If you have never been to Chigwaja, a village tucked behind the hills west of Blantyre, you have probably never encountered a road so bad that it feels like punishment. The Chigwaja road littered with sharp rocks and potholes, is so rough that what should be a 10-minute ride feels like a trip across borders.
“Do they even have a councillor and a Member of Parliament?” those into their first trip to the area often ask in frustration. For years, the question has been echoed with no answer, as successive counsellors and MPs seemed to forget Chigwaja even existed.
But this week, something remarkable is happening. Instead of waiting for government help that never comes, the people of Chigwaja have taken matters into their own hands, launching a massive community-led road rehabilitation project that has seen them raise over K5 million to fix the critical 5-kilometre stretch from Sigerege to Chigwaja.
Armed with little more than unity and focus, they have hired an excavator, bought construction materials, and are paying local workers to do the job that their leaders have failed to deliver, even with the Community Development Fund (CDF).
“Too long, our community has been neglected and ignored by the very authorities tasked with serving us,” said one resident. “Despite paying taxes like every other citizen, we find ourselves abandoned. Authorities and our Member of Parliament have continuously failed to construct this vital 5-kilometre stretch.”
The road, a crucial link between Sanjika Palace and the surrounding villages of Sigerege, Chigwaja, Maliya, and Khombwe, also serves as a shortcut to Chileka. Its dilapidated state has long been a sore point for residents who say it cuts them off from hospitals, schools, and markets.
While outsiders passing through the area this week may be tempted to credit area MP Steve Mikaya for the sudden activity, residents quickly set the record straight. “This is not his project,” one woman, who asked not to be named, said bluntly. “I cannot even remember the last time I saw him here. Maybe once, he came for a funeral.”
Chigwaja is not alone in its struggle, as across Blantyre, several roads have been left in poor condition for some time, with little to no intervention from leaders. In Nancholi, residents recently followed a similar self-help path, using mud to patch and improve the road connecting Manase Police to their community.
Meanwhile, residents from other areas like Manyowe, Mbayani continue to suffer, with large sections of their roads still in a dilapidated state, making travel difficult and sometimes dangerous.
