Nkhotakota Jetty in shambles, abandoned

It remains a far-fetched dream to have Kaliba jetty in Nkhotakota on its feet again.
Installed in the 1960s, the jetty succumbed to pressure and sunk in 1990 and since then, it has not been renovated.

This means passengers are forced to board smaller boats as big vessels such as Ilala and MV Chilembwe cannot dock near the shore.
A passenger interviewed on Saturday said they are forced to pay K500 for the smaller boats to ferry them ashore.

But Ministry of Transport and Public Works spokesperson James Chakwera said plans to put up a new jetty are in the offing.
However, he could not say as to when the plans would be effected.

“Government is aware of the problem and the need for the jetty.
“It is one of the projects under government consideration, but government would have to identify the necessary resources first and it would require heavy capital investment,” he said.
Chakwera said government is open to partner anyone who would express interest in maintaining the jetty.

“Government is already open to Public Private Partnership arrangements, so if someone came up looking for that [installation of a jetty] they would be more welcome. That’s actually the way to go around the resource problem,” he said. 