By George Mponda

Karonga, November 19, Mana: Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga has advised that Chiefs should be actively involved in the re-targeting exercise for the beneficiary enrollment of the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) to ensure efficiency.

Kyungu emphasized the importance of chiefs' involvement in the re-targeting exercise for SCTP locally known as 'Mtukula Pakhomo' during a consultative council meeting in Karonga Tuesday where it was revealed that 8062 households will be enrolled.

"Involving local leaders in the re-targeting process can help ensure that the benefits reach those who need them most. We know who the elderly, chronically sick, and child-headed homes are and we can ensure the creation of an accurate list and make the intervention a success," Kyungu said.

"Initially, officials who were implementing the interventions just went straight into the villages to identify the so-called beneficiaries and they ended up enrolling households which do not deserve to be on the list," he added.

On his part, Karonga District Council (KDC) Chairperson Bellium Msukwa assured Karonga residents that they are going to ensure that only deserving beneficiaries will be enrolled.

"This time around, with the involvement of various stakeholders at council and village levels we will use a beneficiary selection mechanism based on simple, undisputable, verifiable categories such as children, chronically ill and persons living with disabilities," Msukwa said.

According to Principal Social Welfare Officer for KDC Tionge Mbale, they will be categorically re-targeting beneficiaries in line with the SCTP 5-year strategy which aims to enhance the quality of life and resilience for the poorest of the poor and others affected by shocks and lifecycle vulnerabilities.