Lilongwe — Lilongwe City Centre Member of Parliament Gift Nankhuni on Tuesday delivered a forceful appeal in Parliament, calling on President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s government to protect and continue major development initiatives launched under former President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
Responding to the State of the Nation Address, Nankhuni warned against dismantling or abandoning programmes that, he said, had set new standards in education, infrastructure, and community development. Because Parliament sits in the heart of Lilongwe City Centre, the MP is locally known as “the Landlord,” a title he carried confidently as he addressed the House.
“You cannot take away the good things Chakwera did,” Nankhuni said, stressing that projects such as improved road networks, strengthened Constituency Development Funds, and new public infrastructure had left a measurable impact on the country. “We must protect these initiatives in law.”
Nankhuni, who is 50, told Parliament he had never witnessed development on the scale seen in recent years. He cited the upgraded road corridor from Lilongwe City Centre to Mzuzu as an example of improvements that, he argued, should guide future standards.
But his remarks soon extended beyond national politics. Turning his attention to major companies operating in Lilongwe, Nankhuni accused some institutions of making large profits while offering minimal contributions to communities around them.
He singled out the Lilongwe Water Board, saying the utility benefits from sewage infrastructure in Kauma while residents there face pollution and related hardships.
“All the waste from Lilongwe is dumped in Kauma,” he said. “People are suffering. What are you doing about it? Build a hospital there — it’s your responsibility.”
Nankhuni vowed to visit companies in the constituency and push them to invest directly in the welfare of local residents. “They must build schools. They must build hospitals. They must pay school fees,” he said. “That is my promise to the people of Lilongwe City Centre.”
He also took a moment to thank former legislator Alfred Jiya for maintaining the constituency “to the standard it is today.”
Nankhuni’s central message was clear: development should outlive political transitions, and private companies must play a meaningful role in improving the lives of Malawians.
