Neno citizens accuse NGO’s for bringing in anarchy

By Robert Kumwenda and Orchestra Kamanga

Neno citizens have accused National Electoral Support Trust (NEST), National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) and Wolrec for bringing in anarchy in Neno.

The concerned citizens say the three organizations have abandoned their duties which they were assigned to do and are interfering in public works program and fertilizer subsidy program.

One of the concerned citizens’ group village SitalaThamiso said Matterson Simeon and Joseph Jesitala hijack programmes such as fertilizer subsidy and public works programmes.

He said Wolrec just came to Neno to confuse and destroy the area of TA Chekucheku.

Another concerned citizen Village DondaKang’ombe also said the organizations are interfering in the family affairs of the people in the area of TA Chekucheku.

“NiICE and Wolrec are confusing and destroying the area surprisingly they are not doing this in TA Symon,  TA Dambe and TA Mlauli’s areas,” he lamented .

The concerned citizens said things were going on smoothly when Steven Nkoka was at NICE but the coming in of Owen Mwalumbunju changed everything at Neno District Council during the Joyce Banda administration as Executive Director.

They also said that when miss dafter was working at Neno as Project Officer things were going on smoothly but when MrChiwaya came in things were not operating professionally.

“They elevate chiefs  together with the District Commissioner (DC) Memory Kaleso Monteiro, Alick Milanzi and Mrchiwaya,” Said group Village Thamiso.

Meanwhile in a related development the Chekucheku family has accused NEST for interfering in their chieftancy.

This follows reports that NEST Executive Director Unandi Banda and Kathamalo conducted a meeting at Nadzanga Primary School on 23 October 2015 where they elected Dickson Kafa who works at Neno District Council market to represent them as acting chief at the city council in a move to achieve their selfish desires to remove chief Chekucheku.

The concerned citizens are asking the spokesperson in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Mushawase Mughogho to investigate the truth about Chekucheku chieftaincy to report the truth to the Minister and the Principal Secretary (PS).

Another  concern is that on 10^th October 2016 officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development came to Neno to pay salaries for group village headmen surprisingly they only paid to people who does not work with the TA.

Worse still village headmen that were paid are not on government par role.

The concerned citizens also want the NGO Board to come to Neno District councilto investigate the matter through group village headmen.

Attempts to talk to the accuse persons proved futile as they could not be reached on their mobile phones.