By Deogratias Mmana:
As President Lazarus Chakwera delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) in which he recounted what his government has achieved so far, an analysis of his previous addresses shows a raft of promises whose fulfilment Malawians are yet to see.
For example, giving his 2022-2023 Sona which was titled ‘Fixing the systems to deliver long term priorities and diffuse short pressures’, Chakwera promised to fix public service systems to usher the country into a new future.
Today, Malawi’s public service system remains weak and inefficient.
This is showcased in a number of surveys including those by the Afrobarometer and Transparency International.
For instance, a Transparency International report released this week shows that Malawi is stuck among some of the most corrupt countries in the world and Malawians feel corruption has worsened in the country over the years.
Complaints abound of the struggles Malawians are going through to access services in public hospitals, at the Immigration Department, the Road Traffic Directorate and National Registration Bureau, among many other public offices.
In addition, while the administration has overseen construction of some of the major roads especially in the Capital City, Lilongwe, the larger picture remains that of the bad state of Malawi’s roads.
As we recently revealed in one of our reports, the government is unable to fix the roads in part because of lack of money. The Roads Fund Administration told Malawi News that Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) owes it K161 billion in non-remitted fuel levy.
These funds are used in road construction and rehabilitation but Mera is failing to collect the levy as the government is refusing to increase fuel price fearing political repercussions.
In his 2022-2023 Sona, the President announced that his government had started establishing job creation centres in four cities to give job seekers easy access to employment opportunities. There is no information whether those centres have accelerated access to jobs.
In the same 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Chakwera administration promised to construct the Orton Chirwa Airport in Mzuzu. He said financing for a feasibility study on the project had been provided through a grant aid from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badea) and Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec). Malawians still await the project.
In his inaugural Sona in September 2020, Chakwera promised to deliver 900 health posts across the country. By 2022, only 55 health posts were under construction and 145 were to start in 2022-2023. Many rural populations still struggle to access health services as the full amount of the 900 health posts is yet to be delivered.
In 2022-2023 Sona, the President promised 34 secondary schools of excellence with Chikwawa, Phalombe, Nkhotakota, Mangochi, Lilongwe and Rumphi being the first six. Chakwera just laid a foundation stone in Lilongwe last week to kick-start the project.
The President also promised to construct a 24-floor twin tower office building at Capital Hill to house ministries that have no base. That promise awaits fulfilment.
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