Communities along the M1 rehabilitation works on Lot 4 have blocked the contractor from working demanding compensation for damage to their property allegedly occasioned by the project.
Lot 4 covers 66. 5 kilometres from Kacheche to Chiweta passing through places such as Bwengu, Chinyolo, Mkombezi and Phwezi, but main challenges were being registered between Chinyolo and Phwezi, especially around Kakoloha.
From Wednesday to close of business yesterday, people around Kakoloha, where the contractor, China Henan International Cooperation Group(Chicco), sources quarry and blasts rocks, forced the contractor to stop any activity.
Prior to this, the locals had on several instances from October 10 2024 also blocked the works for a cumulative 15 days, totaling 159 hours which the company is claiming extra time and costs for time wasted.
In an interview yesterday, group village head Katawa said people around Kakoloha have been blaming the cracks in their houses on the blasts and are demanding compensation.
A report by Rumphi Community Development officer Robert Chidothe shows that communities wanted the company to construct a proper drainage system, rehabilitate access roads and provide building materials for a local primary school.
Reads the report: “For instance, the potable water system installed was placed near a sewer area. The marketplace was described as too small and poorly built. The community expressed deep disappointment and a sense of betrayal.”
But Chicco project manager He Chuanfeng said people were failing to understand that development assistance is not obligatory.
He said: “As a contractor, it is not obligatory to provide assistance to the local community, if this is done it is done for social upliftment and a gesture from the company.”
Roads Authority chief executive officer Engineer Ammiel Champiti said the issues for Lot 4 were identical to Lots 1, 2 and 3, but added that people around Lot 4 are motivated by “baseless demands” as efforts being made by people are criminal in nature.
President Lazarus Chakwera in July 2022 launched the rehabilitation exercise of some sections of the M1 extending over 301km from Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) Turn-off in Lilongwe to Chiweta in Rumphi and each of the sections has been allocated to a different contractor.
The project was split among four contractors in four lots. Lot 1 covers 102km and extends from KIA Turn-off to Kasungu while Lot 2, an 85.5 km stretch, is from Kasungu to Jenda in Mzimba and the 46.7km-long Lot 3 is from Jenda to Mzimba Turn-off. Lot 4 is from Kacheche to Chiweta.
In November 2019, the Malawi Government and the European Union (EU) signed a financial agreement for 139 million euro as contribution towards the rehabilitation of the M1. Of the amount, 95.5 million euro was a loan from European Investment Bank and 43.1 million euro was a grant from the EU.
