Stakeholders have said delays to erect toll gates could potentially affect road maintenance revenue generation plans for government.
They said this after the Roads Fund Administration (RFA) indicated that the three planned toll-gates actual works will commence this year or latter, as the Chileka tollgate project has been re-tendered.
Naluva tollgate is expected on Lilongwe Salima Road, Chileka on Lilongwe Nchinji road while Gwayi between Nkhamenya in Kasungu and Jenda in Mzimba districts were funded in the 2022/23 national budget .
Responding to our questionnaire on the status of the projects, RFA spokesperson Masauko Mngwaluko confirmed that the projects are behind schedule.
He said: “We are on course with the construction of Naluva Tollgate, our implementing partner, the Roads Authority has completed the identification of the contractor and consultant who will soon mobilise and start construction works.
“For Chileka Tollgate the project has been re-tendered and we are waiting for ‘No Objection’ from PPDA [Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority]. As for Gwayi, the projects will firstly wait for the rehabilitation of the M1 Road which is already in progress.
Mngwaluko said Naluva and Chileka tollgates will be constructed within the 2024/25 fiscal year as the length of construction works is eight months.
He said: “For Naluva, we expect the project to be completed this financial year. If all goes by the plan that the works at Naluva commences in May or June, then it means that the toll gate can be completed in December 2024 or January 2025.
“We also are very optimistic that Chileka Tollgate will be constructed during this financial year. As for Gwayi we will await the completion of the rehabilitation of the M1 road.”
In an interview, Kasungu Municipal Mayor Hees Nyangu expressed concern with delays in construction of the Gwayi Khamanga Tollgate, saying they expected to see the benefits of the structure by now in terms of revenue collection.
Nyangu said: “We had higher expectations. We thought by now, the funds collected from Gwayi tollgate could have assisted in roads maintenance within Kasungu Municipal.”
In a separate interview, Transporters Association of Malawi spokesperson Frank Banda said construction of toll gates and appropriate utilisation of the generated funds could be critical to improving the conditions of local roads and possibly reduce haulage costs.
“Our only worry is corruption because if the funds collected from the toll gates get into account number one, they could easily be diverted to other areas and not be channeled towards maintenance of a particular road,” he said.
On his part, Minibus Owners Association of Malawi secretary general Coaxley Kamange said there is need to fast track the construction of new toll gates to improve the conditions of the country’s roads, which are in poor state and poses danger to road users.
The planned three tollgate projects were budgeted at K7.2 billion which is likely to shoot up because of the 44 percent devaluation that was effected in November 2023, according to Mngwaluko.
Currently, the country has two operating tollgate plazas: Chingeni in Ntcheu and Kalinyeke in Dedza.
