K29 million bridge raises eyebrows

Jan 25, 2018 Politics 140
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Bridge

A bridge in Blantyre which is said to have cost K29 million has raised questions among Malawians on social media.

Malawians have cast doubt over the reported cost of the bridge which was opened by Minister of Transport Jappie Mhango.

Social commentator Onjezani Kenani posted a photo of the bridge on his Facebook page, eliciting comments from Malawians.

Bridge
K29 million bridge

“A friend says this bridge, which is in Blantyre south-west and cost K29 million to construct, has just been opened by the Minister of Transport. What my friend has found amusing is the large number of officials from the Ministry and also from the Roads Authority who have travelled all the way from Lilongwe to open this bridge. They will claim allowances for a minimum of two nights for opening this bridge. What’s that word again that [Donald] Trump uses to describe countries like ours?” said Kenani on Facebook.

Commenting on the post, a Malawian who claimed to have been in the construction industry for years said the bridge could not cost K29 million.

Juliana-Lunguzi
Lunguzi: Malawi is poor because of such projects.

“I have been in construction for some notable years and this bridge costing 29m …??? Really… #shithole Nation,” he said.

Another commenter suggested that the figure might have been presented incorrectly.

He said: “I think there is a mistake. It must be K2.9 million.”

While one commenter said: “Am a layman in the construction industry but looking at that bridge to cost K29m in the first place doesn’t make sense.”

Other people who commented on the post wondered why government officials from Lilongwe made the 4-hour journey to Blantyre to open a bridge.

“It is sad the [Peter] Mutharika’s administration does not wish Malawians well. Kutsegula bridge mpakana whole capital hill descending to Blantyre?” said a commenter called Waku Balaka Ndine.

While poet Nyamalikiti Nthiwatiwa questioned if there is indeed anything on a bridge that needs opening.

Parliamentarian Juliana Lunguzi suggested that such projects are one of the reasons Malawi is poor.

“And we wake up the next day wondering why we remain poor. Malawi and its people……”Politically motivated projects” is what I call them.”

 

 

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140 Comments

  5. Come to Mulanje boma their is abridge for K19million,and a3tons truck cant even go through.The bridge is at theMulanje Hospital market.

  12. Bvuto ndi inu, why did u import a leader? u mean we dont have good leaders in DPP or in Malawi? our president was away 4 decades, theres no way u could give him that responsiblity, he is not to blame. ndinu anthu atulo. 1st pple imported DR Banda u dont need to be reminded wt he did. u went on to import this one. zili bwino musalire akuchita bwino. Bravo A PETER!

  14. Anthu akamati katangale akuchitika mmalawi muno wina mkumati ayi akukayika ngati katangale alipobe. Chilungamo ndichoti katangale alipo ndipo akuchitika kuposa kale nanga mlatho umenewu 29 million a Malawi amzanga kodi ichi nchilungamo kapena kutibera ndalama zathu za misokho,tatiyeni tilowe mmidzimu tione umphawi momwe ulili,anthu ovutika ngati ine kukhalira kudya zakudya zotoleza.matenda mbwee inu mukuba ndalama za a phawi.mudzabwenza ndalama zimenezo tsiku lina.

  16. Kkkkkkkkkkk k29 million bridge palibe bridge la k29 million apa angobapo ndalamazobasi bwanji simumafuna kumamga zowoneka kumaso kwawathu

  17. Pls my fellow Malawian this is too much. But y we are killing our own economy our own money.We must invistigate this brige.to the truth.

  23. Sibolani apa ukuwoneka ku Balaka ,Ulongwe nsewu wopita ku Mvuu camp pa madibwa ndalama every yr pa mtsinje wa mkasi, last yr over 80 million kwacha inadusa koma bridge palibe. Bridge inagwa 2006 mpaka lero anthu akuvutika, ma contractor atatu koma palibe chilipo.

  25. Apa ndiye palibe yesu watithawila that’s why we are lying like that .O sorry my country.

  30. My fellow Malawian’s this is not time to interfere politics wake up please, please let us try to start mind our business, so that our lives can change. Because dirty game is not gonna stop, Let them shine for now God is watching them.

  33. That is $40000 at a goal on a ridge like this one. Now here is the thing. Malawi is a corrupt country where many aspects of our services are not regulated. This bridge was costed by one engineer at NRA. He inflated cost to include his own share. The contractor did his as well and so on. If you ask the NRA guys they will produce papers and well done calculations, but wrong values based on practical cost. It’s a supply chain of corruption. A a guy in hardware shop starts the whole thing. He inflate the cost to a buyer and they share a couple of millions in Kwacha. And then the transporter to the project site. And this goes on until it reaches capital hill or NRA HQ somewhere along the way!!!

  39. Ndiye moti nduna imapita kukatsegulira,uku ikunyadira kuti kwapangidwa mlatho watsapano , wa ndalama zankhani nkhani chotere , kumanena mlatho ndikuona pachithunziwo?

  40. KKKK Malawi Malawi satheka 29 mitre akuluakulu ifeo siana mwaba bas zikomo kwambili komaso palibe chomwe chikuoneka APA chaphindu olo mukananena 1 mitre kutali guys

  49. It was 2.2 million kwacha and not 29 million kwacha. The rest were pocketed by Thugs. This is what we call ” Bridge gate “.

  54. I think the drawing of that bridge can give us a true picture, however the element of concrete and steel should not be underestimated, these are expensive. But if you look at the structure itself without taking into account other expenses like transportation the so called 29 milion is too much.

  60. That’s a new name for the bridge ’29 million.’ Ku Zomba Pa Msinje wa Likangala pali bridge Constructed In 2005 named ‘2 million’ chonsecho even galimoto singadutsepo and the bridge could cost not more than K200,000.00. That’s what our politicians do

  61. That is the results of the government which its leadership is corrupted and this is the major way of worsting funds in our country , can u call that a bridge compared to that amount . if we had a sound leadership every thing could have supervision on the process or before it is done. Killing Malawi

  66. Kod vuto ndi chan…? Ndarama zokwanira kutipasa chitukuko as if tili mu 1967…. ? Am sure they jst think we r O stupid.. Thax a fact..!

  67. Am a builder,painter carpenter also who also estimate materials for what to construct,this bridge I give it 9million 29 is too much someone has pocketed 20 mita in his pocket for sure.

    1. Mind u this is business, rates r charged in such a way that the contractor should get some profits out of what he has spent. Not just as if he is constructing his own house.

  71. Ndalamazo zachepaso. Inafunika cha mma 40 Mita. Steel, cement, quarry, boulder stones.., transportation, designing, labour, mmemo and the like…

  77. I was a born in Malawi,schooling and many more,once I was departed I dont hv a hope that I’ll back as Malawian.sometimetimes i come up with meaningful question saying”ndinabadwiranji ku malawi?”I was noticed abt countries IDs bt I didnt participated, u citizen wanga ndaugulitsa sindineso Malawi. Mozambique its my new nation

    3. Mpwitikizi Mzangawe, Mozambique is for Mozambicans. No Mozambican will ever call you Mozambican, ndiwe m’Malawi basi udzakumbukira kwanu kuno. Zisankhotu zikubwera 2019 wekha ukudziwa zomwe zimachitika kumeneko. Malawi is peaceful, sitimadanda zambiri, home is best

    10. Ayi Bonice pano sitili mu ulamuliro was Gebuzo koma Philip News ndiye mtsogoleri wathu.patsogolo ndi News patsogolo ndi Flerimo patsogolo ndi Mozambique. Malawi wamoto kuti nyaduuu

    11. Bvuto lanu lasanduka culture sopano,lomangokhalira English yolowedza.zoti pali word construction simukudziwa ndipo nonse muli amalawi ndikuuzeni ;English sikuloweza kumati pakabwera Noun kenako Verb/Adverb,kenako preposition ayi musiye.anthu amayakhula English iwe kumaona ngati akuyakhula French. Iwalani zolowedza.ndakulemberani English ya Malawi coz ndidalemba IJA idali ya Italy.so yolowedza yomasatana ma parts of speech nayi sopano pamwambapo.

      koma yanditenge time kuti itheke coz English yaku Malawi ndidaiwala 2010

  80. Some of u here are jst commenting nonse U don’t know anything about construction, construction equipment are very xpnsive nowadays. Think of cement cost it over 8pin per bag, what about reinforcement, quary, transportation & labour cost. Consult the engineer to show u the BOQ for the bridge may be u can easily understand.

    6. Maonekedwe kapena makulidwe achinthu amaonesa kulowa kwa Ndalama. Bridge laling’ono sipangaloweso zipangizo zambili… Pali ma bridge ambili amangidwa mmalawi muno akulu komaso olimba osati kang’ono ngati yaka ayi. Pali 29 million ikuphwekesa? Kkkk… Mmenemu a Malawi nde timadyeramo basi.. Always kuba basi… 29 million is just too much… Abapo APA kkk

    9. I can surely tell u my guy kuti palibepo chanzeru ukunenazi,yo blindness mentality is the reason wy politicians keeps on accumulating our wealth meant for development

    15. Eya umexedwa kumene, inetu ndaziwonapo in such projects there are so many ghost workers they are getting money whilst working in other companies.

    16. Are you in same Malawi were all Malawians are living in? Yes things are expensive but this. Can you breakdown the figured and see what you are talking about. 10 million is far enough for this same bridge. Maybe this is a wrong picture, but if this is then it was mismanagement and abusing of funds

    18. Firstly this is just picture we don’t know how long is the bridge, and hieght of the abutment and pier. After analysing these we can come up with the real cost of the bridge. Not just arguing none quantatively

    20. So to end up this nonsense argument is to tell the engineer who was responsible for this bridge to provide us the Bill of quantities. To see the rates per Item

    22. So why did they put this picture then? Lughano Kalua can you come up with right picture to support your point. Otherwise you are making noise for something that you don’t know.

    23. What is 29M? U Malawians are very good @ verbal not actions you as the concerned citizens do something tangible, ppo have squandered billions of kwachas the likes of Chaponda. what have you done about. You will remain poor as ur.

    28. Hahaha now I can see nicely how stupid you’re …this shows lack of patriotism in yourself…even your face tells pple that youre a criminal in all sense of aword. Sorry for that !!!

    30. but construction its just a business, u you quote ,they a gree and the end you just need to give them what they want il,in this circumstance it means the one who funded the bridge are satisfied with the works and for your own info these things are paid per stage so to come this far it means all these parties had all agreement all during all phases

  81. Ndicho Chifukwa Chake President Wa Ku America Trump Anati Anthu Aku Africa Mitu Yao Siikuyenda Bwino, And I Think Amanena Ife Anthu Akumalawi

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