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Security agencies housing project misses deadline

After touring Moyale Barracks in Mzuzu on November 13, last year, President Peter Mutharika expressed sadness over the state of houses and promised to roll out a housing project for all security agencies by January this year.

“I have seen the houses that the soldiers are staying in. They are in bad shape and insufficient. But I am here to tell you that the housing project for our men and women and other security services, the Police, the Army, Immigration and Prison Service, that I promised in my manifesto is about to materialise. By January we will be able to launch the programme for houses for all the four security agents in the country,” said Mutharika

Mutharika signing the visitors’ book last year

But four months after the deadline, the Mutharika administration is yet to roll out the housing project.

The houses, which were built decades ago, have gone for years without maintainance and they keep on deteriorating, especially with hail storms and other harsh weather conditions the country is experiencing year in, year out.

In an interview on Thursday, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development spokesperson Charles Vintulla said the first phase of the project will start after the 2018/2019 budget meeting.

“Government intends to construct 10 000 houses in two phases. The first phase will be for 4 500 houses, of which the Malawi Police Service will benefit 2 898 houses, MDF will get 1 422, Malawi Prison and Immigration Department will each benefit 90 houses. The remaining 5 500 housing units will be done in the second phase.

“The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has just completed making assessments on sites that the security agencies have earmarked for the construction of the houses, as well as the facilities that the housing units should have. This took some time because some institutions did not have ready land for the project, but all that is finalised now.

“Currently, physical and layout plans for the sites to estimate the number of housing units per site and cost implications are underway,” he said.

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