The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, has warned that the misuse of public funds in some regional and local authorities is weakening service delivery and slowing development.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Deputy Minister Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele, at a five-day financial management workshop at Swakopmund, Sankwasa raised concerns that the trend is worrisome.

“More public funds are mishandled, or rather misappropriated, which results in a negative impact on service delivery. Therefore, I wish to caution that unauthorised expenditure diverts critical funds away from essential public services and is noticeably crippling our regional and local development.”

The Ministry is strengthening oversight by proactively investigating financial irregularities and implementing robust consequence management measures.

This is to ensure accountability and prevent future violations.

“Therefore, as political and administrative leaders, you should take the initiative and set the tone from the top to effect changes and foster an environment of accountability. Therefore, combating systematic corruption and weak internal controls relies heavily on combining strict institutional frameworks with targeted public actions.”

Sankwasa also urged regional and local authority leaders to strengthen public trust by meeting the expectations of the communities they serve and engaging directly with residents, particularly on issues such as municipal debt collection.

The workshop brought together chief regional and executive officers and officials from the regional and local authorities to strengthen financial management practices.