Lilongwe North West Constituency aspirants for the vacant parliamentary seat have divulged their manifestos ahead of the impending by-election in the area.
The development plans of the candidates mainly target the dilapidated road network, constructing community clinics, drilling boreholes and enhancing farming.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Blessings Bokola bemoaned the state of roads which become impassable during rainy season.
“I will construct bridges to ease transport woes during rainy season and also build additional teachers’ houses to ensure that schools are operating at a full capacity,” said Bokola.
He also promised to lobby government to extend the tarmac road in the plantations zone which has resulted in farmers incurring huge transportation costs of their yields.
The candidates agree on the challenges but differ in implementation with ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) hopeful Mphatso Boti in favor of empowering the people.
“I want the people here to be self-reliant starting with agriculture so I intend to form farmer clubs where people can rear animals and grow all kinds of crops,” said Boti.
Boti also revealed plans to have a revolving fertilizer fund to assist the farmer clubs he intends to form noting there is a lot of idle farming land due to poverty and lack of capacity.
Meanwhile, Independent Candidate Deborah Mitawa has pledged to construct boreholes and buy a community ambulance to ease the long distance people travel to access medical treatment.
A total of seven candidates are vying for the parliamentary seat formerly held by Lazarus Chakwera before his election as president of Malawi on 23rd June.
The candidates are Blessings Bokola – Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); Mphatso Jones Boti – Malawi Congress Party (MCP); Njelengo Cristopher Nolex – Mbakuwaku Movement for Democracy (MMD); Ndiwo Goodwell Banda – Independent; Deborah Mitawa – independent; and Majoni Bryson – independent and Chimwemwe Kameta – independent.
