Group village headman Mwenilupembe from Paramount Chief Kyungu in Karonga district on Saturday pleaded with UTM parliamentary aspirant for Karonga Central constituency Florence Nthakomwa to develop the area if elected to Parliament on May 21.
Mwenilupembe made the plea at a campaign rally Nthakomwa conducted at Kamkothi village ground in the district.
“For the first time we have a female candidate in this area. It is my hope that once she makes it to Parliament she will bring meaningful development that will benefit everyone.
“It is sad that at this age, we do not have good road network, electricity and piped water yet the lake is just a stone’s throw away from here. That clearly shows that we lack political will,” he said.
Mwenilupembe cited Chisogholo primary school which was opened in 1996 but has few blocks which are also in dilapidated state to cater for about 710 pupils.
He further said that every rainy day, pupils do learn since their classes are conducted under the tree.
“Let me be frank, this area needs a development conscious Parliamentarian and a Ward Councillor who will be representing the will of the people.
“We need electricity for maize mills, youths need vocational schools, we need health facilities within walkable distances, we need school blocks with enough learning and teaching materials and not what Chisogholo primary school has where the whole school has 12 desks against 710 pupils,” Mwenilupembe said amid hands clapping.
Taking her turn, the constituency chairlady Bernadette Mwalweni said time has come to change political landscape in the constituency which has always been represented in Parliament by men.
Mwalweni urged the gathering with an emphasis to women to use their numerical advantage to go en masse and vote for their fellow woman if the area is develop, saying women always have a motherly love in whatever they do.
“UTM party has set aside K45 billion for a revolving fund for small scale businesses to transform women’s economic status while the aged will be getting a monthly upkeep of K15,000,” she said.
Capping it all was the shadow MP for the constituency Florence Nthakomwa who advised traditional leaders and the electorates to stop praising and clapping hands for their MPs, saying in as far as the set-up is concerned, they (electorates) are employers as such they are bosses over MPs.
Nthakomwa said that tendency makes MPs to feel bossy over their electorates in the process denying the voters social amenities that would benefit them as bonafide beneficiaries.
She implored the gathering to vote for UTM party’s candidates from President Saulos Chilima, Ward Councillor and herself as their MP on May 21.
