Malawi Police officers, locals in cat and rat chase in Mchinji

…residents want Council officials arrested

There was chaos at Mchinji boma this morning when angry residents took to the streets protesting against the district council’s failure to account for money meant for miscellaneous developmental projects in the district.

The locals claim that millions of money were misused by a couple of officials at the council.

It is said that the money was meant for street lights projects among others and at the moment the project is stalling with just poles erected along some of the roads around the boma.

The protesters said they want some of the council heads removed from the office especially from accounts office, public works, lands office and the agriculture division within seven days.

One of the councillors who joined the march Nathan Dhlamini said he decided to join the march to show solidarity and show the secretariat that Mchinji residents are tired of being taken for granted.

Meanwhile Mchinji Police Officer-in-Charge Maximas Bakali said his office has since managed to calm the situation.

“We have managed to arrest some people who we think are just criminals who wanted to take advantage of the situation and loot the shops. The petition was delivered peacefully but these other people just wanted to cause confusion,” he said.

Malawi24 has at the moment not independently verified the claims made by the locals. They say they want the district council officials arrested and investigated. They burnt tyres, blocked roads and placed tree branches to a couple of offices including the Agriculture one.

One of the officials at the council who anonymously spoke to this publication argues that the residents do not have any evidence to that effect.

The council was yet to respond to us as we went to press.

The locals were then involved in running battles with police after a couple of violent acts the people showcased according to police.

The people stoned the District Commissioner office and other council officers before the law enforcers dispersed them by throwing teargas canisters.

These protests follow similar ones in Karonga district where residents are also on the neck of the District Commissioner Rosemary Moyo whom they among other things accuse of failure to ‘run’ her office.

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