BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-President Lazarus Chakwera has been challenged on his plans to visit the contested construction and rehabilitation of the Marka- Bangula Railway section next week.
Chakwera is expected to visit the site on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 despite Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on September 3, 2021 put to hold the project amid Mota-Engil’s questionable competency.
This publication understands that President Chakwera will visit the project site alongside his counterpart President Philippe Nyusi of the Republic of Mozambique.
However, ACB is yet to release its findings on how the Ministry of Transport and Public works awarded Mota- Engil a MK48.2 billion Marka- Bangula railway section rehabilitation project amidst questionable competencies.
The development has angered the country’s civil right group Centre For Mindset Change (CMC) describing Chakwera’s plans to visit as an embarrassment to the nation.
CMC Executive Director Philip Kamangirah told The Maravi Post in interview that he is questioning the rationale on the Presidential visit in Marka.
“It is a serious a normally for the President to visit the project site when there is completely nothing on the ground to show off as compared to our counterpart.
“In this case President Nyusi has something to show off as we speak because the Mozambican government has already completed the project and ready for inauguration,” says Kamangirah.
He appealed, “This is the time ACB needed to have speed up the process of its investigations and release the findings to the people of Malawi so that this project can begin as soon as possible”.
CMC challenged Mota Engil’s performance record including corrupting our democracy through political party funding.
The grouping observes that Mota Engil has questionable competence following complaints that the company did not complete some of the projects it was awards previously.
Chakwera has developed an appetite for petty trips despite general public questioning such tours benefits that only waste taxpayers money.