Western Highlands rejects non-compliance claims, presents reports

The Western Highlands Provincial Administration has rejected allegations of non-compliance and non-performance, saying it has met its mandatory reporting obligations and continues to deliver services despite limited funding.

Western Highlands Provincial Administrator Joseph Mangbil said reports covering three years have been submitted to the relevant government agencies.

The Western Highlands Provincial Administration is defending its record after questions were raised over the province's compliance with mandatory government reporting requirements by the National Executive Council.

Mangbil said the province submitted its Section 119 Provincial Performance Reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 to the Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs [DPLLGA].

“We submitted our reports from 2023, 2024 and 2025 under Section 119. That is the constitutional legal report that we need to submit annually, and the Western Highlands Provincial Government and administration complied with that," Mangbil said.

Mangbil also said concerns over the Section 32 Provincial Administration Performance Report were largely linked to the province's failure to implement its approved 2019 organisational structure.

He said the structure has now been implemented under the current administration.

The PA maintained that information required under Section 32 was already captured in the province's Section 119 reports.

“That does not mean that we have not complied to Section 32. We have submitted Section 119, including Section 32 and 119, to the relevant department," stressed the WHPA.

He also said the province has submitted its financial reports, including Section 114 reports detailing government funding received and expenditure on service delivery.

Mangbil added Western Highlands relies heavily on its own GST revenue, while its annual PSIP allocation of K10 million is often released late and in small instalments.

“Sometimes it's K1m, K2million, K3 million, and towards the end of the year we get K10 million. And that money is insufficient for us to deliver services. However, with the little resources we have we are managing it and delivering services to the people for WHP," Mangbil said.

Despite the funding challenges, the administration says it has continued to invest in key service areas.

Law and order has been one of its major priorities, with support provided to police, magistrates, legal establishments and other law and order agencies.

“We empowered the police operations, we resourced them with logistics and funding, and we also empowered our magistrates and law and order sector and also funding court house establishments," Mangbil outlined.

The PA said education is another major investment area, particularly technical and vocational education and training.

He said about K10 million is spent annually to support Western Highlands students attending universities and colleges, while greater emphasis is now being placed on TVET for school leavers who do not progress to tertiary institutions.

Health services have also received funding, including support for clinics, health centres, mobility for nurses and other community health activities.

The administrator said the provincial government and administration had raised about K1.6 million in 2025 and 2026 to support health services through the Eagles Foundation Ball.

Roads and infrastructure are also being upgraded, with Mangbil saying better roads will allow people, particularly women and farmers, to transport their produce to markets.

The province has also supported SMEs, public transport and other sectors.

He elaborated that all of these activities have been captured in the province's performance reports.

“We are not doing cut and paste reporting. The real action work is being done at the ground level, and Western Highlands Province administration delivered our report to highlight our performance.”

The administration and government has now submitted their mandatory reports to the relevant government agencies, including the Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs, Department of Personnel Management, Department if Finance and other responsible departments.

Mangbil said the province remains focused on service delivery and is ready to move forward towards 2027.