Chilima takes reforms to North Malawi: Calls for Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel immediate renovation
Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima has described the state in which a state-run Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel is as very poor, not befitting a hotel in the 21 century.
He has since ordered that renovation should be done one facility as a matter of urgency.
Chilima made the directive in Mzuzu on Tuesday at the start of his discussions with parastatal organisations in his capacity as the Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms.
“Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel facilities are in a poor state and must be renovated with urgency. The conference facilities and rooms leave a lot to be desired. To say the least, the Hotel does not reflect what a hotel ought to be in 2020,” he says on his Facebook page.
“As such, on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, President of the Republic, and on behalf of the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Michael Usi, I have directed that Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel be renovated as soon as possible just like Sunbird has done with some of its hotels,” he added.
Chilima further expressed displeasure with the poor waste management in Mzuzu City.
He suggested that the council should consider launching a Keep Mzuzu City Clean initiative where residents would be involved to save the city from its current state of affairs.
On air transport, Chilima says he is convinced that Mzuzu Airport still has the potential and capacity to handle aircraft that would export produce from the region such as coffee and beef in the short term arrangement.
“But for that to happen, the Council must liaise with the Department of Civil Aviation to construct a fence so that the Airport is no longer a footpath or a grazing area for Cattle and Goats. I am delighted that relevant stakeholders on the issues that I have raised have shown willingness to act as soon as possible,” says the Vice President.
Chilima is in Mzuzu engaging Heads of Parastatals and Local Councils today while tomorrow he will engage northern region Private Sector and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) on Public Sector Reforms which are aimed at improving service delivery for the people of Malawi.
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The issue of waste disposal needs to be taken seriously and it is not only in Mzuzu but also other Cities. The Ntaya at six miles in Lilongwe is in a very bad state just like the one in Blantyre as you go to Chiradzulu. Malawi is very filthy. There is a lot of rubbish going into Lilongwe River from the markets and yet the river goes to Lake Malawi which we call a tourist attraction. This is really disgusting. What is the Department of Environmental Affairs doing? Please fire all the failures at the top. They are not accountable whatsoever. What are the people paying taxes for? For thieves that we have seen since 1994? Where are the street lights? Why do we not have roads in locations? Look at the bus depots. They are still in the same condition that Kamuzu left them. The City Assemblies need to revise the way they collect city rates. Every year the Lilongwe City Assembly goes round residential areas with huge bills for plots that do not even exist or have not been developed. Why can they not start afresh especially in the new areas or development. Take a proper census of the houses and how they should collect city rates. They should collect all the wastes in markets. Additionally, the new government should take to task the Department of Environmental Affairs. There is a lazy culture there including all the civil service. This is because most of the money is stolen by the directors and PSs. They just like driving around and see deforestation taking place. We also have the ministry of labor that does nothing apart from traveling to foreign countries to make money through allowances. The culture of allowances must go. At the same time the promotions to positions like of deputy directors to PSs must be open to the public. The lazy ones get promoted and if this is open to the public these people will start working hard. They are just good at writing speeches and when it comes to walking the talk they fail miserably.
What a shzme to the vice
Why not buijd new hotel. Next time you will hear him telling people to reconstruct chaysmba building. Pangsni zanu tione. Wa pa kariyara akulrphera kuimba bello
There is just need to renovate the existing building and expand the hotel if there is need. If you travel from Karonga to Chitimba you will appreciate how beautiful the lake is yet there is no good hotel there. The lake can attract tourists through water sports. Our leaders are not innovative. They only think of enriching themselves especially the udf and dpp leaders.
Chilima is more pragmatic, rehabilitate what is there. Thyola Mwendo by your name, there is no need to build new infrastructure if the old one can be improved
What a shame that it takes the whole VP to bark out instructions for the City executives to start seriously thinking that not having proper sanitation and refuse collection facilities in the city is an emergency.
What was their plan before the Veep prodded them? They are on same normal pace yet the city is rotting away??? This is an emergency, act like it for Gods sake! A disaster.
This is where we go wrong timafuna atsogoleli atiuze what do instead of ife amene tikuyendesa ma institutions ndi amene tikuyenela kuona tokha what is needed. City Authorities must always know their full mandate, it is not only waste management which is a problem in all Cities..they are just off rail. Many City Roads are in poor state, poor or non existent sewer systems, illegal vending, erratic city rates collections, illegal and archaic buildings..just to mention a few..Kindly enforce policies that run cities…those who cant afford achotsedwe and put in capable people…mpamene tizayembe kuona kusintha
What’s wrong with us Malawians? We blindly worship our leaders to end up with dictators and thieves as our leaders. I don’t hate SKC I don’t even know the guy but what I know is governance and I know that praises like “Kamuzu does no wrong Kamuzu is our leader” created the dictator we saw. Now you want to do the same with SKC. Foolish,
People like you are the ones killing Malawi. You don’t differentiate between good and evil.
And that required a Vice President? What were the minister and PS and everyone doing at that moment? Set policies and let the juniors do the ground work, ask for reports in two to three months. Soon you will just be a busy body and macro managing everything yourself.
Bravo. Thank you most sensible blog I have read today. Indeed the VP of the Republic of Malawi is making pronouncements on the smallest trivial matters. And Ministers like Mr & Mrs Mia and others are copying the VP. The President is left with nothing to do but pose with corrupt Amenyes like the guy from Sunseed, and others. Malawi wa lero.
Clearly the people you mention werent doing their job effectively.
The Veep is there to address Reforms, remember?
Bwana Veep are you not going to construct a new airport in Mzuzu as promised during campaign meetings? You are talking of fencing the old dilapidated airport, have you shelved off your plans to build a modern airport? Will it be another government of promises without implementation?
Is this country is to develop, we need to develop the north. This is where people who is running Malawi come from. Believe me. I am Chewa from Malawi but I admire our Colleagues up north for the zeal for perfection. Without northwrs would ha e been worse than we are now
If Notherners had invested kwambiri kwao all these years sibwenzi kutachedwa kutukuka..I applaud the few ones building modern facilities in Karonga, Mzimba, Rumphi, Nkhatabay and Chitipa…keep it up
A government minister ‘directing’ how private hotels should operate.
What a waste of taxpayer money.
This comment shows that u don’t know sunbird hotels. Gvt is a majority shareholder for Christ sake! Eesh.
That’s exactly the problem.
What on earth is the government doing with shares in a hotel company??
Privatise it!
Along with all the other pointless government shareholdings – Press Corporation, Umodzi Park, etc.
Mkamaliza ma meeting mutiuza
Thanks SKC for the visit to Mzuzu. We need to things changing across the country. We need your eye that can see dirty where others can not see. We need you for long time and please observe COVID-19 preventive measures wherever you go. Kudos.
Zeze mutu sugwiradi, Sunbird tourism limited is a company and the renovation decision has to be taken at board level. Government is just a shareholder as such cannot issue ultimatums to management on when to renovate mzuzu hotel. Yes the hotel is in poor state but procedures have to be followed. The mega marketeer does not know that Shareholder powers are limited according to company law.
A shareholder is the owner. Government owns 71% of Sunbird Hotels. That makes them majority shareholder.
And in your view Chilima is Government?
You totally missed his point!
Mutu umene sugwira ndi wakowo, Masozi. Govt is an influential shareholder in that it issues licences for hotels to operate. If Sunbird Hotels decides to ignore the “ultimatum ” Govt can simply withdraw the licence, period.
As a matter of fact, a shareholder should be concerned about the operations of its investments. Thumps up SKC. If Govt is a shareholder, that means I’m also a shareholder, being a taxpayer.
Iweyo ndiye mbuzi,didn’t you see read on the article that, sunbird is a state run organization? He is a minister of Economic planning and development, alitu busy kukonza ,you have talked of the Board, ngati pali board why is it that the hotel is in a dilapidated state?
And which Companies Act limits the powers of the Shareholders, Owners in layman’s language?
SKC the Vice President thinks so much of himself that he believes that his pronouncements, demands and orders will develop Malawi. Please grow up SKC Mia is campaigning hard to replace you wait and see. For SKC in real life it needs money which Malawi does not have to refurbish or to carry out your dream projects.
You really hate SKC realtime. What is wrong ordering them to renovate the hotel. Because it is in the north? Chonde whether you like him or not he is second in command in this country. Iweyo what’s your status in this country? You can’t even come close to him .
Let Mia campaign as you have said as the guy is not popular in his own area. The recent votes are clear indicators as DPP too more votes from the lower shire. What S K C is doing is not politics but work aimed at improving the country.
What’s wrong with us Malawians? We blindly worship our leaders to end up with dictators and thieves as our leaders. I don’t hate SKC I don’t even know the guy but what I know is governance and I know that praises like “Kamuzu does no wrong Kamuzu is our leader” created the dictator we saw. Now you want to do the same with SKC. SKC is not our saviour that he cannot do wrong. Let’s make the man accountable and expect our leaders to lead not to run around like chickens without a head.
Nothing wrong with Mia campaigning for he is the real,VP