BY DRAXON MALOYA

In a bid to ensure that learners don’t walk long distances to school a patriotic citizens from Usisya in the Nkhata-Bay North Constituency, Mackenzie Nkhwazi Chipalamoto has just completed constructing a kitchen block at Usisyá Community Day Secondary School.

The construction of a kitchen comes at a time when the rains have continuously disrupted the teaching and learning at the school since students could not go to class without eating hence chiefs approached Chipalamoto to assist.

In an interview, Chipalamoto who is an engineer by profession said the construction of a kitchen compliments the teaching and learning environment for girls who resides at the school’s boarding facility.

“When chiefs approached me it felt duty-bound responsible to contribute something to my home area which is lacking a lot, apart from paying school fees for a good number of learners in primary, secondary school and universities i also decided to build the kitchen structure to ease challenges encountered at the girl’s hostel,” Chipalamoto said.

He further stressed the need for government to speed up the plans to construct an all-weather road to Usisya which has the potential to boost the country’s tourism industry in line with the Malawi Vision 2063.

“We are continuously crying to the government day and night to consider speeding up plans to construct an all-weather road to Usisya, we have very nice fishing grounds and the potential to boost our economy through hospitality attractions as stipulated in Malawi Vission 2063,” he said.

Asked if he has plans to contest in the 2025 parliamentary elections, the soft-speaking Chipalamoto couldn’t commit himself though he was quick to say that he is always available to provide his services if the people of the Nkhata-Bay North constituency find it wise and necessary to do so.

Usisya is among several areas in the country’s northern region which are usually completely cut from the rest of the country during the rainy season due to a very poor road network affecting even the health service delivery.

The area has a health centre which is failing to be upgraded into a Rural Hospital due to inadequate funding and it has run for more than 3 years without water following the breakdown of its water pump.

Nkhata-Bay North constituency has for so long produced unsatisfactory education results due to among others long-distance travel among learners and early pregnancies among girls.