Njikho causes stampede in Mzuzu

Malawi’s Northern city of Mzuzu legislator Leonard Njikho on Wednesday caused a stampede in Mchengautuba township in the city as people fought over handouts he splashed out after a development rally at Manda a Positoli ground in the township.

After the legislator had addressed his constituents at the ground, he splashed out money.  In no time, men and women with dry pockets who seemingly attended the rally for the handouts braved anything to have a share. In the course of scrambling for money, a lot of people sustained injuries.

Among the injured was a 12 year old girl whose his father, Orton Hunga said the girl is in pains and he could not pay K1500 bypass fee he would have been required to pay at Mzuzu central hospital.

“She patronized the rally and when the MP splashed out handouts people pushed her hard and she fainted. She is awake now but I don’t have money to pay at Mzuzu central hospital for further medical attention,” said Hunga.

In another case, an angry mob surrounded the house of a woman whom they suspected to have walked away from the rally with about MK20, 000. As of this day the woman is nowhere to be seen and people reportedly stole some of her belongings.

There are also reports that two men nearly killed each other over the money around the same township.

It was the first rally Njikho has held since he was voted as Member of Parliament for the city and he urged his constituents to stay united and accept his decision to join the ruling party saying he did it so that he can easily access development projects.

He revealed his plans to turn Mzuzu into a beautiful city and he maintained that renovations of road networks in the city will soon commence.

Meanwhile local authorities in the city have urged politicians to stop the tendency of splashing handouts after their rallies because they turn their areas into bloodshed zones.