The delayed payment of the ward councillors’ allowances throughout the country is partly due to failed elections.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said in Parliament last week that councilors who didn’t complete the election process and also disputes in many provinces had caused complications.
He said those failed elections were not conducted and there have been problems including some disputes and court cases that have delayed the payment of wages.
O’Neill said that he will get the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Provincial and Local Level Governments Leo Dion to make a statement at a later time to give a more detail on the issue.
He stressed that it’s a historic decision that the Government took in ensuring that the leaders closest to the people are recognised and paid for their efforts in keeping our societies and communities together.
Meantime, the payment of more than K7 million to 6,187 councillors in the country was made on August 3.
The payment was back dated to 2015 for the period of January to December and to 2016, from the months of January to March.