Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) president Enoch Chihana on Wednesday began his campaign rallies in Karonga Northwest Constituency where he is drumming up support for the party’s candidate Fwasani Silungwe with a call to the people of the Northern region to solidify the region by revamping AFORD.
Chihana who is the first party president to come to Karonga to campaign for a candidate for the March 30 election by-election conducted about four rallies after a tour at Karonga main market to appreciate challenges merchandisers are facing.
Speaking to a mammoth crowd of supporters at Malema 1 ground on Wednesday, Chihana said time has come for the Northern region to bring back the political party’s lost glory by voting into power Silungwe whom he touted as a homeboy and development conscious person with vast experience in development work.
He said: “Without sounding tribalistic and regionalistic, all the country’s four regions have political parties that speak for their people with one voice in parliament. The South has the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Eastern Region has the United Democratic Party (UDF) while the Centre has the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
“Therefore, let us revamp AFORD so that we should also have one voice in the august house to enhance socio-economic growth in the region”.
Chihana also used the gathering to warn political parties in the Tonse Alliance who he claimed are using the NEEF loans as a campaign tool to entice voters in the forthcoming by-elections, saying that has to stop immediately because his signature is also on the pact that is holding the Alliance.
Before the campaign trail, Chihana toured the Karonga main market where he donated K1 million for the rehabilitation of the drainage system which he described as a sewer system due to its dilapidated condition.
In a related development, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Daniel Mwanyongo Chitonya has emphasized the need to promote irrigation farming to increase food production in the district.
In an interview, Chitonya said the initiative will ensure that families are food secure and sell the surplus for economic growth.
“We have a number of rivers that just go into Lake Malawi then into Indian Ocean through Zambezi river. If we can embark on water harvesting initiative to keep water the same because deforestation is also rampant,” he said.
Meanwhile, UTM party youth on Thursday morning cleaned up Karonga market as one way of preventing the break out of waterborne diseases during this rainy season
In an interview, regional director of youth (North) Afiki Mbewe said the initiative is to safeguard votes for the March by-election for their candidate Katwaff Kaira, saying if sellers and buyers are attacked by cholera they cannot participate in the voting.
He said: “After noting that the market was filthy, we decided to clean it up to prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases that might attack voters and prevent them from voting”.
