Council house sold illegally in Dowa

Officials at Dowa District Council have been accused of illegally selling a council house meant for the medical officer at Lumbadzi Health Centre.

The accusations were especially aimed at Dowa District Lands Officer, Lezias Banda, who has since denied selling the council house.

The allegation levelled against him were made by two Dowa parliamentarians Harry Njoka Chipeni and Richard Chimwendo Banda during a full council meeting held at the boma.

Njoka and Banda asked the council secretariat to investigate the matter so that its truth is established for the good of the council and people of the district.

Banda said the issue was brought in the house as a router which demands another person to go and investigate rather than him taking part in the process because he is a concerned party.

Dowa South East parliamentarian Njoka accused the council secretariat of doing very little in the investigation on allegations levelled against it such as the Mponela land saga, Mbabane CDSS girls hostel and the medical doctor’s house at Lumbadzi in the district.

Njoka asked the secretariat to come in the open that it has failed to investigate the issues raised and perform so that it can be helped to do better than before.

Dowa North ward councillor, Jeremoth Jumbe, faulted the council under the full responsibility of District Commissioner Fannie Msimuko of running away from the truth of the matter saying she is the technical advisor of the whole council.

In her response, Dowa District Commissioner Fannie Msimuko admitted that the council undertook the responsibility to investigate the matter and the minutes in its action plan.

Earlier, Lead Advisors of the Friends of Dowa, Boxer Mnjale Chisale and Brighton Chitedze, accused government of failing to arrest and prosecute some council officers suspected to have taken upper hand in selling most public land in the district.

Mnjale and Chitedze lamented that the Dowa District Hospital has no room for its expansion as most of its land was sold and the owners leased it right inside the hospital’s premises.

They said the Dowa boma market and stadium land are some of the many places claimed to have been legally bought by the owners and leased but in true sense, they belong to council.

The two said the failure by Government to post to the district the Lands Officer from February, 2009 to July, 2013 also contributed to the selling of most public lands in the district.