By Chisomo Sezi
Mzimba- After nine years of empty promises, Community leaders at Hezekiah Mwanza Village in Mzimba, have ganged up demanding justice over delays to complete Matipula bridge despite other official records, inaccurately, show the project is complete.
Thousands of people from the village and surrounding areas cross the river to access school, healthcare services and market but it becomes very hard during rainy season.
Nine years down; still no bridge at Matipula river
The project, reportedly, was supposed to be completed in three months after its start date in November 2015, but nine years down the line there is nothing taking place.
A former Village Development Committee (VDC) chair, Wisdom John Mwanza, raised the concern on Wednesday afternoon during a training session organized by Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) through the Strengthening Local Accountability in Malawi (SLAM).
The training sessions are aimed at addressing the community's concerns in various areas and providing tools for effective oversight.
“I call on government and M'mbelwa District Council to address the issue urgently. The people face severe hardship especially during rainy season. Children cannot go to school, the sick cannot make it to go to the hospital and even accessing the market becomes a problem,” said Mwanza.
CSAT's Head of Programs and Policy, Albert Lulaka, highlighted the importance of social accountability.
He noted that the training sessions, which have been conducted several times, are designed to help Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) gather evidence, track project progress, and hold those responsible accountable.
We need Justice for the project-Mwanza
Chairperson of the Civil Society Organization in Mzimba, Christopher Melele, stressed the need for rigorous monitoring to ensure proper use of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocations, which have risen from 100 to K200 million.
He pointed out that many CSOs lack the capacity to effectively demand accountability, making it crucial to enhance their oversight capabilities to ensure that public funds are used appropriately, and projects are implemented as promised.
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