Chakwera for value fo rmoney on police houses

President Lazarus Chakwera has expressed optimism that implementation of the security officers’ housing project will speed up because the challenges that rocked it have been surmounted.

The President said this yesterday when he inspected project sites in Blantyre and Chikwawa districts.

He mentioned foreign exchange scarcity as one of the factors that contributed to the delay of the project.

Said Chakwera: “The first phase is at 85 percent completion. I have been assured that the second phase is likely going to speed up because some of the problems we encountered like forex shortages, have now been surmounted. ”

In an earlier interview with The Nation, Ministry of Lands Principal Secretary Davie Chilonga said they awarded 75 contracts for the construction of 2 300 houses following the completion of houses out of 1 028 earmarked for the first phase.

The project started in 2020 with funding from the Malawi Government, Opec Fund for International Development and Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.

According to the 2022/23 Public Sector Investment Programme performance report, the project was initially set for completion by June 2025 at a cost of K620 billion. However, an estimated K1 trillion was quoted as the new figure for the project.

The overall project is expected to benefit the police, Malawi Defence Force (MDF), Malawi Prisons Service and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services.

Speaking at Mitole Police Unit in Chikwawa where 30 houses are being built, the President said construction works should not just be done for the sake of it, but must adhere to the quality standards specified to ensure public resources are not wasted.

He said: “Finishing works should also be on point as my will is to ensure we are building things that are durable and also pleasant to the eye.”

Chakwera also toured construction works for Blantyre Police Station whose project, according to Minister of Information and Digitalisation Moses Kunkuyu was birthed about 20 years after the old office was demolished and relocated to Ministry of Works premises near Wenela Bus Station.

Taking his turn, Minister of Transport and Public Works Jacob Hara said there have been a number of issues derailing the project including erratic funding and changes in designs as due to space limitations, one more storey had to be added.

“Due to these issues, the contractor has missed deadlines three times,” he added.

At Blantyre Prison where there is also an ongoing construction exercise for housing units for prison staff, Chakwera expressed optimism that overall the project will bring joy among the security personnel in the country.

He finished the tour at Bangwe Police Station where he handed over 20 housing units for junior and senior police officers which have been completed.

Dora Kumwenda, a spouse to Bangwe Police officer-in-charge who was among the women present to witness the handover of the houses, said housing remains a major challenge among security personnel in the country.

She said: “Most of the old houses are small and leak during the rainy season. Imagine a family of six children being housed in a one-bedroom house.”

During his tour, Chakwera also assured the nation that food will be available in all Admarc markets. He toured Zingwangwa Admarc Depot where he made a stop on his way from Mitole Police Unit in Chikwawa.

However, there were some boos and heckling as some people shouted that the President must arrest hunger while others claimed they are yet to benefit from the cash transfer programme.

“Bwana tili ndi njala [we are starving due to hunger],” one shouted.

Under the housing project, MDF and police are each expected to get 4 000 houses while Prisons and Immigration will have 1 000 houses each.

The project was expected to be implemented in segments with 1 028 housing units to be built in phase one, 4 300 in phase two and 4 672 in the third phase.