Factors Affecting Effective Infrastructure Service Delivery in Zambia’s Local Authorities: A Case of Eastern Province

The central way of bringing government closer to the people is through delivery of social services in a satisfactory, timely, effective and adequate manner by creating Local Authorities (LAs) at local level to bring governance closer to the people for transformation of lives. This study sought to determine the extent to which social infrastructure assets created under the LA deliver social services by establishing the factors that contribute to service delivery in Zambia’s local authorities, and investigate the extent to which existing social infrastructure address the needs of the local people. The evaluation adopted a purposeful arranged selection of local government staff for structured discussions to determine the extent of their involvement in infrastructure service provision. The main discussion was conducted with planners, treasurers, procurement officers and directors of engineering or works form LA and their project teams responsible for implementing government projects in Eastern Province. This research adopted qualitative methods and techniques. The research contends that the constitutional mandate of Local Government in terms of service delivery had not been met due to inadequate resources, lack of capacity and sustainable models to promote service delivery. The study also revealed that problems affecting LAs in Zambia are both external (political interference, central government control and delays in disbursement of funding) and internal (lack of capital investment, inadequate qualified manpower and poor council management). It is by this study that the LAs can comprehend the extent of the challenges regarding infrastructure deficiencies and be positioned to offer social services in a timely and sustainable manner. The chapter therefore recommends that public-private sector collaboration can be used to leverage public service delivery.