MZUZU-(MaraviPost)-Karonga-Chiweta road has become impassable with deep potholes which are death traps.
As it stands, its taking about seven hours to reach Karonga from Mzuzu.
This has prompted Paramount Chief Kyungu to express his sadness over the road’s fatal status to motorists.
The Chief has therefore appealed to the government to immediately rehabilitate the Karonga–Chiweta Road, describing the dilapidated stretch as a “socio-economic lifeline” whose decay is costing lives and livelihoods in the northern region.
In a statement, the traditional leader said farmers are losing crops because trucks cannot reach markets during the rainy season, with maize rotting and tomatoes spoiling while transport costs double.
He also alleged that patients are dying on the way to hospital because journeys that should take minutes now take hours.
Chief Kyungu noted that the road links Malawi to Tanzania and Zambia, affecting regional trade and the country at large.
He further highlighted the Mbilima–Chitipa–Karonga Road and the Nthalire–Chitipa–Rumphi Road as equally vital to the country’s economy.
“We cannot build Vision 2063 on broken roads. Let us fix them now, before another rainy season steals more lives and more livelihoods,” Chief Kyungu said
The Chief has therefore urged Members of Parliament (MP) from Karonga, Chitipa, and beyond to raise the matter in Parliament and push for immediate government action.
