Mulanje, August 21, 2015: District Commissioner for Mulanje Fred Movete has called on traditional leaders in the district to assist in ending early marriages which he said were on the increase.
He made the remarks on Friday at Namphungo Primary school Ground when he presided over the installation of Matias Juma as Traditional Authority Juma the fifth.
Movete said traditional leaders as custodians of culture have a crucial role to play in assisting communities in ending early marriages so as to allow more girls to remain in school and become useful citizens of the country.
He expressed worry over reports in the district which indicate that 6,000 girls in Traditional Authorities Nkanda and Juma were in early marriages.
“Chiefs as pillars in the preservation of culture we believe can assist in ending early marriages that are becoming rampant in most communities, Movete said.
Delivering a message of good will from the State President Professor Peter Mutharika the DC said the President had commended the royal family of the Juma for conducting a smooth succession as there were no chieftaincy wrangles hence it has not taken much time to install the new chief.
He also said the president had asked the new chief to exercise fairness when settling disputes and desist from corrupt practices as government has lined up several programmes requiring chiefs to take active roles in the implementation.
In her speech, Senior Chief Nkanda pledged to work closely with the newly installed chief so as to allow more development projects take shape in the area.
Among other traditional leaders that graced the occasion was Senior Chief Mpama of Chiradzulu.
