K5.5 million toilet raises questions

Nov 14, 2017 Top News 160
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Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) has built a K5.5 million toilet for a school in Mwanza and Malawians have questioned the cost of the building.

Social commentator Onjezani Kenani posted a photo of the toilet on Facebook and said: “Red Cross, sigh. They say they built this toilet at Kalanga Primary School in Mwanza for K5.5 million (US$7,500).”

Onjezani Kenani
Kenani: Raised the issue on his Facebook page.

Many commenters on the post  suggested that corruption and poor governance led to the high cost of the building.

Others backed the figure saying the organisation probably hired a contractor hence K5.5 million is within the market cost of building such a structure.

The toilet which has sanitary facilities has been built at Kalanga Primary School in Group Village Head (GVH) Kalanga, Sub-Traditional Authority (ST/A) Govati in Mwanza District.

It is aimed at keeping girls in school since some of the drop out due to sanitary issues.

According to Sub TA Govati, communities dug the latrine, mobilized river sand, stones and bricks among other materials for construction of the toilet while Red Cross did the rest.

Speaking during the handover ceremony on Thursday, MRCS district project officer Charles Nyirenda said one of the core duties for his organisation was to address challenges faced by girls in schools.

“A proper toilet which provides privacy is a prerequisite for a girl to continue with her education. This is why we decided to construct this toilet here,” he said.

According to Nyirenda, a joint survey conducted in the area by officials from his organisation and education department revealed that Kalanga School had the highest enrolment of girls but had inadequate toilets.

The school’s head girl, Zawo Mangwaya, said the new toilet, which has a change room and disability-friendly facilities, will address challenges girls used to face at her school.

 

 

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160 Comments

  2. This organisation is becoming one of the most corrupt organisations in the world, they have also eaten alot ebola dollars in liberia….what we should do is stop contributing monies to this organisation.

  17. am from mwanza boarder toilet imenei nyerwa tinaumba tokha,uvuni tokha,madzi tokha zambiri tapanga tokha amati chitukuko chamba chan cement ndi mbalawala zingakwane 5 mita kuba koipa uku tinamanga tokha state house imenei ndithu

  19. Nditha kukuuza ni main ake mbava zimene zimatsogilera Red Cross pakalanga ine anadionetsa zakuda pokanndilandilitsa zinthu ndi tabwela anadzatenga mkukagulitsa izi sizachilendo dera la kuthambani

  32. What’s the issue here? Journalists should endeavour to understand issues they write about. Is 5.5 million excessive for such a structure? Really? Get second opinion from professionals in the field, you should have contacted your own on university, NCIC or indeed the quantity surveyors. This is a none issue. Actually cheap in my view

  33. I do not find anything worth talking about here. Construction is expensive, and there is s lot involved including risks. How much do you think the Contractor undertook to ensure the works or even the lives of those excavating the pit? I believe this underwent a protracted procurement process to award a contract, and so nothing strange here. Construction is expensive bwana.

    1. Additionally you should also appreciate that the costs for mobilisation and overheads to construct a single toilet are higher when compared to the same toilet if it was part of a larger contract

    2. Are you Malawian brother!? Much as I agree with you that construction is expensive and construction materials pricey by the day there is no way toilets like these could cost a whooping K5.5million I challenge you!? This to say the least is thievery of the greatest order. They are stealing from the poor!?

  35. Very laughable and disappointing. 5.5 million for toilet only? Why not a school block? Kkkkkkkkk. That’s Malawi today.

  40. Ok ndawerenga ndapanga underline mau amodzi #Toiletgate so sindikomente pano zomwe mwanenazo ndakhutisidwa Malawi the warm heart of blackout sazatheka bax.

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  73. Guys ours iz under construction today they are doing ringbeam at h/ center by another NGO the community has sourced 50 tonnes sand 25tonnes quarrystone 33000 bricks 50tons of stone blocks and this one is worthy about 7000000 MWK pliz don’t just criticise

  80. A journey towards fully-fledged foolishness is in the right direction in malawi. What kind of sanitary materials does this toilet offer? Does it dispense sanitary pads for the girls? in fact its stupid and foolish to think that young girls stop going to school because of menses do they menstruate on hourly basis? What special facilities are installed in this toilet to make it worthy 5.5 million considering that the community assisted in provision of some construction materials ? Surplisingly the toilet is for girls only i wonder may be it has some sophisticated machines that will be digesting and processing girls’ menstrual blood , sanitary pads, urine , fecal matter and fungo la ziphwisi into a certain product while boys are only encouraged to go for circumcision. It’s fair to say this is stupidity at its best unjustified spending worthy a comprehensive audit

  81. The only problem with us Malawians is that we do projects without counting on the next generations…. Selfishness and greedy is always the older of the day… That’s is why we will always stagnate in poverty with minimal beneficiaries; generation after generation. 5 500 000 my foot!! TRASH#

  92. Sorry guys..Okumba tawapatsa 1 million….njerwa zinakwana 1 million plus transport..Malata 1 million…. cement 1 million kwacha, azimai otunga madzi ,500,000….ojambula PA toilet plus lime zonse 500,000. NDE SIMUKUMVETSA PATI

    5. ndikuwaziwa bwno ma toilet coz ku xul yanga yakale inazamangidwaposo ya K5m kma it was so small even the sinks were like 3 litre basins en within two weeks it was already full bt someone was seen driving a carinna…I didn’t say anything , did I?

    6. Much of this money goes in the name of “consultation”
      You would be surprised to hear of how many engineers and architects were consulted to construct this lousy toilet. We need change and we need it fast.

    8. That is donor founding kkkk bola ukalongosola bwino kwa mzungu amvetse, iiii ana asukulu wo akadzithandiza mtchire

  93. Akumangaaa ma toilet a K5.5million, pomwee a Malawi akugonaa mudimaa maderaa enaa magetsii akuyakaa kamodzi pa week komanso for only two hours shame on my country

  97. Malawi Malawi Malawi Malawi pliz Malawi eeeeeeeeee Malawi sadzamva serious yoh chimbudzi chake cha gold ngt cha Lil Wayne or Trump KKKKKKKK wandikwana Malawi aaaaaaa kuba ndalama za chimanga
    za magetsi
    Za chimbudziso aaaaa kkkkkk

  98. Ngati mukulephela kumanga anthu amene akugwesa dziko chifukwa chakatangale muwamange chifukwa cha ka 5 million chaponda bwa nanga ena aja nanga awo

  102. Kodi kutsilika Nyumba kapena munda mumakudziwa?Takapeza Fiti kapena wakuba timatani naye?Chigamulo chomwe mugamule pamenepa chitaninawoni akanganyawo.

  117. Why should we question?
    Our leaders have deliberately created poverty in order to make this place a haven for NGO’s and rich fools from the west who export to Malawi through aid…..

  130. Oooooshi! 5.5 Million Kwacha being spended on a toilet, did the toilet bult in space, in mars or on the moon? Dont tell me that the toilet had being bult on earth and on Malawi Soil! ALOWAPO ENA ACHANGAMU! (toiletgate)

  137. hahahahaha dont make me laugh the value of the toilet is less than 500 thousand, Malawi will never develop.

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