By Vincent Gunde
A Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district, Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has reported to President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera that Affordable Input Programme (AIP) is benefiting more of urban MCP members than those living in the rural areas.
Kamphangala said it is not surprising that the 5 years of President Chakwera in government has registered zero achievement for the country’s food security because AIP was not fully utilized for its intended purpose rather than the MCP itself politicizing it.
He said he has reported this to President Chakwera so that he should not labour himself to outline the achievements of the AIP while on the ground there is zero and this has made many people in the rural areas to publicly declare that Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika was better than President Chakwera.
The MCP diehard has claimed that in the newly created Dowa Central East Constituency, only 8 people were recorded as beneficiaries from 4 Group village heads because the area had no incumbent Member of Parliament.
He said with the demarcation of new constituencies, areas preferred by the incumbent MCP Parliamentarians to win are benefiting more of relief food items and AIP neglecting the other side as not important.
Kamphangala has observed that in Lilongwe City Central Constituency, which was demarcated into 5 constituencies, areas of incumbent parliamentarians have enjoyed the lion share of food distribution and AIP neglecting other areas which have no representatives in Parliament.
He has given an example of Lilongwe City Nankhaka constituency where Alfred Jiya is standing, most of the relief food and AIP beneficiaries singing a popular song “Boma ndilomweli silikuchoka” the area has benefited more and civil servants including all teachers of this area are all in celebrations.
The MCP diehard said he visited two AIP distribution centres at Mtsiriza and Mvama schools in the City of Lilongwe where AIP meant for the 2024/2025 beneficiaries are redeeming their fertilizers in an exercise which started on 11th and is ending on the 17th March, 2025.
He has asked President Chakwera to explain to Malawians convincing reasons why AIP Fertilizer distribution is being conducted now in March when most of the maize has reached tasseling stage and the reasons behind the delay.
“Are we serious as a country, fertilizer instead of being distributed in September or October, government is distributing it to the beneficiaries in March,” questioned Kamphangala.
He said a visit to Mtsiriza and Mvama in Lilongwe has seen that one person is redeeming 10 bags of fertilizer and selling it at the same spot at K70,000 each and after making inquiries, he was told that he is a member of the Area’s Civil Protection Committee.
Kamphangala said it is heartbreaking to see that people who could have benefited with AIP in the villages one or two people, received out of the whole village and in the urban centres, there is free for all fertilizer to MCP members and teachers who do not have any piece of land for cultivation.
He has asked MBC management not to show pictures of AIP successes in the villages, it is an insult to them and above all deceiving President Chakwera who in turn, will carry on his shoulders bags of insults and castigations over the same AIP.
