Parliamentary committee visits Malata subsidy beneficiaries

The parliamentary committee members on government assurance and public reforms on Wednesday visited the Decent and Affordable Housing Programme (DAHSP) beneficiaries in Mchinji to familiarise themselves with the programme.

Speaking after the tour at Chimbadzo village in Traditional Authority Zulu, Chairperson of the committee Harry Mkandawire called on district councils to ensure that they closely supervise the construction of the DAHSP houses to ensure good standard and quality.

“We have seen that in Mchinji the programme has kicked off but there is a  gap of supervision and we have recommended that the Ministry of Lands allocate extra money to the local councils to enable them supervise the construction work and materials to ensure quality,” said Mkandawire.

He said the committee was pleased that 311 houses in Mchinji have been constructed and waiting for window and other wooden components while 139 are still under construction.

“The beneficiaries have told us that they are happy and are appreciative to government for the programme, they are no longer leaving in leaking houses,” he added.

In his response, District Commissioner for Mchinji, Richard Hara said the council has been assured by the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development that they would soon allocate funds for the council to supervise the houses.

“We have been doing supervision on our own when we visit the areas on different projects, but our officers will be fully supervising beneficiaries once the funds are in,” he explained.

In Mchinji district alone, 450 households are expected to benefit from the programme this first phase which started last year. About 5, 440 households across the country are expected to benefit from the K7 billion programme which was approved by parliament in 2014.

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