Mangochi community accuse council of abusing LDF for school projects
Communities from M’baluku Ntagaluka in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Chowe in Mangochi are accusing officials of Mangochi Town Council of abusing a Local Development Fund money meant for the construction of a classroom block and toilets at St. Augustine 2 Primary School in the area, saying this has culminated in failure to finish the project.
The communities comprising of chiefs, school management committees and teachers, suspect the council officials swindled the money hence rendering the project to stay in limbo more than 14 months since its commencement as opposed to its initial period of 3 months.
They also faulted the council for lacking transparency and accountability on management of the fund (LDF), saying the council undermined LDF guidelines and procedures of not involving the school management committee in the procuring, managing of project materials and the identification of artisans.
The communities’ anger comes after the council failed to fulfill their promise of finishing the project by 30 March this year as agreed in the previous meeting convened by the National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE)Trust early this year which ended up by the council been given an ‘ultimatum of 40 days.’
“Why is it that the classroom block is failing to be completed? We smell a rat here. May be the council misappropriated the funds and it is failing to finish the project,” said Chairman of the school management committee, Billy Salimu.
He added: “We suggest that the council be audited before resumption of the project. This structure does not match with MK 21 million endorsed on this project. I suspect they have stolen a lot of money here.”
Salimu further bemoaned the quality of the structure, saying it’s sub-standard owing it to the council’s poor identification of skilled artisans for the mere reason of reaping them.
But Director of Public Works for the council, Dustan Mphonde, quashed the allegations, in an interview, saying the people have scanty information pertaining to the project.
He said, for example, the total amount of the project was MK15.5 million and the money was prudently spent.
While admitting the delays, he pointed out that the building will be completed two weeks in time and everything will go smoothly as planned.
“Let me swallow my pride that the project has indeed stalled but be assured of its completeness in the next two weeks. It’s just that the builder which we hired to construct the building ran away to Mozambique after borrowing huge sums of money from people in the community and we had to find the other one,” said Mphonde.
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Mijomba simakhala yozindikira koma pachigololo basi.akuyeletsani mmaso anzanu asizina ntole.munatochenjera chani inu
maganizo anu anthu inu alipati ? Mukhaia mukupanga zimenezi mpaka liti ?? Tikakugwirani mudzoti amwamata akwa m’baluku ndiovuta mumati tizikhala dyooooo mukupanga zoputsa zanuzo tionetsana mufune kopangira zimenezo
Govt please do something at Mangochi district council. Millions of money r being syphoned at the expense of tax payers. Is this building wealthy 15million? Ngati pali council yomwe pakuchitika nyasi ndikuononga chuma cha boma then Mangochi number one!!
That’s not on to say the project stalled coz the builder run away to Mozambique. You people at Mangochi District Council have been taking the district as your money making area in regarding the people of Mangochi as ignorant when it comes financial management and recording so to say. Enough is enough now. Mphonde and your team of Mrs Mbale you will soon be tasked for all the financial mismanagement which you are the architects very soon. You sold the plots at old airport but failed to elaborate how those millions were used for the development of our Town. Tiwonesana… Read more »
Take them to task.Anthu akutafuna kwabasi ma LDF funds while leaving behind low quality jobs.
How could you give money to the builders before completing the project and ran away to Mozambique?The committee member is also not convinced with the outcome of the whole project.The building do not befit the allocated amount of money.Patengedwapo money ndi chizolowezi chanu chosolola amalawi,Well done Salimu for not tolerating some poor structures for your kids.Kukonda kuzolowera kumanga zi ma building zonyasa amalawi.Ndichifukwa Zuma Amakhalira kukugemulani.Ife mijomba ndife otseguka kwabasi tayenda Maiko ambiri kwabasi.