Muloza-Chiringa Road would be constructed within 18 months:  Mutharika warns ‘no pay for substandard roads’

Minister of Transport and Public Works Ralph Jooma has said the Muloza-Chiringa Road would be constructed within 18 months.

President Peter Mutharika on Saturday laid a foundation stone for the construction of Muloza-Chiringa Road in Mulanje.

Speaking at Muloza Border in Mulanje when President Mutharika had laid  the foundation stone  for the 20 kilometres Muloza-Chiringa Road, Minister Jooma said  by October 8, 2020 the Muloza-Chiringa Road will be expected to be completed.

“The ground breaking ceremony is part of fulfillment of the manifesto that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) made during the campaign period. The road will be of international standard that will improve livelihoods of many people,” he said.

Joma said once completed, the road would provide several benefits such as reduction of road maintenance costs, vehicle operating and passenger travel costs, employment creation and facilitate trade.

Muloza-Chiringa Road is being constructed at the cost of K7 billion.

Jooma further said 23 roads were being constructed in the country, and 12 of them are being constructed using taxpayers’ money.

And President Mutharika also opened the K12 billion Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale Road, which is 102 kilometres long.

Mutharika  warned road construction companies that his government would not pay for substandard roads.

The Malawi leade said he was disappointed that elsewhere in the country, some construction companies, he did not name, have delivered substandard road projects.

“I want quality roads. If contractors build below standard, I will not pay you. You are stealing from us,” the President cautioned.

He said for any nation to develop, it requires good road network, citing Germany as an example of a developed country that started with good road infrastructure.

The Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale Road starts from Zomba Air wing through trading centres of Jali, Misewu-Folo, Phalombe Boma and ends at at the foot of Mulanje Mountain, at Chitakale.

The project, co-financed by the Malawi Government and cooperating partners, namely Kuwait Fund, Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) and Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, started in 2014.

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