Aford invests K8.5m in Chibanja ward

Opposition Alliance for Democracy (Aford) has set aside K8.5 million for construction of four police units, a clinic and a bridge in Mzuzu’s Chibanja ward where by-elections are scheduled for Tuesday.

Aford is fielding Gibson Chisale, an entrepreneur and youth activist.

President of Aford Enock Chihana told Nyasa Times in an interview Friday that “the by-election will prove to the nation that Aford is not dead.”

He added that the by-election was going to be a “litmus test.”

Said Chihana: “That is why we are investing hugely in this by-election. No other party has invested as much as we are doing. It should tell people how serious we are with the election.”

According to Chihana, of the K8.5 million, 3.5 million will go towards construction of the police offices, K4.5 million will go towards the construction of a clinic and about K500 000 will go towards construction of a bridge that connects Chibanja and Chibavi areas.

Chihana said they were simply waiting for the chiefs to give them land where they could mount the structures.

“They [chiefs] have already provided land for one police unit. We’re still liaising with them for the other projects,” he said.

He re-iterated the party’s national youth director Joe Nyirongo’s sentiments that the party was going to “get all” parliamentary seats in the 2019 polls.

“It is this by-election that has disturbed us,” he said. “Otherwise our programme stipulates that by now we are supposed to have visited all the districts in the region as part of our re-building.”

Aford won all the parliamentary seats in the 1994 elections, Malawi’s first democratic election.

The party, founded by trade unionist and political tsar Chakufwa Chihana, has over the years died a natural death,

Enock, son to Chakufwa, has been president of the party since the death of acting president Dindi Gowa Nyasulu.