Kapito talks tough on substandard city roads
Outspoken Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito has called on the Roads Authority and city councils to properly scrutinise contractors before awarding them projects to ensure they do quality work.
Speaking after touring some of the roads in Blantyre City yesterday, Kapito expressed anger over poor quality roads being constructed in the country’s cities.
in Blantyre
He accused authorities of taking consumers for granted by allowing such contractors to continue with work.
Kapito said some roads, which were constructed or rehabilitated last year, including Makata Road, Illovo-Midima Roundabout Road, Chimwankhunda and Nyambadwe roads in Blantyre, Chilinde and Area 36 roads in Lilongwe have already started developing potholes while some have poor drainage systems.
“What is the use of constructing or rehabilitating a road today and tomorrow it is full of potholes? Where are the authorities in all this and what are they doing about it?
“All this is done at the expense of us consumers. As Cama, we will not just sit back and watch. We will take these authorities to task because this is our money, our tax,” he said.
Commenting on the issue, Lloyd Msosa of Top Range Civil Engineering Company, which is working on the Makata Road project in Blantyre, blamed the situation on underestimation of projects by authorities. n
The issue of poor roads is because authorities don’t care they are giving contracts to their own folks, people that have no capacities and tech know how. If you check those contractors don’t even poses tools to do the work. Malawi will always remain behind because our leaders are crooks and not progressive.