Malata, Cement Subsidy Programme To Reach 15,000 Houses By April

Atupele Muluzi

Government expects to reach a record of Fifteen Thousand , Four Hundred and Forty houses by April next year through the decent and affordable housing programme.

Atupele Muluzi, Minister of Lands and Housing said during his ministerial statement in the National Assembly on the Decent and Affordable Housing: Cement and Malata Subsidy Programe that 6900 houses are at different levels of construction across the country 

“And as am speaking the number is growing up each and every day” he added

Speaking about some details of the programme, Muluzi said Government is in the process of capturing data to enable proper identification of the location of each beneficiary and that the data base will be ready by this month.

Hon. Atupele indicated that as the first phase of the project is near completion by the month of April in 2015 the Minister said he anticipate the number to reach 15, 440 houses.

Muluzi greeting beneficiary before interview 

His statement was brought in the update legislatures on what has been achieved, explain to Malawians what the programme seeks to do so as to end some understanding that people have pertaining the programme as well as dispel some misleading statements. 

Muluzi also pledge to present additional data to the house of all houses to be constructed under the programme in order to comply to achieve transparency and accountability.

Muluzi who brought beneficiary families to the Parliament from M’bwatalika in Lilongwe, said the Programe is also changing people’s lives.

However the statement was welcomed with mixed views especially from the opposition parties. Among them was Salima West Legislature, Jessie Kabwila, who expressed dissatisfaction with the information from the minister for lacking transparency and accountability on the names of the contractors working in the supply of the materials for the programme.

“The minister instead of him telling us the status of subsidy transparently, expose who are the people getting the contracts there who is trading. Because we all know there is set of people, we hear names like the Mulli’s and whoever is there.” He said 

He said the programme is not benefiting all Malawians and bringing to parliament five families was cheep politics.

“People are suffering in this country. Instead of coming when you know that this programme is being used to politicize this country and siphon government money to be used for the political party purposes, you come here and said I have brought five people the programme is working, No!”

“We are saying tell us how many people have benefited, and tell us who is trading? Because we want is that there should be equity.”

He said the programme is happening in her constituency but people in her area says would rather have had a much more constituency wide response to housing.

He also said the figures of the subsidy beneficiaries they don’t agree with calculations that they should have reached this far.

“So we would like to know what is happening to part of the money you already received. So it’s an issue of fiscal discipline. Remember we are in the country that is where it is especially because of Cahsgate 

What we want to make sure is that we don’t have this cashgate going on and then we wake up five years from today.” She said