Stadium projects to cost k13.5bn
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development says new stadium projects earmarked for Thyolo, Ntcheu and Mzimba is K13.5 billion.
The ministry’s spokesperson Muhlabase Mughogho told The Nation yesterday that the projects in Thyolo and Ntcheu will cost K4.6 billion each while the one in Mzimba is pegged at K4.3 billion.
Stadium will look like
“The cost of each stadium is K2.5 billion, but the total sum of each stadium project gets to over K4 billion because in Thyolo and Mzimba, there will be additional office complexes worth K2.1 billion and K1.8 billion, respectively. As for Ntcheu, the additional K2.1 billion is meant for the upgrading of the road to the stadium,” she said.
Asked why each of the three new facilities will be constructed at a cost six times more than district stadiums built in Karonga, Mulanje, Rumphi, Kasungu and Mangochi, where government spent at least K400 million for each of the structures two years ago, Muhogho said: “Unlike the other recently constructed district stadiums, the new facilities will be complete with all the requirements. The current designs cater for the demands of the populace.”
She said construction of the new stadium in Thyolo, expected to start this month and will take 18 months to complete while in Mzimba and Ntcheu procurement processes are yet to start.
“The projects were approved in the 2017/18 National Budget. These are programmes and not projects as such. They are indicted in the budget as programmes just like city roads, rural growth centres and markets,” said Mughogho.
On his part, Local Development Fund (LDF) spokesperson Booker Matemvu said the projects are being handled by government through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
“If you can look at any of the stadiums, we have constructed this far, they have just a [very important persons] VIP [stand] and an open stand because of limited budget. But the latest projects comprise all components of a fully-fledged stadium with stands on all sides, including a covered stand,”
He also said some of the key components of the new stadiums are basketball courts, netball courts and running tracks.
Soccer analyst George Kaudza Masina said it is justifiable for the new stadiums to cost more than the existing ones in the other districts.
“Firstly, this could be attributed to the cost of materials and labour over time. Secondly, it should be appreciated that the other stadiums were built on try-and-error basis as their workmanship is not up to standard.
“This means that the valuation was not done professionally then. Now government might have learnt a lesson or two thus the high costs,” he said.
“For instance, if you look at the Karonga Stadium, it leaves a lot to be desired, but the K400 million justifies its true value. Lessons might have been learnt and now it appears its real business.”
Speaking last week when he presided over the groundbreaking of Thyolo Stadium, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kondwani Nankhumwa was quoted by the media as saying he did not expect substandard work or delays in completing the project. n
