Malawi’s already overburdened taxpayers are being forced to pay extra billions of kwacha for public projects due to erratic funding from government worsened by fluctuation in the value of the kwacha, it has emerged.
The Nation has established that the Mzuzu University (Mzuni) Library project, which started in 2020 with a projected cost of K7 billion, has now risen to K27 billion. However, K14 billion has already been spent on the project and K13 billion more is needed.
The Marka-Bangula railway line in Nsanje started with an estimated cost of K65 billion but moved to K141 billion while the M1 rehabilitation from Lumbadzi in Lilongwe to the Northern Region, initially pegged at K273 billion, is now costing over K313.8 billion.
On the other hand, the cost for the 20-kilometre section of the Rumphi-Nyika Road between Chikwawa and Bembe has increased to K29.9 billion from K5.1 billion estimate in 2018.
Construction of M’mbelwa Stadium in Mzimba has also escalated from an initial K2.5 billion in 2018 to around K14 billion with K9 billion already spent and M’mbelwa District Council office, projected at K1.8 billion in 2018, now needs at extra K9.5 billion.
The Mzuzu Civic offices now need K17.5 billion
from the initial projection of K12 billion in 2022, a jump city council spokesperson McDo n a l d G o n d w e was prompted by kwacha fluctuations.
understand why. | Nation
At Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes) administration block in Blantyre has also stalled for years.
During a visit to Mzuni by Education Committee of Parliament over the weekend, Mzuni Vice-Chancellor Professor Wales Singini said they need an extra K13 billion to have the library completed.
He said: “We had the issues to sort out in terms of contracts for both the contractor and the consultant. Their contracts ended. We had to review, to reassess, to re-evaluate the remaining works. That review shows we need K13 billion more to complete works.
“We already have K2.5 billion in the 2024-2025 budget. Government has also included K5 billion in the 2026-2027 budget, giving K7.5 billion from that K13 billion
Parliamentary Transport and Public Infrastructure Committee chairperson Dumisani Lindani, in a brief interview yesterday, said that they will work on checking on the cost overruns by engaging government and contractors.
He said: “We should also check on the side
of contractors; we need to understand why they are taking so long. If they are doing compromised work, we should understand why they are doing that and take them to book.
“We would also try to make sure that the issues of efficiency in terms of payment issues are improved, so that we don’t have issues, complaints from the contractors. Most contractors are Malawians, but even if they are not Malawians, contracts have to be respected.”
Commenting on the developments, Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) Malawi chairperson Engineer Samuel Biton said persistent delays and cost escalations are symptoms of systemic weaknesses in public infrastructure delivery.
He said such weaknesses include inadequate project preparation, unrealistic cost estimates, weak contract management, changes to the scope of works during implementation, delayed payments and external factors such as inflation and foreign exchange volatility.
Said Biton: “The scale and frequency we are observing point to the need for stronger governance and discipline across the project lifecycle. We complement statutory oversight institutions by shining a light on project performance and encouraging corrective action before delays and overruns escalate.
“We believe that sustained transparency, coupled with institutional accountability and citizen engagement, is key to minimising delays and achiev ing bet ter value for money in public infrastructure.”
Malawi Building, Civil Engineering and Allied Trade Association (Mabcata) board vice-chairperson Kondwani
Kadango said delays and cost overruns on public infrastructure projects were not a surprise, but a serious concern.
He said contractors face long certification and approval processes for interim payment certificates, budgetary constraints and cash flow challenges on the government side, accumulation of arrears, sometimes running into several months and partial payments that do not match certified work.
“We continuously engage authorities through formal consultations with government, submission of position papers and policy recommendations on payment timelines, price adjustment mechanisms, and contract management,” said Kadango.
Centre for Social Transparency and Accountability executive director Willy Kambwandira said the pattern of delays was consistent to be accidental, arguing they point to well calculated tactics to defraud Malawians.
“This is a price an ordinary Malawian pays when project timelines and budgets are approved for political convenience rather than technical realism,” he said.
In a separate interview, National Ant i -Corruption Al l iance chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said these overruns waste resources that could have been used to fix hospitals, build schools, and create jobs.
“Economically, this fuels public debt, budget instability, and dependence on borrowing. It weakens investor confidence and sends a message that Malawi cannot manage large projects responsibly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Transport and Public Works spokesperson Watson Maingo requested for more time yesterday before commenting on the matter
