By Vincent Khonje

Mchinji, August 8, Mana: Mchinji District Council has officially launched various projects worth K1.1 billion under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) programme.

The projects were officially launched on Wednesday and among key projects is the construction of a youth Centre at Mkanda, pegged at K126 million.

The district secured the K1.1 billion performance-based grant (PBG) under GESD.

Speaking at the launch, Mchinji District Commissioner Lucia Chidalengwa emphasized the council’s commitment to completing the projects.

"We are dedicated to ensuring these projects are completed on time and to the highest standards. We are hopeful that the projects will be completed by November this year," Chidalengwa said.

Council Chairperson, Dorothy Musa, issued a stern warning to contractors involved, cautioning them against misusing the allocated funds.

She stressed that the council would closely monitor the projects to ensure transparency and accountability.

"We will not tolerate any misuse of these funds. Contractors must deliver quality work within the stipulated timeframe. If anyone fails to meet these expectations, they will face the full force of the law," Musa warned.

Echoing Musa's sentiments, Member of Parliament for Mchinji North, Racheal Mazombwe Zulu, reiterated the importance of the projects for the community and asked the council to ensure they are completed.

“I urge the community to make checks and balances and report any wrongdoing by the contractors. I also ask the council to make sure that the projects do not stall as most of the time some contractors do not finish projects,” said Zulu.

Chairperson for Mkanda Youth Network, Joseph Benson, said they have been looking for a youth Centre for a long time.

“We tried to construct a youth Centre on our own but we failed to finish. It is good that we have now benefitted from GESD and we will have a youth Centre where we will be meeting as young people,” said Benson.

GESD is a $100,000 million grant from the World Bank and is implemented by all qualifying local authorities through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC).