Member of Parliament (MP) for Mangochi South West Constituency, Shadreck Namalomba, Friday took a swipe at government for failing to prioritise the construction of Mangochi- Makanjira road in its development plans.
Namalomba told Parliament that people of Mangochi will take their grievances to the streets on Monday and that lawmakers in the district would support them.
In his contribution to President Lazarus Chakwera’s State of the Nation (Sona) address, Namalomba said the blue print speaks nothing of the project.
“Sona is the vision of the President and we see in that Sona that there is nothing for Mangochi. Previously, we have had people, including MPs, voicing out that we need the Mangochi-Makanjira road. It is in bad shape. You cannot drive there even when the rains have stopped.
“We have also been voicing out the Mangochi- Malombe road, the international airport. We understand investors already came but nothing has been heard,” he said.
His lamentation in the chamber forced Leader of the House, Richard Chimwendo Banda, to respond on the matter, saying the road is government’s priority.
Chimwendo Banda said government will make sure that the road is constructed within the shortest period possible.
“We do not want to come here and promise like what the previous government did. The people of Mangochi should know that it will be done. We couldn’t put everything in less than nine months, and we also have to do that according to the resources that we have,” he said.
He added that the district has not been left out, citing Mangochi- Msanama road as one of the roads included in the address.
He also indicated that government has prioritised eight roads in all regions that are critical for the development of the country.
The house will continue deliberations next week.
Friday, The Daily Times, through its flagship Friday Shaker, documented how people of Makanjira are struggling due to the poor road network.