Monze District Council Institutional Profile

“The Council has planned capacity building workshops for ward development committees in its quest to mainstream gender.”

Although the council doesn’t have a gender plan in place, gender mainstreaming activities are planned and budgeted for in the 2013 council budget. Target groups are ward development committees, for example. Each year on March 8 the council commemorates International Women’s day.

On governance, the council is perfoming poorly with only 1 woman and 26 men councillors. The Mayor and his deputy are both males. The low representation of women has a negative bearing on women’s participation. However, on the contrary, women’s participation in public meetings is much better than that of men. The “Make Monze Clean” and DDC meetings are mostly dominated by women.

The council has no LED plan at the moment, but has allocated stands in the market to facilitate women’s participation in local economic activities. Women and men are equally represented in jobs created by council. The current procurement policy does not really integrate gender, but the council has awarded contracts to women and men as local facilitators contracted by WaterAid.

A workshop on climate change was held in May 2012 to sensetise members of the community on measures to mitigate the effects of climate change an also disaster management. Council also has another project it is collaborating with consultants engaged by the World Bank to discuss with the district in addressing climate resilience.

On environmental affairs and public health the department is currently core-headed by a female and at least 8 women have been contacted to assist in cleaning up the streets. Council is implementing the 30 % allocation of land to women and women are equally encouraged to compete in the remaining 70 %.In the year 2010 a total of 61 plots were recommended for offer to the ministry of Lands to women out of 128 residential plots.

A total of 15 women are facilitators in a programme called community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) a programme that engages rural households to practice good sanitation without the aid of subsidies and a 50 % Gender representation in VWASHE committees is encouraged.

The council has mainstreamed HIV/AIDS and the capacity building programs for ward development committees. The Local Government Service commission is making a standard HIV /AIDS policy for all councils in the country. Currently, the council has a programme to distribute free condoms at public places such as bars and toilets.

On social development, there is an existing children’s play park that exists, though requires rehabilitation. A council finance football club 2called Monze Swallows exist. A total of 5 netball clubs benefited from the 2010 CDF to promote social recreational activities.

Gender based violence (GBV) is included in the council’s flagship plan. The Central Business district is lit though not adequately while the Nchete market is adequately literature. In the current budget, the council received a grant of K20,000 specifically for street lighting. Also, to raise awareness on GBV, the council has participated in cyber-dialogues facilitated by Gender Links.

There is a good working relationship between the council and the police, and from time to time the Police Victim Support Unit do sensitise the communities on GBV and encourage members of the community to report cases to the police.

On selection and recruitment, the council is guided by the national framework that advocates for 30% women in procurement positions, but the Monze district is trying to implement the SADC protocol target of 50%. Council has planned capacity building workshops for ward development committees in its quest to mainstream gender.

The deputy planner, Mr. Mazuba Kalyabantu is temporarily the Gender Focal person. This is a DDCC sub-committee which is chaired by the District Community Development Officer and the council has adopted a gender responsive budget. A total of K205,000,000 from the 2010 and 2011 CDF was allocated to explicitly promote gender equality