Karonga to be hosts for refugees in Malawi: Chief Kyungu,  Minister Chiumia in Uganda on study tour

Chief Kyungu of Karonga and Home Affairs minister Grace Chiumia are in Uganda on a study tour of how that country welcomes and treats refugees.

Paramount Chief Kyungu : Karonga to hosts refugees

This follows the government decision to transfer Dzaleka Refugee Camp to Karonga, a divisive decision that has left some civil society groups in Karonga and Chitipa vowing to block the move.

Some people from Karonga went flat on social media on Sunday, accusing the chief of being a sell out, of allowing the government to open the refugee camp in exchange for foreign trips.

“Kyungu ndi mbuzi, (Chief Kyungu is a he goat),” said Chancy Mtambo from Chitipa harshly.

Most of the people were against the move to open the camp fearing their security would be compromised.

But minister Chiumia however assured the people that the government would provide enough security.

Members of parliament from Karonga and other leaders were on Friday taken on a study tour to Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

The camp hosts refugees from east and central Africa.

But the group reportedly  betrayed their subjects by accepting the relocation of the camp to Katili Karonga without their knowledge.

“We are not the delegates but leaders of the residents and on their behalf we have accepted the camp to be relocated to our district because it will develop the area,” said the group to the Minister Chiumia and UNHCR.

Adding that “we shall just inform them and they will support the idea  because we are their leaders.”

According to some of the delegates, they were afraid that the community will rebuff the decision especially most of them were not trusted people and that the selection was biased.

“Without hiding most of the people who were selected to be the delegates, were only those who supported the relocation of the camp and some were of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party members,” said a source.

Kyungu reportedly removed the name of the district vocal and fearless activist Steven Simsokwe from the list of the delegates at eleventh hour because he knew that their plan of betraying the residents would not be achieved.

Apart from Kyungu, some of the delegates included  Wavisanga Silungwe (DPP senior member) Greenwel Mwamondwe (DPP member), John Bond Kamwambi (DPP MP), Patrick Kishombe councillor and officials from the office of the District Commissioner.

However, the decision has angered some district business community,  CSOs, Karonga-Chitipa heritage group and the community.

Speaking in an interview, Simsokwe said time for the youths to sacrifice their life has come.

He said as the youths, they will not be ruled by the decision of individuals who have sold their souls because of UNHCR allowances.

“If the UNHCR and government want to see our anger they should go ahead with the decision,” warned Simsokwe.

Meanwhile, Karonga-Chitipa heritage and some business community has vowed to take a court injunction if government continue with the decision.

The community, business community and some organizations are denying the relocation of the camp to the district because of security reasons and lack of consultation.

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Charlie Hebdo
Charlie Hebdo
7 years ago

Really! We are a country of jokers. Are we saying the country lacks the expertise to look after refugees? Even if so, why not send people who will be directly involved in taking care of these refugees than shoving buns in the mouth of this Kyungu. As for this lady Obama, she has numerous knowledgeable people at her disposal ready to give her sound advice on the matter. She does not have to travel to Uganda just to get that. After all she can be moved to another ministry any time her boss wants to. This country will never develop… Read more »

Yahya Jammeh
7 years ago

I have no problem with the idea of hosting refugees since every human being is a potential refugee in one way or the othern,. The problem I have tough is whether it is necessary to spend money to go to Uganda to learn how to host refugees when all along Malawi has been hosting refugees from Mozambique, Burundi, Rwanda , DRC and Ethiopia. In 1987 we hosted hundreds of thousand of Mozambican refugees in the border districts of Mulanje, Nsanje, Mwanza, Ntcheu and perhaps more, but Kamuzu never sent any Minister anywhere to learn how to host refugees. UNHCR has… Read more »

chiphoola
chiphoola
7 years ago

No wonder kyungu is a government puppy. Kikkkk!!! Now in Uganda?

ChangingFaces
ChangingFaces
7 years ago

An appeasement tour for whiny idiots who can’t get their act together. The gentle people of Dowa never said anything when Bakili turned Dzaleka into a refugee camp; not these troubled guys!! Always fighting silly battles. Little surprising then that one Mangochi MP wondered once whether Chitipa was in Malawi at all!! Dowa welcomed these refugees with open arms…can you do the same up there in Nyikas? So, now, Dowa District Council should quickly decide what becomes of the historic Dzaleka. Turn it into a high school? The other thing about Dowa; something should be done at Mvera’s historic site.… Read more »

Nzati
7 years ago

Akadapita Ku Dowa kukamana ndi mafumu anzawo kukaphizira mmene amasungira ma refugees osati Ku Uganda.

munyenyembe
munyenyembe
7 years ago

If there is one most useless chief in this country, that should be this so called Chief Kyungu. The man is too corrupt and thinks he owns the people of Karonga and Chitipa. He thinks a chief is a position of authority that can decide for its people or fire or transfer civil servants. This guy should have simply run for presidential elections because he seems to feel too big for himself which does not match with the position of a chief. In our time the position of a chief is symbolic and has little influence on peoples decision making… Read more »

Ngalamayi
Ngalamayi
7 years ago

If government can guarantee security, why does it need to move the camp from Dzaleka to Karonga. If the government can’t afford to put medicines in hospitals fro its citizens, why is it offering to host foreign refugees? Into whose pockets did UNHCR allowances, grants go? Too many parts of the story are missing, here!

kiungu
kiungu
7 years ago

Apita kumeneko kuti akatenge anthu akuti adzakhale ma refujizi? kapena akuti kukachita maphuziro aka sungidwe ka ma refijizi? are you saying chiefs in Dowa komaso mabungwe a za humani rights… including UNHCR alibe ukadaulo woyenela kuti a Kyungu avetsetse? kuseweletsa misonkho. hahahaha

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