Former Minister of Lands Kezzie Msukwa who is also Member of Parliament for Chitipa East has hailed Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera for the powerful State of nation address (SONA) which he delivered in the national assembly few days ago.
Msukwa says the Sona has inspired hope towards rebuilding and aspirations of the Malawi Nation.
Kezzie Msukwa
In an exclusive interview Msukwa said the President has managed to inspire hope to the doubting Thomases. The former Minister commended the president for the development currently taking place in his constituency, Chitipa East.
He said under the leadership of President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera his constituency has never been the same. Msukwa cited construction of clinics , school blocks , bridges, in his constituency.
He also thanked the president for tripling the Constituency Development fund (CDF) saying Malawi has registered enormous developments using this locally generated money.
Super League of Malawi(SULOM) has organized a fundraising dinner on March 1,2024, to raise money to go towards its operations and supporting teams ahead of the commencement of the 2024 league season.
SULOM Acting President Gilbert Mittawa told journalists in Blantyre on Friday that the dinner will take place at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
Sulom to hold fundraising initiative
“We had a wonderful 2023 season but we want the forthcoming season to be even great and that is why we would like to economically empower the teams as they prepare for the kickoff of the league,” Mittawa said.
On his part,the chairperson of the fundraising committee Twikale Chirwa called on people in the country and in diaspora to support the event.
He said the dinner is priced at MK200,000.00 per individual and that the corporate tables are priced as follows:
Platinum – MK10,000,000.00 Full Branding: Entrance, Mainstage, table branding and merchandise display.
Gold – MK7,000,000.00 Partial Branding: Entrance, merchandise display, 2 roll up banners and Table branding.
Silver – MK5,000,000.00 Partial Branding: Table branding and 2 roll up banners.
In the 2023 season, TNM and SULOM entered into a three-year contract with a total package of K450 million.
President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration says the construction of a K1.631 billion road network at Katoto 2, a place expected to be developed into a commercial area for Mzuzu City Council (MCC), will be completed by the end of February 2024.
Speaking on Friday when he visited the project site, Director of Estates Management and Valuation in the Ministry of Lands, Mickson Chiundira, said the ministry embarked on the project in 2021 to improve accessibility to the area before business operators commence construction of buildings.
Katoto Road
Said Chiundira:“This 2.7-kilometre road network construction project was necessitated by the need for extra space for shops and offices among others and I am glad that construction works are at an advanced stage, as a greater part of it has been completed.”
He added:“Our ministry works on several infrastructure development projects but mostly people relate it with plots’ allocation, which for us is an end product of several infrastructure components, such as street or road construction for improved access to yet to be developed land.”
Commenting on the development, the Civil Engineer for Pamodzi Consulting Limited, Jacob Waluza, said the road network comprises nine access streets of different lengths and the company paid utmost care and attention to all design details by following all the necessary standards to ensure quality work.
“We did this to ensure that we deliver quality and value for money road network, a road which will last long and utilize public taxes money as is required,” said Waluza.
According to Public Relations Officer for MCC, Mcdonald Gondwe, the project will improve the city’s scenery.
“This area is earmarked for a new central business district for the city, hence the need for proper streets for easy connectivity,” said Gondwe.
In its manifesto, President Lazarus Chakwera pledged to improve both road and rail networks so as to facilitate transportation of goods and people within and beyond borders.
In line with the pledge, Chakwera, through his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year told Malawians that his administration’s primary focus is to rehabilitate rail to open up Malawi’s access to corridors that link to markets and the rehabilitation of roads to ease movement of goods and people.
Political activist Bon Elias Kalindo, has allegedly claimed that the MCP led government has put in place money amounting to MK1 billion to journalists and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to write and hold press conferences for the DPP not bouncing back into government.
Kalindo said at Times television, two programmes “Pagwanji” and “Times Talk” have been targeted with risks of being put off air, to be anchored by new faces to replace Brian Banda and to fire all behind these programme’s producers.
Bon Kalindo
He said some CSOs have already started holding press conferences speaking against the opposition particularly, the DPP so that Malawians be made to believe that MCP is good and that they should vote for President Chakwera to bounce back into government in 2025.
Speaking through an audio clip circulating in various social media platforms, Kalindo said Lhomwe belt chiefs have been targeted to spread the good news of the MCP so that no one vote for opposition UDF DPP and AFORD.
Kalindo said chiefs in the Lhomwe belt districts will be shared with money, government to build their houses, some to be given cows so that they form part of enticing voters not to vote for opposition parties main target being the DPP which enjoys massive support in the Lhomwe belt region.
He said 46 brand new vehicles are in Karonga which will be distributed to MCPs District Chairmen with MK5 million cash to be gong round preaching bad against opposition parties particularly the DPP whose leader is believed to have many supporters rallying behind him to bounce back into government in 2025.
“Journalists who writes bad articles against opposition parties are the ones needed to work with the MCP, and will be part of the beneficiaries to benefit from money on the table,” said Kalindo.
He has challenged journalists and CSOs working with the MCP to destroy opposition parties that they will not succeed claiming that Malawians already made their intelligent decisions not to give votes to President Chakwera in 2025.
The activist has assured journalists and CSOs who will be in the forefront campaigning for the MCP because of money that Malawians of today, are well informed people and can make their intelligent decisions on who to vote for and not to be forced to vote for President Chakwera.
Councilor for Maria Ward in Lilongwe City Central Constituency Patrick Makumba, has admitted that registration of names to benefit from free maize distribution currently government is implementing across the country left out deserved beneficiaries in his Ward.
Makumba said chiefs and Block Leaders of the deserved beneficiaries did not write names of them for the reasons best known to themselves a development which has brought in noise that some other people find their way in into being recipients of free food.
Free maize distribution exercise being politicized
He said he was very disappointed at the Kanengo Police Station seeing deserved beneficiaries kneeling down and cry on his feet that that they were not registered and he immediately ordered 19 bags of maize to be shared to them so that they at least go back home smiling.
He said following the development, he convened a meeting with the area’s Civil Protection Committee that what happened during free maize distribution should not happen again with the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) which registration of beneficiaries is underway.
The councilor said his Ward received 3,093 bags of free maize on paper and after trucks were coming to off-load the maize at the Kanengo Police Station, the distribution centre, it was discovered that many beneficiaries did not receive the maize.
He said the angry communities left out of the free maize distribution centre with some shouting on top of their voices and started fabricating lies that he has diverted maize to an unknown destination so that he put it on sale for his benefit.
Makumba said this bad news touched him greatly in his heart and he took with him chiefs and Block Leaders of the area to Lilongwe City Council so that together with the council officials, they should account for the missing 599 bags of maize.
He said the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) and Lilongwe City Council owes an explanation for the missing 599 bags of maize lamenting that his name was damaged alleging him as a thief for stealing free maize bags for the area.
“My name was destroyed, the chiefs and Block Leaders heard it by themselves that the missing bags of maize did not come to the beneficiaries,” said Makumba.
He has assured people of Maria Ward that 599 bags of maize will be coming for the beneficiaries which were left out in the distribution of free maize bags advising them to keep patience that those who did not benefit from free maize will benefit in the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP).
On Corruption and favoritism in the registration of beneficiaries, Makumba said he is not aware that some committee members were pocketing cash he is only hearing from other people saying last year, the news was the same with Covid-19 money via mobile phones.
“I can assure you that I being the overseer of Ward Civil Protection Committee, we did our work to the best of our knowledge and we cannot stop noise from being speculated,” said Makumba.
