Nkhata Bay DC explains delayed projects
Nkhata Bay district commissioner (DC) Alex Mdooko has said completion of the construction of a new market and bus depot in the district has delayed due to circumstances that could not be avoided.
The K493 million Nkhata Bay new market and bus depot projects started in May 2016 and were projected to be completed by December 2016. However, 12 months later, the two projects are yet to be completed.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Wednesday, Mdooko said the rainy season negatively affected progress at the project sites.
He said: “There are many reasons that have contributed to the delay in completing the projects. Most of the reasons we could not avoid.”
But the DC conceded that the district council also contributed to the delay of the projects.
Said Mdooko: “As a district council, we were responsible for choosing the site where the bus depot and the market place were to be situated. After we identified the site for the bus depot, we received a court injunction from some residents who had buildings on the site, and the High Court in Mzuzu took a lot of time to give a verdict.”
The DC said the initial total cost of the two projects was K350 million, but due to changes in the cost of building materials, the cost was revised up to K493 million. The district council contributed K7 million.
Chairperson for Nkhata Bay Market, Foster Mhone, also expressed displeasure with the delay to complete the new market structure in its initial time-frame.
The two projects are funded by KfW of Germany through Local Development Fund (LDF). n
