Commissioner of Lands offices stinking over unpaid water bills, workers down tools
There is a heavy smell in and around the regional commissioner of lands offices in the capital Lilongwe that has arisen due to lack of water for use for toilets and urinals over a whooping K1.7 million outstanding balance government, through the Ministry of Lands, is yet to square with utility body, the Lilongwe Water Board.
A visit to the office building by Nyasa Times on Tuesday, which houses over 180 employees for two different government departments – the Commissioner of Lands and the Regional Treasury Cashier –, found most employees outside and unwilling to enter their working premises because of the bad smell.
Ironically, the Treasury Cashier’s Office is under the department of the accountant general that works closely under the Ministry of Finance, Development and Economic Planning which is responsible for seeing to it that government institutions are well financed.
The employees, Nyasa Times also learnt, are heaping pressure on public toilets a stone’s throw away at Game Complex, managed by private firm Magic Clean.
Those that can afford, especially those that own vehicles, have to drive – sometimes – up to five to ten kilometers away to their homes to relieve themselves.
One of the officers, working with the department of the accountant general, said on condition of anonymity that the problem has persisted since government offices got back to work in the first week of January.
“Government has been casting a blind eye on the outstanding balances and they have piled up with time. The issue out of control now,” said the employee.
He said some toilets were literally flushed in 2016, and expressed concern that what was happening could raise health concerns.
According to him, because of the myriad issues they are getting with the new Land Bill the number of toilet users has increased making the state of everything at the complex sorrier.
Ministry of Lands public relations officer (PRO), Charles Vintulla, could not be led to comment on the matter when contacted with Nyasa Times saying “it was after working hours” before requesting for a questionnaire.
But another officer at the same office complex said “word around the premises has been that government has failed to honor the bills” for really no apparent reasons.
Meanwhile, the officers on Tuesday downed to tools saying they will only return to work only when the issue has been dealt with.
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Koma Mtumbuka uyu Kwame Ngwira wapanira maplot….akungopereka kwa Nyirenda, Munthali, Mwenifumbo, Gondwe, Msowoya, Msiska etc. Zoona zimenezo
Ku Lands ntchito ndi kuba basi. Pano ndiye a ku Lands anyanya zogulitsa idle plots zoti eni eke ali kutali. People buying plots please watch out. Most plots looking vacant have owners. Vuto ndiloti mabwana ndi amene akutsogolera zaumbavazi. ACB afufuzeni a china Ngwira, a Lands Commissioner ndi gulu lawo, akuba too much, kugawa malo mwachinyengo too much.
mma ofesi ambili mulibe proper facitities za toilet. zitsulo zina anakonyola konyola iwe ukalowa ngati mlendo mose wayamba kuzungulilila kusowa poponda pogwejemulila, nanji tissue forget it ena apititsa kunyumba. iwe kudabwa kuti abwana amatani mmimba mukafunda? nanji klina amakayangala kutiko?????????????? nde bola kukumba zimbudzitu.
umaonabe kuti a mw fe nde tilibe ukhondo. bwanji pa ma airport pathu, eish nyasi zakezo, unimmaginable. anyway pa cileka after 51 yrs amanga lounge yanyowani zimbuzi zake za ma see through glass mochingilamu,nde bola munakaitana ma chinese atimangile zooneka ngakhale zimakhala zosakhwima kwenikweni nchito za manj ao.kkkkkkkkk
pa mw panotu ndi mmene zimakhalila. mma ofesimu muli taasikana, taanyamata tamake dzana tima top bosses ta Form 2. ana aoo thooo. ana azicemwali ankolo niephews agogo ao kuwaika pa gate. koma ena akati afuse ncito ma paper ali nao amauzidwa kuti ma paper ao ngosakwanila yet azibale ao alibe ndi ya 8 yomwe
mmmm following
what happens to the funding you get this is poor management of resources
Koma Lands in poorly manages its clients and even itself. Shame on you. Muleke providing false hope and dehumanizing staff
Koma chi boma cha DPP chilibe ma priorities. mxiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
GO TO STATE HOUSE !!!!
These are the results of handpicking managers for some of the important Government Departments. They do not know how to prioritize expenditure (of lean funding). This big office is managed by a PO grade officer while some senior officers are around for the very same reason of manipulating him in all land related issues including allocation of plots. The Regional Office is run by remote control from their head office at Zowe House. No wonder corruption will not stop at this office. Big fishes at Zowe use this Regional Commissioner of Lands (PO) as a figure head to transact their… Read more »
Mawu, @Makonyola, there is too much politics in this office. The Regional Head is just a figure head, the Pon behind the whole game of land/plot allocation. No wonder the guys are filthy rich and amassed themselves and their realtives with lots of plots. Its time this office gets a reshuffle.