Community complains of unfinished work

People of Katimbira in Traditional Authority Kanyenda in Nkhotakota have faulted a contractor installing a solar-powered water supply pump at Katimbira Health Centre for allegedly using faulty equipment.

The community led by their chiefs, on Monday convened a crisis meeting with members of the health advisory committee as well as Katimbira Citizen Forum to map the way forward on the matter after noting that the contractor left the site.

Meanwhile, Katimbira Health Centre is facing water challenges, forcing health workers to use buckets in activities that require water.

In an interview, group village head Katimbira accused the contractor of sabotaging the project.

“We are disappointed in the contractor. For three times, he has failed to find water around the hospital’s premises. We suspect that the equipment is faulty and we want him to return on site and resume the work so that the project is finished,” he said.

Katimbira Citizen Forum chairperson Samuel Londo said he is dissatisfied with the way the project is being handled and wished the contractor was brought back to the site.

“There is need for the contractor to resume work and make sure that the water pump is installed. It is our wish to see to it that the facility has running water,” he said.

Reacting to the concerns, Evangelical Lutheran Development Services (ELDS) district official Ernest Mbewe, whose organisation is supervising the contractor, doubted the claims of the community on the allegations of faulty equipment.

Mbewe, however, assured the community that the contractor will return on site soon, saying he has been assigned elsewhere.