News In Northern Region

News In Northern Region (495)

Synod of Livingstonia Bans Congregants From Traveling to Zambia

The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia has banned its local congregants from traveling to Zambia for church activities amid rising cases of Cholera in that country which has claimed the lives of more than 400 people in a space of three months.

Deforestation Recipe For Adverse Impact of Climate Change- NKhata-Bay DC

NKhata-Bay district commissioner, Rodgers Newa says 3% of trees in the district are being destroyed every year resulting to adverse impact of climate change affecting livelihoods, a situation which needs a collaborative effort to safeguard and restore them.

Govt Restocking Fish in Small Water Bodies

Government has identified more than one hundred ponds and dams which will be restocked with fish in a move that will see Malawi starting to export the commodity.

St. John of God Hospitaller Services Rated as a 3-Star Hospital in Malawi

The St. John of God Hospital Services in Mzuzu has become the first hospital in the country to be rated as a 3-star medical facility in the provision of quality health services to its clients.

Effects of Cyclone Freddy Still Haunting WVM

World Vision Malawi says a spate of natural disasters that rocked the country in 2023 have greatly affected the implementation of some projects they are running in the country.

World Vision Malawi Director of Programmes, Charles Chimombo, says despite these setbacks, there is no project that is under threat of closure.

“One of the projects that has been greatly affected is that we have been implementing in the traditional authority Njema in Mulanje, where the damage due to cyclone Freddy is so huge,” said Chimombo.

The Njema project, with components of water and agriculture, among others, is targeted to benefit about 1,000 households.

Said Chimbo: “It is pleasing to note that our stakeholders are doing commendable work in the districts where they are implanting their projects.”

At the end of each year, World Vision Malawi and its partners exchange notes on the progress of projects they are running in various sectors.

Salima District Council is one of the partners of the charitable organization, and some of the projects being implemented in the district include wash, malaria, and disaster risk management, among others.

Director of Administration at the council, Yohane Bilesi, says with support from its partners, including World Vision Malawi, they are reaching out to many people, despite the fact that their needs for support are in high demand.

On Tuesday this week, World Vision Malawi interacted with its stakeholders, implementing different projects in the central and northern regions.

Political Interference and Lack of Coordination Affecting Wash In Rumphi

Water and sanitation experts from the Northern Region have deplored political interference and a lack of coordination amongst stakeholders as some of the major setbacks affecting Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) service delivery at council level.

Lightning Kills a learner Mzuzu, Injuring Three Others

One Student has died and two others including their teacher have sustained injuries following a lightning strike at Msipazi Primary School in Mchengautuwa in Mzuzu on Thursday.

Mzuzu Police Station Publicist Paul Tembo says this happened when the three students, all girls aged 14, were escorting their teacher to her house in the area.

 “What we have gathered so far is that some pupils noticed smoke coming from the teacher's house and rushed to the scene where they found the four down and unconscioushe matter was reported to school authorities who picked the four to Mzuzu Central Hospital where one of them was pronounced dead upon arrival and the other three were admitted for medical treatment,” says Tembo.

 The condition of the three is stabilizing and this is according to the police. 

 The deceased has been identified as Promise Kaira who hailed from Nyankhetha Village Traditional Authority Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba.

 he Department of Meteorological Services has announced that some parts of the Central and Northern regions would from yesterday Thursday experience heavy rains coupled with lightning.

Severely.

The Department of Meteorological Services has announced that some parts of the central and northern regions will from Thursday this week experience heavy rains coupled with lightning.

 

Insufficient Agriculture Extension Workers' Training Affecting Farm Yields

A Consortium of some Civil Society Organizations in the Agriculture sector has noted that insufficient capacity-building training for agriculture extension workers is negatively impacting progress in the implementation of agro-forestry projects in some parts of the country.
 
Executive Director of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia Development Department (SOLDEV) Kenneth Sakala whose organization is a partner of the consortium says the concern comes in the wake of some strange diseases and failure by farming households to adopt some new innovative agricultural technologies for some crops and livestock.
 
“SOLDEV which is implementing a Conserve Malawi project in the Traditional Authority Mpherembe in Mzimba wants to ensure that extension workers have capacity and ably assist farmers in making profits from their farming,” said Sakala.
 
This week partners of the consortium visited the project implementation area of SOLDEV in Mzimba to appreciate the progress of its project in the district.
 
He added: "So what we are doing is that implementation partners of the Conserve Malawi project visit each other and discuss successes and challenges where recommendations are made aimed at ensuring that it has reached its goals.”
 
Among other things, the Conserve Malawi project promotes agro-forestry, including best practices, sustainable techniques, crop diversification, and soil management.
 
Another partner of the consortium, Tearfund programs Manager, Aaron Lewani said his organization is working with faith-based formations working in the fringes of protected areas implementing the Conserve Malawi Project across the country stressing the importance of a multi-sectoral approach in addressing the food deficit.
 
“We want to among other things ensure that more households have food in their homes through various approaches we have initiated in this project,” explained Lewani.
 
Traditional Authority Mpherembe hailed SOLDEV and Tearfund for empowering communities with knowledge and skills to become key partners in promoting sustainable agriculture practices which have helped to uplift the lives of his subjects.
 
Noted the Inkosi: “Fruits of this project are seen in this area and with what people are experiencing in their households there is a need to replicate it into other areas so that more farmers benefit.”
 
The Conserve Malawi Project is a three-and-a-half-year project implemented by a consortium of Civil Society Organizations namely: SOLDEV, Assemblies of God Care, FRIM, and Malawi Plant Genetic Resource Centre with funding from Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) through Tearfund Malawi office.

MACOHA Tips Humanitarian Actors on Disaster Response Targeting Persons with Disabilities

The Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) has lamented that persons with disabilities in the country struggled to access humanitarian support during Cyclone Freddy.

Pathologist and Police Investigator Testify in Mzimba Human Trafficking Case

State in Mzuzu Thursday October 19th paraded fourth and fifth witnesses in a case related to the discovery of a mass grave of 30 migrants at Mtangatanga forest in Mzimba last year.

The two a police criminal investigations officer for Mzimba police Baxter Mkumbwa and Pathologist Profffesor George Liomba appeared before
Judge Gladys Gondwe where they amongst other things provided evidence that the victims did not die a natural death.

First to testify was Mkumbwa who narrated how he learnt about the mass grave from the people that reported at Mzimba police station, and also tendered in court  as evidence some of the items he picked from crime scene as evidence.

“We visited the crime scene and we found bodies in a decomposed state, some half buried in the mass grave. I also picked a few items that were on the scene including pieces of papers containing foreign phone numbers purportedly Ethiopian, bank deposit slip of an Ethiopian bank, an identity card with Arabic scribblings, a wrist watch and aluminum piece of motor vehicle,” he told the court, while also exhibiting the items.

However, during cross-examination the defense team wanted to know if indeed the contacts he saw were of Ethiopia numbers, which Mkumbwa confirmed he verified them using an undisclosed person.

Second witness Dr George Liomba in his testimony said he conducted an autopsy on 30 dead bodies that were in a decomposed state and infested with magots.

He told the court that the bodies had similar traits as they were all tall, slim, male adults between the ages of 25-45, and that 27 of the bodies wore dark trousers, while some only had no shirts.

The court was sent in chills when part of the report was telecasted showing pictures of dead bodies and part of the tissue that was examined to prove death was due to suffocation with  Carbon Monoxide as a contributing factor.

“After examining the bodies we established there was no organ disease and no evidence of physical trauma. With the presence of magots we determined the bodies must have been in the forest for three to five days,” said Liomba

He however, said an autopsy conducted on internal organs of the five of the dead bodies revealed cherry red tissue which he said indicates presence of carbon monoxide.

He said they concluded the people did not die a natural death but death was due to suffocation with carbon monoxide.

A heated and interesting cross-examination ensued when defence lawyer Kolezi Phiri quizzed Liomba to clarify how he thinks organs can only turn cherry as a result of carbon monoxide infestation, but Liomba refused to conduct a medical lecture in court and referred the defence to google.

Judge Gladys Gondwe has since set November 27th to 30th November for continuation of trial, where defence will continue to parade more of its 14 witnesses.

Those answering the charges are Tadikila mafudza, Samuel Navaya, David Luhanga, Thomas Kazembe, Duncan Kalulu, Boniface Ngulube, Aubrey Dukes and Arnold Mwakiyelu
Ends.

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