• Latest Auditor General’s Report has cited Councils for failing to update 2018/2019 Valuation rolls.
• This means that Councils are collecting less revenue from rates.
• It’s important that local authorities engage Valuation Surveyors.

A Real Estate Expert has advised Councils across the country to consider engaging Valuation Surveyors who can help improve operations of the local authorities.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Fairworld Properties Limited Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chisebwe Fumbeshi said the latest Audit Report which has cited Councils for failing to update 2018/2019 Valuation rolls, indicates that local authorities are not collecting enough revenue from rates.
Mr. Fumbeshi said this is because the local authorities are using outdated Valuation rolls that do not capture the existing infrastructure nationwide especially along the line of rail, therefore the need to engage Valuation Surveyors.
“The latest Auditor General’s Report has cited Councils for failing to update 2018/2019 Valuation rolls, this means that Councils are collecting less revenue from rates, which is the biggest part of their revenue, because they are using outdated rolls that do not capture the infrastructure that we have now countrywide.”
“It is important that local authorities engage valuation surveyors so that we can sit down and see how we can improve the operations of these Councils,” Mr. Fumbeshi suggested.
According to the latest Auditor-General’s report on the councils for the financial years, ended December 31 2018 and 2019, local authorities have been cited for failure to effectively manage the Local Government Equalization Fund and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
The councils have also been cited for various other offences, which include poor waste management, failure to update valuation rolls, failure to control markets, failure to remit statutory obligations, amounting to over K1.6 billion, failure to collect revenue, amounting to over K100 million, as well as weak procurement and contract management.