Mutharika says Mombera University not a white elephant, project underway

President Peter Mutharika has  said Mombera University is not a white elephant, adding there is progress towards its construction in northern district of Mzimba.

Mutharika: Mombera University we have started with the road network

Government critics  described the project as white elephant, thinking there is nothing happening at the site.

The critics have been complaining that government is excited with laying project foundation stones in different locations across the country but not willing to start the actual projects

But during the 19th congregation graduation of Mzuzu University students at Bingu International Conference Center (BICC) in Lilongwe on Friday, President Mutharika said the works at Mombera are taking place, albeit, the construction of the main university buildings.

“It is our determination to build Mombera University. We have started with the road network and soon we will move to the construction of the actual university buildings,” he said.

The foundation stone for Mombera University was laid in 2015 but, up to now, there are no other activities taking place at the site.

Mutharika said for each project that he  laid a foundation stone, things will materialise and people should not be quick to judge but wait.

Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka told Parliament that a contractor has been identified and is on site working on the road that will lead to the K72 billion Mombera University project.

Mombera University in Mzimba will focus on animal sciences and was one of five universities that former president Bingu wa Mutharika had planned that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would embark on.

However, there has been scepticism that the Mombera University project would ever materialise when several years passed after the ground-breaking ceremony.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
29 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tozer Tsono
Tozer Tsono
5 years ago

Road network, huh! Why not actual buildings first? Why didn’t you lay out the plans at ground breaking time?
This is another inland port; More talk with a Road show! Have you named the the roads Peter Mutharika Roads yet?

DzukaMalawi Dzuka#
DzukaMalawi Dzuka#
5 years ago

The president should know that Malawi is a land ROCK country already therefore we don’t need more rocks like that. Please if we have never delivered you will losing nothing by admitting it.

LEGO
5 years ago

The problem is not APM but us Malawians,we have seen that this man is a failure but we will vote for him because he is from Southern and you happen to come from there.Let us vote on merit not on tribal and regionalism by doing so we shall make our better Malawi.Please my fellow countrymen/women it’s high time to think twice on our voting system.It’s almost 54 years since our independence but when you move around the cities you would notice that most of the buildings were left by our colonial master.We can not have a BUS TERMINAL in the… Read more »

Tiyeseni Phiri
Tiyeseni Phiri
5 years ago
Reply to  LEGO

everyone votes according to what they think is good for them. If you identify a candidate that can appeal to the majority of Malawians, he/she will surely win. Likeability has many dimensions. One will vote for a candidate because of blood relations or other factors like marriage and friendship. That is their right to do so. That is democracy! Candidates win because they are more popular than the other contestants. ONE MAN ONE VOTE!

Peter
5 years ago

Show us the photos of the university that is taking shape? Please show us, then we will know what taking shape means

Chilungamo
Chilungamo
5 years ago

DPP gurus are so desperate NOT to let POWER SLIP OFF their hands. They have now resorted to throwing stones in all directions like lunatics. Abalalika angogenda miyala anyhow without any coherent project plan nor timelines in place.
Anthu ngatii alephera kupanga ma projects in 4 yrs akufuna kunamiza ndani kuti zingatheke in less than 10 months..
‘Ukabaiba tayang’ana………. kungakuchere’ Ena kwawachera ukutamba (akuba)
SHAME on THIEVES!!!

Munthali ka
Munthali ka
5 years ago

A white elephant is not a project that takes time to materialise. Rather, it’s when you build something but fail to use it. For example if you build a 100 thousand seater Stadium in Chiradzulu or Chitipa and it goes to waste due to lack of usage. That would be a white elephant

Mmalawi
Mmalawi
5 years ago
Reply to  Munthali ka

Very true, but the man Peter, husband of “profesa” Gertrude continues to tell untruths about this Mombela project. In fact, this plan should not have been cooked instead, simple reasoning should have been to plan for the moving of Mzuni to the new wide site at Choma.

LEGO
5 years ago
Reply to  Mmalawi

I think Choma is in southern part of Zambia bro

Hlabezulu Ngonoonda
Hlabezulu Ngonoonda
5 years ago
Reply to  LEGO

Correct but there is also a place called Choma in Mzuzu. If one stands at Habitat for Humanity Housing Project north east of Luwinga, one could easily make out the site.

Ndatopa
Ndatopa
5 years ago
Reply to  LEGO

There is also a place called Choma in Mzuzu

#DzukaniAmalawi
#DzukaniAmalawi
5 years ago
Reply to  Munthali ka

Foundation stones have become so common these days that they are deemed to be projects in their own right. It is maybe for this reason that they’re referred to as “white elephants” ie they’re not delivering on their intended purpose. But seriously Munthali ka, focus on the message and not the Chichewalised English. I am sure if Judith Moyo or the government were to write or speak in Chichewa, they would have used the correct description.

Dipipi wa Yudiefu
Dipipi wa Yudiefu
5 years ago
Reply to  Munthali ka

The DPP government is really confused big time. Time is not on their side. They think Malawians are stupid and can not see what they are doing. They are deliberately slowing down or stopping altogether the construction and rehabs of major stadiums in Blantyre so that all the already broke big teams should use district stadiums as their home teams just to show that their stadium projects are working.

Fred Muyaba
Fred Muyaba
5 years ago
Reply to  Munthali ka

It is called a white elephant because it is perceived to be in progress yet nothing is happening. Huge amounts of investment are talked about year in and out yet on the ground it’s just thick bushes. Hence, a white elephant. Investments in rural districts doesn’t mean can turn into white elephants. Stadiums in Mulanje, Karonga etc are used by big teams as their home grounds. In return takes in less corrupt gate collections than at BICC. If they will be structures at Mombera University, they will still be put to use for other purposes. I don’t think animal sciences… Read more »

Ndatopa
Ndatopa
5 years ago

Koma Mbuzi iyi!!!!!

concerned citizen
concerned citizen
5 years ago

Popeza sitonse tingapite kukazionera tokha ndimaso, tionetseni tu zithunzi za road net work. A nyasa, pitani mukajambule the works of the road net work being constructed.

Tozer Tsono
Tozer Tsono
5 years ago

Why is the president wasting resources presiding over graduation ceremonies? Don’t universities have academic leaders to carry out such duties, after all they have overseen the whole education process of the students leading up to graduation? Waste!!!
Students traveling across the country to receive their diplomas is a total misuse of limited resources and the students time. Give them a tour of the country instead of spending the money on you Mr. President.

NYAKULA NDI NG'ONA
NYAKULA NDI NG'ONA
5 years ago
Reply to  Tozer Tsono

Adada imwe ndi zereza chomene, do you really know what you are talking about ?

#DzukaniAmalawi
#DzukaniAmalawi
5 years ago

Nthawi zina bwana learn to listen to the people and take their feedback not as an attack but out of love for their head of state. The point is, you can’t keep laying stones for projects that don’t take off. We can understand if its just one or two projects but there are just too many stones gathering dust. From now on, no more laying of stones…….just start the projects which have stones. Don’t promise munthu wakhate nsapato.

Read previous post:
Chakwera the clergy and politician: Malawi’s probable next president?

History awaits Lazarous McCarthy Chakwera.  He is president of Malawi Congress Party (MCP), leader of opposition in Parliament   and next...

Close