Minister Appeals for Public Feedback: "Don't Wait Until 2026"

Eastern Province Minister Peter Phiri has urged constituents to speak up about government shortcomings now, rather than waiting for the next election cycle.

Speaking at a development ceremony in Malambo constituency, Phiri drew a football analogy to make his point: "You who are in the stands, you are seeing the mistakes the players are making-the players can't see them."

The minister, who also serves as Malambo's MP, warned that staying silent until 2026 would waste precious development time. "If you sit quietly and say 'we shall see him in 2026', we are losing time," he told residents.

The appeal came during the distribution of government grants and loans worth over K6 million to local entrepreneurs and community groups in the rural constituency.

Local Government Minister Gift Sialubalo announced that 144 individuals and groups received funding this year, with 28 women and youth groups getting grants totalling K2.3 million, while 37 enterprises received loans worth K3.5 million.

Since 2022, the government has invested over K32 million in Malambo constituency alone, funding schools, clinics, roads, and water systems. The projects include 41 new boreholes and the procurement of over 8,000 school desks.

Phiri also revealed plans to split large constituencies like Malambo into smaller units, potentially doubling available development funding from K36.1 million to over K72 million.

"These constituencies are big," he explained, adding that boundary delimitation legislation is expected to come before Parliament soon.