K587bn road bill: Two firms set to cash in on Chiweta–Karonga revamp

• Taxpayers to foot bill of nearly K6bn for EVERY kilometre

Two construction firms are in line to share a whopping K587.1 billion to fix a 105km stretch of road in northern Malawi.

The Roads Authority (RA) has picked Unik Construction Engineering Ltd to rehabilitate the 53km Chiweta–Wovwe Bridge section in Rumphi and Karonga districts, in a deal worth K326.1 billion.

Chinese giant China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation is tipped to bag the 52km Wovwe Bridge–Karonga stretch in Karonga District, for K261 billion.

COST PER KILOMETRE

Lot 1 (Unik): K6.15 billion per km

Lot 2 (China Civil): K5.02 billion per km

Average: K5.59 billion per km

That means Lot 1 is costing roughly K1.1 billion MORE for every kilometre than Lot 2.

The contracts were revealed in a Notification of Intention to Award, issued under Section 70(1) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act of 2025.

Losing bidders now have until midnight on 22 October to demand a debriefing on why they missed out. They can also lodge a formal complaint against the decision.

The deals are not yet signed off and could still change once the standstill period ends.

Chiweta-Karonga section lies along the M1 stretching from Songwe Border down to Nsanje.