By Robert Nayeja
Nsanje District Council has toured Mwanza District Council to learn from its successful revenue collection methods, aiming to address gaps in local revenue generation.
Speaking on Friday, Nsanje District Commissioner Dominic Mwandira acknowledged that the district has struggled to collect sufficient revenues to support council activities, including paying staff wages.
He said the visit was an opportunity to explore Mwanzas technology-driven approaches and replicate them in Nsanje.
“Our colleagues are using technology to collect market fees and business licences, while Nsanje still relies on manual collection. We want to learn from their system and see how best to implement it here to improve revenue collection,” Mwandira said.The team was particularly impressed with Mwanzas Local Revenue Management Information System (LoRMIS), which has helped the district close gaps in revenue collection.
Mwanza District Commissioner Martha Sineta welcomed the delegation, assuring them of support to implement LoRMIS in Nsanje.
“We are very grateful that Nsanje Council chose Mwanza as a learning point, and we will give any assistance needed to roll out the system,” she said.
Chaudley Msosa, Budget Analyst at the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), praised Nsanje for taking proactive steps but stressed the importance of implementing proper systems to prevent revenue leakages.
“Most councils collect less than 50 percent of their local revenue. Learning from Mwanza is a positive step, and other councils should follow suit,” Msosa said.
