Africa-Press – Zambia. The Chiawa Royal Establishment Council in Kafue District has bemoaned the slow pace at which development has been taking root in Chiawa chiefdom. Council Chairperson Boniface Chiawa says the chiefdom for many years has lagged behind in development and other social amenities.
Mr Chiawa told Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary, Robert Kamalata when he paid courtesy call on the council that the chiefdom has continued to travel long distances to Kafue town where residents have to spend a lot of money to access social services such as getting the National Registration Cards.
Mr Chiawa said the scenario has proved to be a challenge for the subjects who have to be subjected to travel on poor roads. The chairperson pointed out that the area has a number of investors who are not ploughing back to the community.
“Chiawa has more than 50 lodges, not even a coin is ploughed back to this chiefdom” he said. Mr Chiawa however said the chiefdom has identified land where a sub district centre can be established.
“The establishment has given land to the government and we are just waiting for the government to start the work.
Government working together with the Royal Establishment Council has agreed to establish a sub-district centre that will help spur development in the chiefdom.
And Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary, Robert Kamalata who met the Royal Establishment to actualize the process of establishing a sub-district centre said government is keen to bringing services to the area that will benefit the local community.
Mr Kamalata added that Chiawa chiefdom has been a challenge to decentralize owing to the unplanned settlement. “It has also been difficult to deliver development to this area because of its location and that is why we want to establish a sub-centre that will house different social amenities,” Mr Kamalata said.
The Permanent Secretary added that the establishment of the sub-centre will ease the challenges the people of Chiawa were facing. He added that government is aware of the many challenges the community was facing such as the road network and that the process of re-engaging the contractor to resume the works on the road was underway.
And Provincial Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Officer, Bestone Mboozi has commended the Royal Establishment for allocating land for development purposes. Mr Mboozi said other traditional leaders should emulate the gesture by the Chiawa Chiefdom.
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