Shire River. Connection tothe electricity supply network is by application and themajor determinant is affordability. However, electricitysupply in the city is inconsistent and characterizedby frequent black outs. About 49 percent of Zombaresidents use electricity for lighting2. Electricity supplyto the informal settlements is poor and most residents

rely on firewood and charcoal for their energy needs.Te Malawi Government has installed solar powerin some newly constructed public facilities such ashospitals. Te energy policy of 2003 is promotingthe use of alternative energy sources such as solarpower in order to increase access to electricity.


Te Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy andthe Environment oversees electricity provision inthe country.

Te Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority

(MERA) controls electricity pricing.Te Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi isthe sole supplier of hydroelectric power in the city.


Te Electricity Act guides the supply of electricity.

Te Malawi Energy Regulatory Act controlselectricity tariffs.

Electricity by-laws developed by the MalawiElectricity Regulatory Authority are yet to beadopted.


Te Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi,which is a parastatal, operates on a commercial basisand depends on revenue collected from payment ofelectricity supply bills to continue carrying out itsoperations and pay its staff members.


Tere is need to liberalize the electricity sector

and allow private players to take part in electricitygeneration and supply in order to create competitionand improve service delivery. Currently, theElectricity Supply Commission of Malawi operatesas a monopoly.

Application for electricity connection is expensive asconnection costs include capital investments such astransformers and levies.

Electricity supply is characterized by frequent poweroutages. Vandalism of electricity infrastructure suchas transformers is one of the reasons for frequentpower disconnections.


Te Electricity Supply Commission of Malawidepends on revenue collected from payment ofmonthly electricity bills by its clients, to fund itsoperations.

URBAN SAFETY

Zomba City Council is charged with the responsibilityof protecting its residents from physical danger orharm, and ensuring a secure environment for living anddoing business. Te city council ensures that physicalinfrastructure such as public buildings and other privateproperties are safe and that proper building codes arefollowed in building construction. Te police areresponsible for ensuring that people and property aresecure at all times and that people can go about their day-to-day businesses without fear. Police Listening Unitsare located around the city and are manned by policeofficers. Tere are several police stations and substationsincluding the Eastern Region Police Headquarters inthe city. Te main safety/security issues facing the cityinclude robbery, theft, rape, assault, and gender-based

violence. Frequent fire outbreaks also compromiseurban safety.

AGREED PRIORITIES

Mobilize resources to upgrade and expand theexisting electricity supply system.

Sensitize communities on the availability ofalternative and cheaper energy sources, such assolar power.


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Urban safety and security can be improved furtherthrough increased coordination between the communityand the police, increasing funds set aside for urban safetyinitiatives, improving police capacity, and establishmentof more police units.


Te Ministry of Internal Affairs is the overalloverseer of law and order and public safety throughthe Malawi Police Service.

Zomba City Council oversees urban safety through

the Engineering Department and the Planning andDevelopment Department.

Private security firms provide security services toprivate companies and residential areas at a fee.

Community policing and neighbourhood watchgroups help in maintaining safety and security inthe residential areas.

Other institutions participating in urban safetyinitiatives include the National Road Safety Council(NRSC) and the National Roads Authority. TeNational Road Safety Council concentrates on

road accident reduction measures by carrying outsensitization programmes for school children andteaching them how to be careful when walkingalong the road.


Te Police Act; the Local Government Act; theOccupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act;the Crime Prevention Policy; and the MalawiConstitution forms the basis for the provision ofsafety and security services in the city.

Community neighbourhood watch groups havebeen established with the help of the police, basedon the Police Act.


Te Malawi Police depends on Government fundingin order to carry out its operations.

Zomba City Council does not have adequateresources to invest in urban safety infrastructure.

Community policing and neighbourhood watchgroups assist in maintaining safety and security inthe residential areas.

Recent reviews of the police law that mandatethe police to arrest without a court warrant areretrogressive and violate human rights.


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Illegal developments in the city are not effectivelydealt with.

Tere is need to create public awareness on roadsafety rules and accident prevention measures.

Road signs and traffic rights need to be placed atmore strategic locations on the major and busystreets.

Community policing groups and neighbourhoodwatch groups have been formed in informalsettlements in order to improve security in thesesettlements.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste management is a shared responsibility betweenZomba City Council, Malawi Housing Corporation,and the private sector. Zomba City Council isresponsible for maintaining the sewerage system, refusecollection and disposal, and maintaining good sanitationin the city. Te formal, middle and high income areasreceive regular waste management services. Howeverthe informal settlements are neglected, with little or noaccess to waste management services. In the informal

settlements, majority of residents rely on communalrubbish pits for refuse disposal. Some refuse also endsup on roads, opens spaces and in water bodies. Tesehave negative effects on the environment. Te gravity-fed sewer system treatment plant serves about 20,000people from formal areas and commercial and publicinstitutions such as the army barracks, hospitals, ZombaCentral Prison, and Chancellor College. raditional pitlatrines are the main means of disposal of human excretain the informal settlements3. Zomba City Council lacksadequate capacity to provide waste management servicesin all parts of Zomba, including the informal areas, andthis has led to increased environmental degradation.


AGREED PRIORITIES

Increase police presence in the citys residentialareas.

Provide street lighting in all parts of the city, andespecially in the informal settlements.

Increase public awareness on urban safety.


Te Engineering Department, the HealthDepartment and the Agriculture and Public HealthDepartment of Zomba City Council are responsiblefor waste management, pollution control, sanitationservices, and environmental health.

Te Malawi Housing Corporation operates septictank emptying services at a fee.

Several non-governmental and community basedorganizations are assisting in waste management inthe informal settlements.

Tere are several private companies that offer septic

tank emptying services at a fee.


Te Local Government Act (1998), theEnvironmental Management Act, the Public Health

Act, and the own and Country Planning Act.

Zomba Municipal Assembly by-laws of 2006 andZomba Municipal Urban Development Plan of2007.


Zomba City Council concentrates the provision ofbasic urban services such as waste management inthe formal areas while the slums are neglected.

Tere is lack of coordination between the city counciland private waste management companies in wastemanagement services provision.


Zomba City Council lacks the financial, technicaland human resource capacity to meet the demandfor waste management and sanitation.

Te entrance of private companies in wastemanagement calls for a review of the existing legalframeworks to take into consideration the newdevelopments.

Community awareness needs to be created on theimportance of proper waste disposal.


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Donor funds exist for waste management.

Zomba City Council sets aside funds from its annualbudget for waste management but these funds arenot adequate to provide waste management servicesin the entire city.

BASIC URBAN

SERVICESN1


Provision of communal water supplyin the informal settlements

BASIC URBANSERVICESN2


Zomba urban safety improvementproject

BASIC URBANSERVICESN3


Participatory waste managementproject

AGREED PRIORITIESUpgrade the sewerage system in the city.

Review existing waste management legalframeworks.

Establish community-based waste collectionservices.

Promote the establishment of private publicpartnerships in waste management.

Enhance community participation and involvement

in waste management.


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LAND

Zomba City Council is responsible for all urbanplanning functions in the city and major land ownersinclude; Te Ministry of Lands, Housing and UrbanDevelopment; Malawi Housing Corporation andZomba City Council. Local chiefs also claim to own

some land. 15 percent of the city is covered by forestsand agricultural farms and 85 percent is covered byresidential areas1. In terms of land tenure, private landaccounts for 56 percent of all land and public landaccounts for 44 percent. However, UN-HABIA2(2010) indicates that private land accounts for only0.5 percent, public accounts for 9 percent and 90.5percent of land is under customary practices. Land isadministered through the Plot Allocation Committeeand own Planning Committee. Challenges include thehigh number of illegal developments, lack of an up-to-date urban structure plan and multiple players in landadministration.


Major land owners include the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Urban Development, Malawi HousingCorporation and Zomba City Council.

Zomba City Council is responsible for provision ofhigh density plots.

Habitat for Humanity Malawi, a developmentorganization operating in Malawi, supports low-income housing through material loans.

Chiefs allocate land without following any layoutplans leading to haphazard developments.

1 Zomba Municipal Assembly, 2007. Zomba Municipal Urban DevelopmentPlan, 2007, Zomba Malawi, and National Statistical Office, 2008, StatisticalYearbook.



Te Land Acquisition Act, the Land Act, the LandSurvey Act, and the own and Country Planning

Act are some of the land policies and regulations

applied by the city council in land management.Zomba City relies on the own and CountryPlanning Act, the Procedures Management and

Administration of raditional Housing Areas, theLocal Government Act, the Decentralization Policy,and the Zomba Municipal Urban DevelopmentPlan (2007) for land administration.


Te Land Allocation Committees are not functioningwell due to the interference of traditional leaders

and they claim that 30 percent of land in the city isunder customary tenure.

Te process of registration of Land Rights is lengthyand costly.

Tere is corruption in land allocation andregistration.

Te land register is yet to be updated as theDepartment of Lands is modernizing the landregistration system.

Te own Planning Guidelines and Standards arebeing reviewed to include current issues.


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ZOMBAUR

BANPROFILE-LAND

Zomba City Council relies on the Department of

Physical Planning to prepare land use plans andprocess planning applications.

Land administration and governance in the citycouncil is weak due to a shortage of skilled labour.

Zomba City Council lacks the financial, technicaland physical capacity to implement land use plansand urban structure plans.

A coordination platform is lacking among thestakeholders.


Zomba City Council gets its revenue mainlyfrom property rates and taxes collected from cityresidents.

Resources meant for upgrading the informalsettlements are inefficient to carry out anymeaningful housing upgrading exercise. Tis forcesthe city council to rely heavily on donor funds.

AGREED PRIORITIES

Conduct intensive public awareness campaigns onland administration.

All public land to be transferred to the city councilas per the National Land Policy.

Prepare, review and revise land use plans.

Provide security of tenure for the residents of theinformal settlements.

LAND

N1


Land servicing and regularizationproject


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE

2

GOVERNANCE

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS PRIORITIES

Legal frameworks arein place.

Grass-root institutionshave been set-up and are readyto participatein planning anddecision-making.

The city council hasa Development Planwhich if implemented

will deal with someof the challenges thatthe city is currentlyfacing.

Absence of qualifiedsenior managementlevel staff in the citycouncil.

Absence of wardcouncilors tostrengthen populargovernance.

Lack of a ServiceCharter to guide thecity council in service

delivery.

Poor allocation ofbudgetary resources.

Political interferencein decision makingnegatively affectsgovernance in thecity.

The devolution offunctions from centralgovernment to thecity council will helpincrease the amountof resources availableto the city council.

Inadequatetransparency andaccountability in thecity council.

Corrupt practices andfraud.

Lack of qualified staff.

Strengthencommunitydevelopmentcommittees.

Establish an urbancoordination bodysuch as the ZombaUrban Network.

Improve financialmanagement systemsin the city council and

expand revenue base.

Review the legalframeworks andthe city councilorganogram andservice conditionswith a view toimproving governanceand service deliveryby the city council.

Establish a monitoringand evaluation systemas a learning tool.

Introduce civiceducation formembers ofparliament, councilorsand other civilservants.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS-GOVERNANCE

GOVERNANCEN1

Project proposal

Zomba City Council capacitybuilding project

LOCAION: Zomba City Council.

DURAION: 24 months.

BENEFICIARIES: Councillors, city council staff,community development committees, developmentorganizations, civil society organizations.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: German echnical

Cooperation, the Local Government FinanceCommittee, private organizations, and Zomba CityCouncil.

ESIMAED COS: USD 300,000.

BACKGROUND: Zomba City Council providesbasic urban services and infrastructure to the residentsof Zomba. However, the adequate provision of theseservices is only possible if there is adequate financial,technical and human resource capacity in the citycouncil. Tis is not the case. Terefore, improving thecapacity of the city council is vital for ensuring thatall residents of Zomba have access to the basic urban

services and social infrastructure.OBJECIVES: o improve the capacity of ZombaCity Council.

ACIVIIES: (1) Conduct a needs assessment. (2)Reviewing existing legal frameworks. (3) Identifyqualified consultants to carry out the capacity buildingexercise. (4) Develop the capacity building programme.(5) Conduct capacity building exercise, and (6)Monitoring and evaluation.

OUPUS: Improved city council capacity (andlegal frameworks in all sectors), leading to improvedbasic urban services delivery and provision of social

infrastructure.

GOVERNANCEN2

Project proposal

Zomba City Council publicawareness campaign

LOCAION: Zomba.

DURAION: 12 months.

BENEFICIARIES: Zomba City Council, Zombaresidents, tax payers.

IMPLEMENING PARNER: Zomba CityCouncil; the Ministry of Local Government and Rural

Development; tax payers; the business sector; MalawiRevenue Authority; development partners; the LocalDevelopment Fund; the Ministry of Lands, Housingand Urban Development; Local Development Fund;civil society organizations; and development andhumanitarian organizations working in Zomba.


BACKGROUND: Most city residents are not awareof their duties and responsibilities in caring for thecitys public facilities and infrastructure. Tis can beseen in the high cases of vandalism of public facilitiesexperienced in the city. Sensitizing city residents on the

importance of taking care of public infrastructure andfacilities will help create a sense of ownership and reduceincidences of vandalism of public property.

OBJECIVES: o empower city residents on theirroles and responsibilities.

ACIVIIES: (1) Conduct preparatory institutionalmeetings. (2) Conduct needs and informationassessments. (3) Conduct awareness meetings. (4)Monitoring and evaluation.

OUPUS: Improved understanding and knowledgeof roles and responsibilities by city residents.

SAFF REQUIRED:Community workers.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE

4

GOVERNANCEN3

Project proposal

Local urban observatory (LUO)

LOCAION:Zomba City Council.

DURAION: 12 months.

BENEFICIARIES: Te public and private sector, cityresidents and Zomba City Council.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: Zomba CityCouncil; the Ministry of Local Government and Rural

Development; the Ministry of Lands, Housing andUrban Development; Mzuzu University, the NationalStatistical Office; civil society organizations; UN-HABIA1; and development partners.


BACKGROUND: Zomba City Council is currentlyfacing enormous economic, social and politicalchallenges as it tries to improve its economic performanceand reduce poverty rates in the city. Decision makingis difficult with inadequate data on key urban sectorsand development trends. Data and information flow isskewed. A local urban observatory could greatly improve

the performance of the city council by making availablethe necessary data and information on key urban sectorsand development trends.

OBJECIVES: o promote good urban governance.

ACIVIIES: (1) Mobilize stakeholders to participatein the establishment of the local urban observatory. (2)Conduct a needs assessment on data and informationmanagement. (3) Develop effective strategies of datamanagement. (4) Establish a Local Urban Observatory.(5) Institutionalize the Local Urban Observatoryprocesses in the city council.

OUPUS: Local Urban Observatory established and

operational.SAFF REQUIRED: (1) Research team with experiencein urban development issues. (2) eam coordinator.



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PROJECTPROPOSALS-SLUMSANDS

HELTER

SLUMS AND SHELTER

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS PRIORITIES

Legal frameworks inplace.

Availability ofinstitutions toprovide guidanceon development ofshelter programs.

Availability of cheapbuilding materials forlow-income housing.

Availability of landwithin the city whichcan be used forpro-poor housingconstruction.

Outdated legalframeworks for slumsand shelter.

Building codes andregulations are notadhered to in somecases.

Lack of land use plansto guide residentialdevelopments in thecity.

Inadequate capacityto implement shelterprogrammes.

Interference bytraditional leaders inland and housing.

Lack of access toadequate housingloans/finance by thepoor.

Tedious, costly and

lengthy process foraccessing public landfor housing.

Lack of servicedland for low incomehousing.

Delays in reviewingand upgrading legalframeworks bygovernment.

New land bill andhousing bill awaitingparliament passing.

Availability ofdevelopmentorganizations that areinvolved in provisionof pro-poor housing.

Availability of locallyavailable buildingmaterials.

Opportunities todeliver pro-poorhousing throughprivate publicpartnerships.

High demand for low-income housing.

Absence offunctioning policiesfor upgrading ofinformal settlements.

Rising cost of housingconstruction.

Lack of security oftenure for informalsettlement residentsmaking slumupgrading difficult.

Development ofnew pro-poorhousing estates andresettlement schemesfor the informalsettlement residents.

Upgrade and expandthe existing socialinfrastr

Documents

Malawi - Zomba