In Mzimba District, the name Kalanje is synonymous with the 13-kilometre Lunjika-Eswazini Road.
This is a tribute to Damaseke Kalanje Nyirongo, 89, who designed and constructed through the hilly terrain.
The earth road has become a lifeline for rural communities in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kampingo Sibande.
Lunjika, a fertile valley near Sikelo Katundu and Kavitengo localities, is circled by hills that sit over 1379 metres above sea level.
In 2022, the Roads Authority (RA) contracted Mpukuto Construction Limited to construct a one-kilometre concrete runway on a tricky downslope that was muddy and slippery during the rainy season.
Kalanje, 89, shared his delight when asked about the transformation of the earth road—his brainchild.
“The idea to open the road was hatched in 1950 when I visited a narrow, winding road in Chiweta Escarpments in Rumphi District,” he says.
The hills, known as Boliwoli among the locals, are home to the country’s longest stretch with hairpin bends.
Kalanje says the idea was partly inspired by his wife, Fellen Dombolo, who gave him a hand when construction works commenced.
He recalls: “It wasn’t easy to break huge stones weakened by fire. We sustained injuries, financial hiccups and criticisms.
“Jealousy neighbours even reported us to a district chairperson of the old Malawi Congress Party, who accused us of plotting the downfall of the then life-president Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s one-party rule.”
Kalanje needed approvals from above to embark on his dream project as doing so single-handedly would have earned him detention without trial during the one-party era.
The tricky terrain is dominated by thick forests, steep slopes, rock outcrops and poisonous snakes.
He braved the feared snake bites to open the hard-to-reach food basket to better markets in Mzimba, Mzuzu City and the rest of the country.
The Kalanjes never gave up, but brainstormed with their fellow business families, the Chisisis and Nyangus to design the road into the leafy interiors, which skirts around the mountains via Mthimba.
Kalanje used his savings to make the dream come true.
He amassed the wealth in Zambia where he grew up and worked with European mining companies until 1957.
He recalls paying workers on the road K15 000.
The man—who quit school in Sub B, an equivalent of Standard Three or Four—has lost count of the money he spent on the road.
Nyadombolo remembers her husband giving away clothes and money to get the job done.
“He has never gone to any school of engineering nor attended a road construction course. He was just passionate and tired of seeing the productive valley stunted by impassable footpaths. Fortunately, he had good friends who encouraged him,” she says.
The Kalanjes and the late Chisisi were the only families in Lunjika that owned cars and shops.
The Kalanjes’ Isuzu pick-up and their neighbours’ touring car not only boosted their businesses but also their zeal for better roads to Mzuzu and Mzimba Boma where they ordered various goods for their shops.
“The roads were nasty and fuel was very expensive. We needed a safe shortcut and there was no better option than the Lunjika-Chipumulo Road,” says the man.
The route opened busy settlements and business hotspots such as Lunjika, Bulala, Endindeni, Malangazi, Mzalangwe and Hora Mountain, where the Ngonis of Mzimba hold their calendar cultural event—Umtheto.
“This road helps people in our remote community transport their farm produce to big markets in Mzuzu, Mzimba, Lilongwe and neighbouring towns in Zambia. This fills me with joy and gratitude,” says Kalanje.
The community grows diverse crops, especially tomatoes, pumpkins, soya, maize, beans, garlic, onions and cabbages.
The road provides access to Lunjika Seventh Day Adventist Mission, home to Lunjika Secondary School and an aerodrome.
Planeloads of tourists and missionaries used to land at Lunjika, making incursions into various parts of northern Malawi.
“We had to do something about the risky road,” he said. “Frequent accidents claimed lives and left many lame.”
Many a day vehicle were seen groaning and backsliding, struggling to climb a hill topped with an Airtel Malawi transmitter, which has improved mobile phone signal in the area.
Many slip back and eventually overturn, killing and injuring people.
In the area, a tale is told of a woman, from Chiziweni Village, who jumped out of a backsliding minibus and crashed her skull on an outcropping rock
The minibus tyres rolled over her.
Such tragedies prompted the Roads Authority (RA) to put a concrete finish on the slippery downslope.
According to contractor Joseph Mwamghunda and RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga, the project is worth K351 million.
Kalanje is excited that the dream of a better road is coming true.
“I’m very happy that government is improving this road and I hope the Roads Authority will pave the entire stretch to Lunjika Junction along the M1 between Mzuzu and Mzimba. If this happens, I’ll die a happy man,” says the father of seven.
