By Rose Cross Mahorya

Mzuzu, March 15, Mana: President Lazarus Chakwera has said the 520-hectare Tropha Estate Limited’s Kaweche Farm in Mzimba District falls within government’s vision of promoting establishment of private mega estates in the county.

Speaking at Ekwendeni Trading Centre after visiting the estate, Chakwera said his government is impressed with how the estate works and would like other stakeholders in the agriculture sector to meet similar standards.

“The main idea behind the private mega farm is to create opportunity for increased agriculture production and value addition, thereby increasing exports earnings for generation of forex.

“Mega farms will also help in addressing food security challenges and poverty in the country. However, this can work only if we put in place proper regulations to ensure that our products satisfy global markets, as is the case at the farm which I have just visited,” said Chakwera.

He then assured the gathering that government is doing everything possible to ensure that more people benefit from the private mega farm initiative.

Traditional Authority Mtwalo commended Chakwera for visiting the estate, which he said is a model in the northern region and the country as a whole since it has provided employment to over 1,000 workers.

“This estate has 1,000 employees, aside boosting agricultural businesses for over 2,000 farmers who are working in partnership with it.

“As a district, we are ready to support government in the mega farm initiative which we are sure will benefit us all,” said Mtwalo.

Tropha Estate Limited Managing Director Duncan McDavid thanked government for supporting the mega farm initiative, which encourages communities to work in partnership with such institutions.

" We grow and process and export Macadamia Nuts Chilies, Paprika and Piripiri in partnership with about 2,500 small holder farmers that we work with,” explained McDavid.

Earlier, Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale said his ministry is doing everything possible to support, with required expertise, people who are interested to venture into the mega farm initiative.

During the visit, the President was accompanied by First Lady Monica Chakwera, Former Vice President Khumbo Kachali and other government officials.

Malawi exports about 17,000 metric tonnes of Macadamia Nuts, and this contributes about K40 billion to the country's export earnings annually.

By Leonard Masauli

Lilongwe, March 15, Mana: The Energy and Agri-energy delivery Lab meeting in Lilongwe has hinted on the high pricing of solar materials importation, saying this is affecting agricultural production.

In a closing ceremony of a nine-day meeting on Thursday under Presidential Delivery Unit, the Deputy Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Janet Banda said farmers are not able to buy solar equipment and other materials due to prices.

“In this Agro-energy lab, what we were looking for was affordability and sustainability of solar equipment especially that is used in the agricultural sector. What we have noted is that equipment is very expensive, and farmers are not able to buy proper equipment and they end up buying equipment which is not certified.

“Secondly, most people using solar equipment are not trained and for that reason when the equipment breaks down maintenance becomes a challenge. And as a solution we have agreed as a lab to lobby treasury in the next budget to revise VAT attached to solar equipment so that it is affordable to farmers,” said Banda.

Representative of cooperative- solar users in Malawi, Amadi Alide, said farmers face challenges in availability of equipment that can effectively be reliable and durable and as a result the farmers spend a lot of money for maintenance before they realize profits.

“Government has put a waiver on solar equipment but when our solar have malfunctioned the VAT charged to procure spares are exorbitant which denies us farmers to fix our equipment hence affecting our agricultural work,” said Alide.

The Agri-energy Delivery Lab was organized by Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) with financial support from Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)

By Sarah Munthali

Lilongwe, March 14, Mana: Lack of awareness, trained healthcare workers and treatment modalities have contributed to disparities in accessing treatment for kidney failure in the country.  

Malawi is also experiencing a rise in kidney problems due to limited access to diagnosis and specialized care, leading to an increase in rate of people requiring dialysis services.

The situation is a concern as only two government hospitals, namely Kamuzu and Queen Elizabeth Central, are the only providers of the dialysis services in the country.

Expressing her concern during the commemoration marking World Kidney Day held at Likuni Boys Ground in Lilongwe on Thursday, Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud emphasized the need for people to prevent kidney failure by eating right and going for regular medical checkups.

“Three hundred people are diagnosed with kidney failure and on the World Kidney Day, as a ministry, we want to raise awareness about the disease and how people can prevent it. 

“We are empowering patients and communities about kidney risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, enhancing health literacy about healthy lifestyle choices, self-care and promoting long term adherence to treatment,” she explained.

Daud further said people with chronic kidney disease do not get coordinated care as they have to be referred to several departments and institutions to get appropriate care, saying this results in delay in seeking help and shortened life span.

“As a country, we are doing all we can to provide care for people requiring dialysis services and soon government will install a dialysis machine at Mzuzu Central Hospital to ensure that people in the northern region don’t travel to Lilongwe to access these services,” said Daud.

Malawi Kidney Foundation Board Chairperson Samuel Gumulire said most Malawians mistake kidney failure as any other disease, and they do not seek medical services.

“Medicines for kidney failure are expensive and delays in diagnosis of kidney failure by hospitals have led to an increase in many people seeking for medical help when it’s too late and we call on government to address these issues and raise more awareness,” Gumulire said.

 A nephrologist (specialist doctor in kidney diseases) at Kamuzu Central Hospital Kidney Unit, Dr Mercy Mkandawire, said the late diagnosis of kidney failure in patients is the main challenge faced by the Unit.

“We have many people seeking medical care when it's too late and so far lack of enough kidney specialists is a burden to tackling the disease,” she said.

She also warned people against using herbs as a cure for kidney failure, saying herbal medicines exacerbate the problem.

During the meeting, the deputy minister also launched a renal protocol guideline, a document aimed at providing guidance on the management of kidney disease in the country.

The World Kidney Day was commemorated under the theme, ‘Kidney Health for All: Advancing Equitable Access to Care and Optimal Medication Practice’.

The event was supported by institutions such as Partners in Health, Malawi Red Cross Society and Civil Society Organization Nutrition Alliance, among others.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, March 14, Mana: Police in Dowa on Wednesday arrested two people at Dzaleka Refugee Camp for breaking and stealing items worth K3,650,000, which the police have since recovered.

Dowa Police Station Public Relations Officer Alice Sitima has identified the two as habitual criminal Steven Banda, 24, and Dera Levi, 30.

Sitima said on Sunday evening, 46-year-old Congolese national Ndume Makanjali reported to Dzaleka Police Unit that his house had been broken into by unknown criminals who went away with a 32-inch plasma television worth K340,000. 

“After confirming the incident at the crime scene, the police, while conducting patrols around the camp, intercepted Banda, carrying a sack-bag and, after a search, found the plasma television in question and a Techno cellphone.

“Upon interrogations, Banda admitted having committed the offense together with his accomplices whom he said used sharp objects to open a window. Further police investigations led to the arrest of his accomplice, Levi, and recovery of other items,” she said.

According to Sitima, the other recovered items include a Lifan motorcycle, a 32-inch Samsung plasma screen, two LED televisions, LG subwoofer, solar panel, and smart phones, amongst others.

Sitima has since said the two are in police custody and will appear in court soon to answer charges of burglary and theft.

Banda hails from Chinsapo Township in area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Malili in Lilongwe while Levi is from Mambala Village, T/A Mkukula in Dowa.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, March 14, Mana: Police in Dowa have arrested a 40-year-old woman for injuring her husband by pouring hot water on him after accusing him of having an extramarital affair.

Public Relations Officer for Dowa Police Station, Alice Sitima, said the woman, identified as Fanny Kapale from Doda Village in area of Traditional Authority Nkhumba in Phalombe District, is suspected to have committed the crime on March 13, 2024 at Mtimaukanena Village in Dowa.

Sitima said the victim, Joseph Billy Ngozo, 53, who is a guard and a businessman, reported to have met his fate upon arriving at his home after he went to collect money from his customers.

“When Ngozo went back home purportedly late, his wife got angry and started shouting and accusing him that he was late because he was having an extra-marital affair within the village.

“However, the husband tried to reason with her but to no avail. Subsequently, Kapale took a pot containing hot water and poured the water onto the chest and stomach of her husband, leaving him seriously injured,” said Sitima.

She said the matter was reported to Matowe Police Unit, which referred the victim to Dzaleka Health Centre for treatment.

The police publicist said Kapale will appear before court soon to answer a charge of acts intended to cause grievous harm.

By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, March 14, Mana:  Senior architect in the Buildings Department, Christopher Lindeire, has assured President Lazarus Chakwera that construction of a four-story M’mbelwa Office Complex worth K1.8 billion, which commenced in 2018, would be completed by end this year.

Speaking on Thursday when he briefed Chakwera during a tour of the project which is under construction, Lindeire said almost all construction works of the complex office have been completed.

“As you can see, the whole structural elements of this building are complete. What we are largely remaining with are finishing touches, such as plater which we are currently working on,” said Lindeire.

He added that upon completion, the office complex, which has 60 offices, will house all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) working under M’mbelwa District Council.

“The project was initially pegged at K1.8 billion but has been revised to K4.1 billion and we are awaiting approval from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) on this and once approval is granted, we expect to finish everything by the end of 2024,” he said.

Before touring the M’mbelwa District Council Office Complex, the President earlier toured 20,000 capacity M’mbelwa Stadium construction project.

Initial cost of the stadium construction was pegged at K2.5 billion and revised to K7 billion, which is also awaiting PPDA approval.

The President was accompanied by First Lady Monica Chakwera, Vice President Saulos Chilima and former Vice President Khumbo Kachali.

Government of Malawi is constructing the two projects through Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture.

By George Bulombola

Rumphi, March 13, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera says Thazima Gravity Piped Water Supply System Scheme will go a long way in enhancing environmental conservation at Nyika National Park and surrounding areas.

Chakwera was speaking Wednesday at Thazima in Rumphi when he inspected construction works of the US$4.5 million scheme.

The scheme is expected to serve about 18,000 people within seven and three trading centres in Rumphi and Mzimba respectively, once completed.

The President said while efforts to enhance environmental conservation at Nyika National Park are underway, deliberate efforts should be made to provide for communities around the park to ensure sustainability and ownership of various projects.

“There must be symbiotic relationship between whatever is being done in and around the park and community needs so that people should always appreciate the importance of taking part in promoting sustainable environment strategies as we strive to achieve Malawi 2063 which visualizes a self-reliant nation and urbanization,” said Chakwera.

He said much as the project will also promote sustainable tourism activities, tourism attractions on their own are not enough to create conducive atmosphere for tourism as communities surrounding such structures are also vital players in the sector.

Project Manager for Peace Parks Foundation, George Nyumayo, said people living in communities around the park face threats to their lives through exposure to dangerous animals as they go searching for water in the park.

Nyumayo said the scheme will reduce that challenge once completed.

“Once its operationalized, the intervention will also reduce long distances which people cover to get water from unprotected sources. It will also address issues of seasonal boreholes some of which yield salty water,” said Nyumayo.

A member of Nyika-Thazima Camp, Eliza Banda, described the project as a timely intervention to water and sanitation challenges which people in the area face.

“We are optimistic that the scheme will go a long way in reducing water borne diseases such as diarrhea, among others,” said Banda.

The project is aligned to Malawi 2063 through Enabler 7 which focuses on environmental sustainability through sustainable management of natural resources and ensuring improved water sources to rural communities.

Construction of the scheme commenced in April, 2023 and is expected to be completed by end June, 2024.

The project is co-financed by Federal Government of Germany through KFW Germany-SADC Corporation under Malawi-Zambia Trans frontier Conservation Area Project.

By George Mponda

Karonga, March 13, Mana: With the viral conjuctivitis outbreak wreaking havoc in Karonga, the district health office (DHO) has warned residents who have the condition commonly called 'pink eye' against using home remedies to treat the disease.

In an interview on Tuesday, Director of Health Services for Karonga, David Sibale, said reports reaching his office indicate that people have resorted to using unconventional ways to treat themselves.

The district has recorded 3,147 cumulative cases with 11 cases where patients have vision loss.

“Sadly, we have noted that people are using things like urine and hand sanitizers to treat themselves. This is very dangerous as urine contains a lot of bacteria, and pouring this into the eye, you will end up with serious eye conditions and even irreversible blindness," he said.

Sibale warned that it is possible to get gonorrhea in the eyes if they get in contact with infected fluids like urine leading to partial or complete loss of vision.

The DHO has intensified health talks in camps where flood victims are living to contain further spread of the disease.

Esther Mapomba, a flood survivor staying at Kambwe Noil Camp, said she learnt of the remedy years ago from her grandparents and alot of people are using it to treat themselves.

"Besides that, even if we go to a hospital or even here at the camp, there is no medicine provided to treat people with this condition. We are in pain, so we use urine which gives a burning feeling but helps clear up the eye and within two days you come back normal," Mapomba said.

A Karonga resident, Lumbani Mtawali, who has contracted the disease twice said he used his urine to wash his eyes the second time and claimed the strategy worked effectively.