By Jordan Simeon-Phiri, MEC Stringer
Madame Tadala Chihana, wife to the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) President Enoch Chihana has become the first party president wife to drum up support for their Parliamentary candidate in the forth impending by-election in Karonga Northwest Constituency the Malawi Electoral Commission will conduct on March 30.
Through the party’s charitable arm, AFORD Victory Queens (AVQ) Chihana graced by the party’s vice president Greenwell Mwamondwe and the Parliamentary candidate Fwasani Silungwe on Monday provided material and monetary support to the elderly in Mangwe village in the area of Paramount Chief Kyungu.
Speaking at the event before handing over mattresses, blankets, soap, cooking oil, sugar and salt, Chihana who is also AVQ’s matron said the charitable organisation which was established last year is there to give hope to the hopeless and provide support to the vulnerable and underprivileged.
She said: “This institution was established to do charity work. We have been doing this since last year where on monthly basis, we identify a district to reach out to the needy and this month we are in Chikwawa. We have found ourselves here at the request of the AFORD Parliamentary candidate Fwasani Silungwe who asked us to come and visit our grandfathers and mothers here.
“We are, therefore, glad that we have donated assorted items here and took the opportunity to urge them to vote for their own son whose development community work track record is clean”.
On his part, one of the beneficiaries Ephraim Kamwambi, 89 thanked Chihana for the donation, saying they came at the right time.
Taking his turn, Silungwe who is the current Mbande area development committee (ADC) chairperson said it is pathetic to note that people in the village which is at a stone’s throw away distance from the lake are disconnected from clean water due to high tariffs which he said are higher than the price of pump fuel.
Coincidentally, the elderly’s house whose ground hosted the event, had its water meter disconnected long time ago and they draw water from unprotected sources.
Silungwe said once voted into power, he will vigilantly fight for the prices to go down, he will renovate the old town hospital to reduce the long distance that patients walk to Karonga District hospital and construct a secondary school so that girls do not walk long distances to either Maghemo and Baka Secondary schools.
“It is unfortunate that these houses are very close to the lake yet they are not connected due to high charges of water tariffs. If elected on March 30, I will sorely fight for the charges to go down. I will also fight for modern fishing equipment and facilitate the establishment of a fish market at the Boma where fishermen will be selling the fish,” he said.
