In 2023, a group of ten young men from Mwenenguwe Village under Traditional Authority Kyungu in Karonga District cycled from their village to Lilongwe, the country’s capital, to appeal to the government for the construction of a health centre in their community.
The journey was not a recreational activity but an appeal to the government, companies and well-wishers to help them raise K60 Million to establish a health facility in the area. The initiative aimed to reduce the long distances residents travel to access medical services.
The ten young men undertook the journey hoping to draw attention to the community’s need for a health centre.
Upon arriving in Lilongwe, they were received by Frank Mwenifumbo, the current Member of Parliament for Karonga Central Constituency, who accompanied them to government offices to present their concerns.
However, their efforts did not yield immediate results, despite assurances from the government at the time that the health facility would be constructed.
After years of waiting, the people of Mwenenguwe are now set to have their long-awaited health centre constructed under the Reformed Constituency Development Fund (RCDF).
The development follows the introduction of the RCDF initiative, which President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika pledged during his campaign ahead of last year’s elections.
Speaking to Journalists on Friday after the handover of construction materials for the project, to the contractor to the site, Mwenenguwe Youth Group Secretary Smith Mwangomba commended the Mutharika administration for responding to the community’s concerns within a short period of taking office.
Mwangomba contrasted the current development with the experience under the previous administration.
“We are happy today that President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has addressed our concerns about the health centre. We cycled all the way from Karonga to Lilongwe in 2023 to present our appeal, but nothing happened,” said Mwangomba.
“This is a good development to our area as it will reduce long distances to the population of at least 10,000 cover when accessing health care to nearest health facilities,” he added.
He further said the role played by Mwenifumbo, who accompanied the group to the Capital Hill in Lilongwe, had contributed to the decision to construct the health centre through the RCDF initiative.
Mwangomba also thanked Mwenifumbo for considering the area for the development project.
Member of Parliament for Karonga Central Frank Mwenifumbo said he saw it important for the area to benefit the projects through RCDF considering the role the youth group played in advocating for Kasano Community Hospital.
Mwenifumbo also said the facility once finished would contribute towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), which seeks to ensure good health and well-being for all.
“For the country to achieve SDG 3 on good health and well-being, it is important to include a maternity wing at this community hospital because many women still give birth in unsuitable places,” he said.
Karonga District Commissioner Willard Mwambo emphasised the need for proper utilisation of funds, warning that mismanagement would be an injustice to the public.
“The Council will be closely monitoring every stage of construction to meet it’s required standards for quality work and not substandard.”
Commenting on the development, Paramount Chief Kyungu expressed gratitude for the project and urged the contractors for his dedication and commitment to work for the benefit of the community and the country.
He also appealed to community members to respect the contractors and refrain from stealing construction materials.
On her part, Founder of Foundation for Women and Girls Empowerment (FOWOGE) Christabel Munthali commended Karonga District Council for the launch of the construction of Kasano Health Centre.
“This is an important development for the people of Kasano and surrounding communities, particularly,” Munthali said.
By Rudovicko Nyirenda
