Encroachers invade Mombera University site

Encroachers have invaded Mombera University site in Mzimba as the land lies abandoned, desolate and rejected two years after President Peter Mutharika laid a foundation stone at the animal husbandry high institution.

The government provided for K200 million in this year’s budget for initial foundations which included water and electricity connections at the site but it seems nothing has been done so far.

Mbelwa district assembly commissioner Timothy Chirwa wondered why people were invading the land when everybody was paid compensation.

He was optimistic that the project, the construction of the university, the second in the north would take off soon.

“The government will evict those who are encroaching the land. Everybody was compensated for the land and the government spent K35 million in compensation for the land,” said the district commissioner.

Ministry of Education publicist Manfred Ndovie declined to comment as to when the construction of the university would start, asking for more time to gather information from relevant authorities.

The university is the brain child of former president, late Bingu wa Mutharika who lined up a number of universities for construction in order to stop scramble for spaces at the University of Malawi and Mzuzu University, the only two public universities in a population of 17 million people leading to the infamous quota system.

Out of the five dream universities, only two are open which are Malawi University of Science and Technology and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.