Linda Kwanjana
In December 2020, Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera launched Security Housing project in Karonga.
The project meant to build 10 000 houses of which 4,000 belong to Malawi Defence Force while Malawi Police Service will have 4,000 each and the Prison Service and Immigration will have 1,000 each.
The project has two categories of houses and these includes Senior staff houses which have three bedrooms, including a master bedroom ensuite and a carport while those for junior staff will also have three bedrooms, but with common washrooms.
And launching the housing project, the President urged contractors to do the work to the required standard, on time and within the budget without any leakages or corruption.
During the launch Chakwera said the five-year project is part of the Tonse Alliance administration’s delivery of the one million jobs, envisaging that it will trigger the mobility of capital, the generation of business transactions, and the increase of incomes.
True to his word, Minister of Lands, Deus Gumba has started handing over the houses to their rightful owners.
He has already handed over the houses in Jenda and Mangochi.
Speaking in Jenda, Gumba, acknowledged that security agencies in the country are experiencing acute shortage of staff houses.
He said the construction of the houses follows the launch of the project in 2020 where government was to construct 10,000 houses for security institutions across the country.
Gumba said most of the houses earmarked in the first phase totaling around 1,000 are almost at finishing level.
He said government realizes that security officers are supposed to operate from one base so that they are able to respond to emergencies.
While praising government for the construction of the houses,
Deputy Inspector General of Police responsible for administration, Happy Mkandawire however said government should expedite the construction of houses in other police stations which are equally experiencing acute shortage of housing.
Before the ten houses were constructed at Jenda, the station had three houses against a workforce of 97.
