PS faults Karonga council for ‘cashgate acts’

The Principal Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Chris Kang’ombe has expressed disappointment over the decision issued by the Karonga district council to stop demolishing the illegal constructed shops surrounding the district bus deport as per local government law , saying the act contributes to the increase of ‘cashgate’ scandals in the country.

On Wednesday this week during an emergency full council meeting, Paramount Chief Kyungu issued a last decision of stopping the council to demolish the said shops after the development brought disagreement between the councillors and government officials claiming that he is avoiding violence if the council will follow the law.

However, Kang’ombe attacked the decision, arguing that the site is dangerous for construction and that the land demarcation procedurals were illegal.

Karonga DC and local councillors have been fighting over land distribution to vendors outside the main bus depot where shops have since been constructed.

While the council chairperson Patrick Kishombe claimed that it is within the councillors’ legal mandate through the market committee to allocate plots to business people within the market area, District Commissioner Rosemary Moyo accused Kishombe and his team of bringing confusion to the council and flouting procedures.

Chairperson of the Health Committee, Harry Mwanyembe, also accused Moyo of overstretching the matter to hide “fraud” acts under her administration.

Speaking during a visit to the district on Friday with the aim of sorting out the confusion, Kang’ombe said ge was shocked to hear that the council called for emergency meeting on Wednesday to resolve the issue while stakeholders were communicated of his coming.

“It is very pathetic that we are tolerating wrong doings to continue taking place in our country because as of this situation technical advice were issued many times but people who were constructing the illegal shops still opted to break the law and twisted it as development,” said the PS.

“In true sense instead of developing the district only few people who have benefited in taking the illegal land will be the ones improving their living standards on the expense of poor Malawian,” said Kang’ombe.

According to Kang’ombe , the shops acts as a trap to accidents claiming “within a period of a month two accidents have already occurred what more if those shops start functioning because trees are inside and some are on top of the septic tanks an indication that nothing positive will happen.”

However, Kang’ombe failed to change Kyungu’s decision but urged the District Commissioner to give out the minutes of the two meetings to the ministry as government officials wants the Law to take its cost.

He then pleaded with people in the district to let government officials to work professionally than fear.