DPP’s Nankhumwa engages persons with albinism on solutions to end attacks: They seek protection, economic empowerment
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice president for Southern Region Kondwani Nankhumwa has assured people living with albinism that President Arthur Peter Mutharika is doing everything he can to ensure that the continuing spate of attacks on these people are stopped permanently.
He was speaking in Luchenza on Friday, February 22 2019 when he met a group of 40 adults and children with albinism from Thyolo, Chiradzulu and around Blantyre. They were led by Francis Masambuka, Chair for Association of Persons Living with Albinism (APAM) Blantyre Chapter.
“As a political leader who is concerned by the attacks on people with albinism, I felt it was imperative to invite you so that together we attempt to find a lasting solution to this unfortunate scenario.
“We cannot solve this vice by merely talking about it in the media, especially on social media and playing a blame game but rather we must engage you, the victims, in some form of organized dialogue.
“While government, through its law enforcement agents and the judiciary, is seriously implementing measures to stop these barbaric acts, we can only achieve a lasting solution by talking to you directly and hear your views on this matter,” he told the gathering.
In his presentation on behalf of the group, Masambuka emphasized that poverty is the main reason for their tragic situation. He said many families that have a child or children with albinism are poor and some ill-minded people coerce them to sacrifice their own children in exchange for money.
“In most cases, they don’t even get the promised money. So, the main reason that we are facing this ‘persecution’ is that we are poor and desperately looking for survival. We come kneeling down before the President (Professor Mutharika), through you Honourable Minister, that he considers devising special policies that would help empower people living with albinism and their families.“We are not asking for handouts but special economic empowerment programmes that could help us become self-reliant,” he said.
Masambuka noted that most people with albinism have special skills but they are wasted because they suffer from serious exclusion and stigmatization.
He said most people with albinism do not benefit from government programmes such as the fertilizer subsidy programme and that while many of them lack proper shelter, there are very few of them that have benefitted from the Cement and Malata subsidy where government builds decent houses for the underprivileged across the country.
“We are also denied of basic rights such as the right to education and health due to our skin. We are excluded from certain community activities such as work-for-cash. We are suffering,” said Masambuka.
There is special ‘sunscreen’ lotion that people with albinism have to apply on their skin to prevent skin cancer. Masambuka said this lotion is only found at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
“As I said earlier, most of us are poor and it becomes extremely difficult for those who stay miles away from Blantyre to access this lotion. Our plea is that this lotion must also be made available in rural health facilities for easy access,” he said.
One female member in the group requested President Mutharika to consider enrolling people with albinism in community technical colleges where they would acquire special technical skills and later set up their own businesses.
In response, Nankhumwa said most of the challenges that they highlighted would seriously be looked into.
“I am glad I have heard it from the horse’s mouth; I will be reporting to the President all your fears, concerns, aspirations and challenges. He is a listening President and I can assure that within a matter of few weeks, you will experience positive changes in your life,” he said.
He urged them to be organized and speak with one coordinated voice so no one is left behind.
Nankhumwa, who is also Local Government and Rural Development Minister, told Nyasa Times after the meeting that people living with albinism in Malawi are “not too many” and that with right policies and approach in place, government and other stakeholders would be able to meet their needs thereby ending “the tragedy of albino abductions and killings”.
Fueled by a belief that albino body parts brought wealth, attacks on albinos have increased in recent times.
People with albinism are hunted so their body parts, particularly their hands and genitals, can be used in traditional medicine.
Albinism is a word derived from the Latin albus, meaning white. It’s a genetically inherited condition where a shortage of melanin pigment affects the eyes, hair and skin.
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Nakhumwa well done. We need to find out the causative factor because most issues involve relatives or parents. One of it can be denial,. Hon Minister, you have heard their problems and the way forward to help them. No one in the opposition has done it well as you have, except politicising it. Maturity is shown in the way you have handled this issue. Well done. So much impressed and the enemy is raging with anger because you have came with the problem tree and then find solutions.
Mwatangidwatu a pumbwa! !!!!! too late!!!!!
foolish, you are fond of imitating chilima . where were you. i know you just want votes that is why you are coming up this time. kagwere uko ndi gogo wanuyo
Zoti abale athu amenewa pochoka apatsidwa MK50 000 aliyense, ndi zoona?
Chifukwa zandiophyano kwambiri
Now Nankhumwa let your boss learn something from what you said that the people with albinism are just a handful such that a govt cannot struggle to deal with their issue. This has always been my thought line as well. Why muthalika and his govt is struggling on this is a shame that nobody understands and is likely to cost DPP some votes. U
Stop accusing Mutharika on everything. What is wrong with you people? Mutharika akugwira ntchito ndi anthu angati Nankhumwa. Mukaona Nankhumwa Mwaona Mutharika administration, Kodi mukufuna iye adzingopezeka paliponse personally ngati kapena palibe anthu omutumikila?
@ Jj
With people like you this country is doomed. Malawians can’t afford any longer to have such an incompetent personas president. Take it or leave mutharika is simply a waste of time. So clueless and inept. Write again
Mukumva pain man ndipo simunati. Muliranso ndikudana naye kwa zaka zina ten. Mkwiyo wako pa Mutharika sizikutanthauza kuti wina aliyense mmalawi muno akumuda. Tsono osataya nthawi nkumadana ndimunthu oti sungamuyandikile, rather panga zinthu zooti zitukule banja lako. Ukagwira ntchito molimbika ada moyo wako ozaumva kukoma, ndipo zooti anthu akuti chiyani za president wa nthawi imweneyo, iwe sudzakhala nazo ntchito. Mdziko mmakhala mtsogoleri mmodzi baasi. clueless or no clueless koma ndi amene akulamula pano ndipo dzitukuko anthu omwe asankha kuzionawo, akuziona ndipo akumukonda mpaka azamuvoteranso.
Hmmmm this is interesting! When MCP or UTM engages with people with Albinism i only see three or for people which i call them usual suspects, by that i mean they are on opposition and they talk shit that makes me to no longer feel sorry for them. One of them his name is Kondowe, i’m not surprised though, he is a tumbuka, not many tumbukas are saying anything good about our government, so let me say they are politically fucked. Look at the people with albinism that were engaged by Nankhumwa? Many of them and humbly pleading to the… Read more »
Do not isolate and attack Kondowe personally. He speaks for all of them in his capacity as elected President of APAM. It’s action he calls for which government is not implementing. Let’s not applause lip service as Nakhumwa is doing as all Malawian politicians do. You are among the idiots ruining our country!
Atumbuka ndi anthu odzimva paliponse. Amati ati eti ndiophunzirz kwabiri. We suffer in Silence in the offices and Public at Large, yet akudzaza kumanda mwathumu.
Kufika ngati pa chitawira mupezapo a komwenda, mkandawire, a Khonje, or sorts of foolish names.
Mpaka yesu adzabwere no president from the North. Mwauponda . You will be used like 4 ply condomes basi.
You must be insane,it shows that school is lacking in your head
kkkkkkk mau munthu wankulu. Ona akuvuta eee ife ife koma voti yomwe ichokere ku mpoto konse ngakhale one million siikukwana koma nkumatumbwa chonchi.
@ Pathfinder
Only bigots will applaud this primitive and archaic thinking. This speaks volumes of the kind of person Pathfinder you are. Mukhalira omweyo yopha albinos a DPP
canada Mutharika sakupha albino, open your eyes, opposition ndiimene ikupha ma albino kuti awononge chithunzithunzi cha boma pofuna kupezelapo mavoti. Koma muuponda otsutsa inu.
Chokani inu anthu osankhana mitundu. Koma alomwe ndiye anthuuu? Tonse ndife a Malawi komanso ana a Mulungu.
@ JJ
Point of collection mnyamata wa DPP JJ chipani chimene chikupha abale Athu with albinism. Overstone comes from Nkhota-Kota. Pretending kuti ndinu ozindikira muli phada eni eni ngati mutharika amene. Mwayaluka basi ndi ufiti wanu opha abale Athu albinos.
Awanso inu. Ndinu opsyetsa mtima bwanji
Your biggest problem is that you are a numbskull, and therefore you cannot think logically. The question is where has been Nankhumwa and his fellow DPP gurus all this time. The killing of people with albinism did not start yesterday or this year. In Tanzania just like other neighbouring countries it’s almost nonexistent. Why? Our colleagues have serious people in government, not like Nankhumwa with empty rhetoric.
iiiiiii ada koma mmawerenga nklhani za mmayiko wena kapena mwangofuna muoneke ngati ochenjera apa kuti mmadziwa za mmayiko ena. Just a week and half ago, anthu atatu a chi albino aphedwa ku Tanzania, ungandiuze chiyani iwe. Kungoti panopa nkhani ya kuphedwa kwa ma albino ili hot kwathukuno malinga ndi chisankho chiri pafupichi. Opposition yapezelapo mpamba wao. Usayiwale nthawi ya ma by-election, nkhani inakli nkamwa nkamwa inali ya opopa magazi only mmadera momwe mumachitika chisankhomo. That is why ndikunena kuti, opposition ikudziwapo kanthu, ndipo akudziwa kuti panopa sangamangidwe pa mulandu wina uli wonse chifukwa inu nomwe muzachita phokoso pano kuti its… Read more »
Failed attempts. Dpp has lost all the votes from a ll the region s because they have failed and deemed part to the killings
Too late mr namkhumwa
Nonsense political posturing…PR stunt. #DPP MUST FALL!!
what is your boss Mr Polofesa doing?