By Linda Kwanjana
Chakwera delivers, declares a commanding billboard somewhere in Lilongwe, commemorating the construction of Mzimba Street Dual Carriageway in the Capital City.
That proclamation, in meaning and reality, must surely stretch beyond the shoulders of these intertwined roads as President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration continues to deliver standout developments.
Its much and more.
The Lilongwe to Karonga M1 Road construction and rehabilitation, a multi-billion Kwacha investment, is in full progress and new health facilities such as the K30 billion Phalombe District Hospital are thoroughly operational.
Projects that supply the cleanest of waters are in full swing. Nkhata Bay Town Water Supply System and Mangochi Potable Water Supply were commissioned as recently as last month.
Quickly out of the development gates, is the new round of the 10 000 security officers’ houses as the Ministry of Lands has issued an intention to award contracts to 74 firms to construct the houses across the country at a budget that stretches beyond K200 billion.
This round will, most assuredly, take the total number of constructed units to nearly 5,000an enormous feat, considering that the past government left without literally completing any.
The intention was published in The Nation newspaper. In it, the Government has disclosed that it has secured approval from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority to award the contracts.
The Ministry of Lands wishes to inform the general public and all bidders who participated in the tender for the construction of Staff Houses for Security Institutions that it has finalised the evaluation process and obtained No Objection from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, it reads in part.
And that, effectively, is that. The Job is being done.
The beneficiaries are officers of the Malawi Defence Force, the Malawi Police Service, the Malawi Prison Service, and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Their shelter experiences are inexcusably painful. A majority live in old, tiny and dilapidated houses, some of which were constructed in the 1950s.
My house leaks heavily. Sleeping peacefully is, on such nights, an impossible mission, laments one officer.
But Chakweras administration is powerfully tilting the winds into the direction that accords security officers the respect they deserve.
Security agencies remain a key component in safeguarding the constitutional attributes of our sovereignty as a country, the president said when launching 15 houses of Malamia Police Mobile Service Camp in Mangochi last year.
As such, the welfare of officers serving in these agencies must be proportionate with their nature of work.
More than anything, there are more benefits attached to the housing project job creation, the heartbeat of the Chakwera’ s campaign promise in the build-up to the court-sanctioned 2020 Fresh Presidential Elections.
I am in Karonga launching a programme to construct 10,000 houses for security officers nationwide, which will also create tens of thousands of jobs for youth as promised, said the President in 2020.
Security analyst Sheriff Kaisi has hailed the project as a game changer in the motivation of security officers.
He said: We really needed this project a long time ago. Go to Limbe Police Station and B Company in Lilongwe and see how poor the security personnel houses.
They were constructed before we attained our independence in the 1960s.
They are very small houses that havent been rehabilitated for years. Its the same scenario with Moyale and Kamuzu Barracks.
From the 10 000 houses, Malawi Defence Force and Malawi Police Service will have 4 000 each while the Prison Service and Immigration will have 1 000 each.
There are two categories of houses. Senior staff houses will have three bedrooms, including a master bedroom ensuite and a carport while those for junior staff will also have three bedrooms, but with common washrooms.
The developments are being implemented when the country is still reeling from the impact of devastating cyclones, storms and flash floods of the past years.
Yet, Chakweras administration has proved to be much stronger.
