For nearly two years, residents of Balaka District have been patiently waiting for the completion of works on a less than 2 kilometres road section, but they say they feel like this is a distant dream.
With a price tag of a whooping K766.5 million, will the road finally see the light of the day, or, will it remain a perpetual work-in-progress?
The loop road section, spanning from Balaka Escom turn-off and joining the M8 road at Ngwangwa Mount Meru filling station, has been the centre of concern among the locals, saying the delay in finishing the works has adversely affected them in myriad ways.
Earlier on 12 August this year, Roads Authority Chief Executive Officer, engineer Ammiel Champiti, led a delegation of high-profile figures at the authority who toured the project to assess its progress. After the tour, engineer Champiti assured the media that all the bottlenecks that were derailing the finalisation of the project had been cleared out, paving the way for the completion of the works within a space of two months from the date of the tour.
However, Malawi24 can comfortably reveal that although the projected deadline is fast approaching, the project has remained stagnant, and the contractors left the site in mid-August 2024.
The road conditions have raised serious concerns among the residents and local business operators who rely on the road for mobility.
Most of the people we talked to around the boma expressed worry about the impact the delay is having on economic activities at the boma.
Rebecca Makwana, a second-hand clothes seller along the road stretch, argues that the poor road conditions often damage her merchandise. She stated that she risks losing money in the process if she doesn’t act wisely.
“I think, this project has been politicized by the government. As business operators, we are concerned with the dust which emanates from the road to our business premises. It is even more difficult in the rainy season because mobility using the road is almost shuttered due to mud,” lamented Makwana.
However, responding to the concerns through an email questionnaire, the RA boss attributed the delay in the completion of the project to several factors.
He said: “The contract, just like other contracts, was affected by the realignment of the local currency to foreign currencies which resulted in sharp rises of materials.
“The RA sought the no objection to effect the price adjustments clauses which took some time to be granted.”
Champiti added that the scarcity of forex in the country also affected the procurement of materials which he says are bought in foreign countries.
So far, according to Champiti, K388 million out of the total contract sum of K767.5 million has been paid to the contractor.
However, without specifying the actual date, Champiti was upbeat that works would resume in October 2024, saying the contractor has managed to source surfacing materials.
The project is a joint venture of three local companies, namely, Katakwe Civil Engineering, Mungo Civil Engineering and Mchinji Boys Construction, according to Champiti.
The contractors were not immediately available for comment.
