Likoma jetty completion delay puts chizumulu Island project in doubt

By Shamuda Drake

The future to construct a jetty on Chizumulu Island hangs in balance following government's delay to complete a similar project in Likoma.

Construction of Likoma jetty still underway Pic Shamuda Drake

The K10 billion construction of the State-of-the-art Likoma Jetty project was launched in March 2019 by the then Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jappie Mtuba Mhango under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regime.

During the time, Mhango had assured the Islanders that the project was a major infrastructure development on Lake Malawi and vital for economic growth as well as an improvement in connectivity within Malawi.

The Minister’s remarks brought hope among the people who for time in memorial, have never had a jetty in the history of marine transportation.

The struggles faced by the people to access the ship, load and offload goods using small boats remains a cause to worry and pose a threat to many lives, crossing over deep waters.

However, the blame game has resurfaced with the contractor attributing the delay of the implementation of the project due to funding issues by the government.

Initially, the project was supposed to be completed within 36 months but is heading to clock 72 months by March 2026. The contractor had downed their tools for about eight months, citing funding delays, as the government claims that the project remains with only 10% to completion.

Current status works at Likoma jetty Pic Shamuda Drake

Confirming through Parliament during question time in November 2025, current Minister of Transport and Public Works Dr Feston Kaupa said government need to raise about 4 billion Kwacha as part payment to the contractor but have only managed to pay them contractor 1.8 billion kwacha.

The Transport Minister said this in response to a question raised by the Island’s Member of Parliament, Charles Chilambula who asked the government to come out clear with terms of honesty, transparency and accountability while expressing his dissatisfaction on the prolonged delays of the project.

Chilambula fears that if the Island people continue using small boats when embarking and disembarking the ship, and during loading and offloading cargo, saying there could be a repetition of an April 2025 incident that claimed about 11 people who drowned for using small boats on their way to board the ship.

He said once constructed, “the jetty facility will not only benefit the Islanders but also the people from outside the island who go to conduct their businesses as well as for tourism thereby adding more value to the country's economy."

Since Likoma district constitute of two islands: Likoma and Chizumulu, there are fears that the delay in funding for Likoma Jetty, the similar project in Chizumulu Island may hang in limbo.

Some stakeholders have looked at a broader perspective that the availability of the Motor Engil contractor at Likoma should serve as an advantage for the government, and use the contractor for yet another construction of another jetty at Chizumulu island.

However, if government declare the commencement of the jetty at Chizumulu island today, stakeholders must work with speed to address the outstanding disagreement on the project site, where residents are pushing their excuses on sanitation and geographical challenges on the proposed site.

Other quarters feel the delay in completion of the Jetty Project may be a natural effect to give time to Chizumulu islanders to iron out other outstanding issues.

Meanwhile, experts have agreed to say bringing a contractor like Motor Engil to the island, and implementing a single project is too costly compared to assigning them with multiple others.

In such a scenario, the Likoma Constituency Parliamentarian, possesses a huge task to handle so that the implementation of development projects on the Island falls on the equilibrium.