By George Mponda

Karonga, June 11, Mana: Acting Director of Public Works for Karonga District Council, George Chanya, Wednesday said the construction of the council’s K98 million offices is at an advanced stage and will be completed soon.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Chanya said the construction of new offices is a major step towards improving service delivery in the district.

He said the building is almost complete with some works remaining which include painting and electricity connection. 

"Plumbing works have been completed and currently, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has advised us to change the electrical system from single to three phase," said Chanya.

A resident at Karonga Boma, Herbert Mkandawire commended the council for the project saying currently departments operate from scattered offices leading to communication gaps and compromised service delivery.

"It become hectic to access council officials due to the current arrangement of the offices and we hope that the structure will restore public trust in local governance besides being a catalyst to improved service delivery,” Mkandawire said.

He urged people in the district to refrain from vandalizing public property during demonstrations against issues that affect them, noting that the people themselves suffer in such situations.

The project which is funded by Malawi Government through the District Development Fund, will house the council’s key administrative departments such as planning, accounts and public works.

The construction of the offices followed the destruction of the council’s old offices by demonstrators in 2019 demonstrations.