NATIONAL NEWS (5288)
Government Terminates Contract of China Geo on Neno Road
People of Neno district have to wait a little longer to enjoy a tarmac road as government has terminated the contract of China Geo Engineering Company which was constructing the 20 kilometer Neno road at the request of the contractor.
150 Police Officers Demand K246 million Unpaid Allowances
Malawi Police Service has come under-fire for sitting on K246 million in allowance arrears for 150 police officers who represented the country in the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) games in Tanzania September last year.
Speaking to Zodiak Online Monday, one of the concerned officers said for the seventeen days stay in Der es Salaam, each one was only paid K351,600 instead of K1.9 million.
“It is over a year now after we represented the country in SARPCCO games in Tanzania but we are yet to get our full allowances. Malawi Police Service owes each one of us money amounting to K1,640,800,” he said.
He added that they have tried to engage top officiers about the issue but nothing fruitful came out.
National Police Spokesperson Peter Kalaya says says the issue is an internal matter and the affected officers know where to channel their grievances.
“The officers have to present their grievances to the authorities through proper channels and not to the media,” he said.
The 11th Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) games were held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania between 4th to 17th September, 2022.
Cloud of Hope Takes Free Medical Services to Chigodi
A charity organisation Cloud of Hope Ministries says access to free medical healthcare among rural communities remains key for the country to attain universal health coverage.
The organization’s disaster response and health initiative team lead, Dr. Stalin Zinkanda told Zodiak Online Sunday after providing free mobile clinic outreach to over 200 people surrounding Chigodi Health Centre in Ntcheu.
According to Dr. Zinkanda, their organisation partnered Ntcheu district hospital giving the communities treatments for Malaria, Hypertension, Respiratory Tract Infections, and Diarrhea among others.
“This is the hard to reach area where access to medical treatment is limited. The organization has to ease the burden on the communities through the free services,” he said.
Group village headman Chipojola hailed the initiative describing it as timely.
“Such services are paid for at Chigodi health centre which is owned by the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM),” he said.
Man Arrested for Repackaging Fake Fertilizer
Police in Mzuzu have arrested a 41-year-old man for allegedly possessing 17 bags of counterfeit fertilizer weighing 50 kilograms each.
Mzuzu Police Spokesperson Paul Tembo says the suspect Blessings Nyirenda has been arrested in the city following a tip-off that the businessperson was reprocessing and repackaging the fertilizer in NPK sacks belonging to Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving fund of Malawi (SFFRFM).
“We have been working together with the Malawi Bureau Standards (MBS) who got the wind about this illegal business. Our officers then moved in quickly and arrested the suspect who is being kept at Mzuzu Police Station waiting for a court appearance,’’ said Tembo.
Malawi Bureau of Standards Regional Manager for the north Kissinger Chiunjira says the fertilizer will be taken to the organization’s laboratory for testing.
Said Chiunjira: “We have the fertilizer in our custody because we want to know what chemicals were being used to repackage and reprocess it.”
In mid-August this year, Lilongwe Police Station also found 92 bags of fake fertilizer at a house at Sankhani Village in Traditional Authority Njewa in the district.
Access to genuine fertilizer coupled with high prices has been a pressing issue in the country, impacting crop yields and agricultural productivity.
Social Cash Transfer Programme Transforming Lives in Balaka
Beneficiaries of the government funded social cash transfer programme in Balaka have expressed satisfaction with the way the programme has transformed their economic livelihoods.
Malawi Citizens Leverage Social Media to Fight Public Finance Mismanagement
Julius Zimwatha Mithi is an ardent Malawian Facebook user. Apart from posting humors, he also uses his page to expose alleged cases of corruption and public funds mismanagement.
Umodzi Day Details Under Wraps
Government is mum on the date and budget for the Umodzi Day celebrations, two months before the year ends.
Utale Communities Find Relief in Irrigation
October is the hottest month of the year in Malawi. Farm fields are dried up and farmers are busy preparing their fields in readiness for the next growing season.
Thomas Youth Network Set up a Technical Skills School
Tired with growing unemployment levels and bad behaviors among the youths, on Wednesday Thomas Youth Network in Thyolo launched a technical skills initiative.
Thyolo District Hospital Fixes Blocked Sewer System
Thyolo district hospital has now rectified the blocked sewer system which was producing bad smell for the past four months.
