Karonga Lufilya legislator Abraham Mwakhwawa (Malawi Congress Party) has cautioned stakeholders in the district against politicising the Reformed K5 billion Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects.
He made the call on Tuesday at Kaporo Rural Hospital in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kilupula in the district during the handover of a project site for a K527 million operating theatre at the facility.
“This is time for development. Therefore, let us avoid politicising the CDF projects because we do not eat politics. Let us serve the community to improve service delivery,” said Mwakhwawa.
He commended government for increasing CDF from K200 million to K5 billion, saying it will transform the area through flagship projects.
On his part, T/A Kilupula described the development as a step towards eradicating maternal deaths emanating from long distances patients were covering to access the service at Karonga District Hospital.
One of the community members, Mwiza Nyirenda, expressed her excitement, saying the long distance whose transport fare hovers around K50 000 contributed to high infant deaths.
Karonga district commissioner Willard Mwambo cautioned the contractors against substandard work, saying their selection means the council trust’s that the construction will be undertaken within its timeframe.
“I also caution against conniving with the community to steal construction materials which derail development and lead to shoddy works,” he said.
In response, Charles Stevens Civil and Building Construction Limited representative Joshua Mzembe assured the gathering that his company has vast experience to construct a durable structure with value for money.
“We will use about 60 percent of local labour and engineers to construct the operating theatre in line with the Local Government Act. Above all, we will be accountable to ensure transparency,” he said.
Karonga district director of health and sanitation services David Sibale urged the community to desist from land encroachment, saying more projects were in the pipeline which need vast land
