Mzuzu-Nkhata Bay Road construction to start in 2015
Contrary to a promise made by former former Malawi president Joyce Banda-administration to start construction of the Mzuzu -Nkhata Bay Road early 2014; the Roads Authority (RA) says the earliest the project can commence is between April and May 2015.
Government, after securing funding for the road from the African Development Bank in 2013, assured the nation that construction would start early 2014.
However, no construction has started on the road and people affected by the project are yet to be compensated.
When Weekend Nation followed up on the project on Thursday, RA public relations officer Portia Kajanga said projects funded by the bank involve a lot of correspondence and that Malawi has to satisfy several conditions before the project starts.
“Projects of this nature follow procedures and depend on conditions which have to be followed and satisfied. For instance, procurement processes to select a consulting engineering company to review the designs and supervise the works takes a minimum period of up to six months.
“The selected consulting company is also given a minimum period of another six months to review the designs and come up with appropriate recommendations before engaging a contractor,” said Kajanga.
She said the compensation exercise, then budgeted at K226 579 622, is scheduled to begin this month.
The compensation is for 86 people, telecommunication structures, water supply and Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) facilities.
Kajanga said if more people are affected while the project is in progress, they will also be compensated.
Member of Parliament for Nkhata Bay Central Ralph Mhone said the project’s delay has affected plans in the district as council officials are not sure about the exact position of the road.
Mhone also said further delays on the project will affect the value of compensation as prices of commodities keep on rising.
“People are anxious; they want to know when they will be compensated. The prices of commodities keep on rising and by the time they get the compensation, the money will have lost value,” said the legislator.
