Tag Archives: Monkey-Bay

Development

MCP’s Kazembe for portable water; drills four boreholes in Monkey-Bay hinterlands

Maravi Post Reporter

Written by Innocencia Chikuse

Kazembe with his contractor doing final touches on the borehole at Katikati Village

Despite being a lakeshore area, most areas in Monkey-Bay lack safe and clean water. It is saddening to watch Times Television documentaries highlighting the plight of people of Mangochi Monkey-Bay as far as this problem is concerned.

Responding to the upsetting situation, one of the sons of Monkey-Bay, Gerald Kazembe, over the past two weeks has drilled four boreholes which are all operational in Chipansi village at Nakundu school in Monkey-bay, Kalumba II Village in Monkey-bay and the remote villages of Katikati and Namikoko.

“I believe that access to clean and safe water is a right and not a privilege and it was therefore paining me to see that my people, especially in Katikati and Namikoko drinking from dirty and dangerous swamps while sharing with animals such as Monkeys and Snakes,” he said saying I was morally obligated to help.

Asked to disclose how much it costs to drill one borehole, Kazembe, who has drilled a good number of boreholes in the area said the question of cost is neither here nor there.

“Granted, it’s expensive but that is off the point. What matters most is to take such a problem seriously and provide the much-needed potable water to our people,” he said.

He urged people of goodwill, to help those in need of clean water wherever they are.

“We should not wait for Non-Governmental Organizations to help our people. If we have resources, let’s step in and drill boreholes deep in the hinterlands where there is great need for such interventions,” he said.

The United Nations, in 2015, outlined what they dubbed, Sustainable Development Goals, where access to clean water and sanitation is one of the goals which member states must strive to achieve by 2030.

It’s posited that clean water protects people from disease, yet three in 10 people lack access to it and therefore, such efforts as that of Kazembe would go a long way in contributing to achieving this goal.

“How if many private individuals emulate the aggressive example of Kazembe in providing potable water to their own communities, we would achieve this goal even before 2025,” said John Mwale, a Monkey-Bay resident.

Kazembe is a member of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) which is in alliance with UTM and other seven political parties including People’s Party (PP) of the former president Joyce Banda.

Girl off home with potable water

Malawi

Kazembe escorts Mangochi top Chiefs in paying courtesy call to Malawi Pres. Chakwera

Maravi Post Reporter
Gerald Kazembe (Far Left) with his top Mangochi Chiefs posing with Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera at Kamuzu Palace

The face of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) in the eastern region, Gerald Kazembe, whose party is headed by Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera, escorted all Senior Chiefs and Traditional Authorities from Mangochi to pay a courtesy call to the new Malawi leader yesterday.

A picture circulating on the social media is showing Kazembe and the top Mangochi Chiefs with the President at Kamuzu Palace. Kazembe confirmed of the meeting when quizzed to authenticate the picture.

“As State House Director of Communication Sean Kampondeni hinted during their newly introduced Weekly State House Presser, the top Chiefs from Mangochi indeed had an audience with the President and of course I escorted them as their son,” he said.

Pressed to divulge on what his Chiefs discussed with the President, Kazembe declined to disclose.

“The meeting was held in camera and therefore it would be remiss of me to disclose to the media as to what transpired. I suggest you get in touch with State House press officer Brian Banda for such information,” he said.

Pressed further as to why he was being economical with information, Kazembe said he was simply following protocol.

 “We went there as state house guests, ask our host, I think thus what protocol demands. However, a big platform like that, it’s obvious that my top chiefs would make a development case for our district, stuff us, their sons, have been preaching [during campaign] requesting our President to do for us people of Mangochi.”

“Stuff like the need for an International Airport, Five Star Resort at Cape Maclear, tarmacked road networks around our beloved district, robust security presence in our border posts, improving mining and agriculture sector and declaring our district into a municipality with the ultimate aim of turning it into a city, stuff like that,” he said.

Kazembe therefore touted President Chakwera as the one the people of Mangochi have been waiting for to unleash the full economic potential of the lake-shore district.

“President Chakwera means business. Mangochi will no longer remain the same. You will agree with me after 5 years what this President will do not only for us in Mangochi but the entire country. Change is finally here and Malawi will now begin to make meaningful progress in our quest to become a middle income country,” claimed Kazembe.

Kazembe, whose election petition is still in court pending trial [due to covid19 situation], is challenging the victory of Ralph Juma alleging that there was a plethora of irregularities which marred the parliamentary election in Mangochi Monkey-Bay Constituency where his rival, Juma, narrowly escaped defeat with 200 vote difference.  So far, two parliamentary seats in Mangochi were declared vacant following the court’s nullification of results on account of irregularities. In Phalombe, one constituency seat was also nullified. In Chaikwawa east, Nsanje North and Nsanje Central, MCP candidates also challenged those results, their cases were heard in court and now the country is simply waiting with bated breath as to what the position of the court will be.