Kalulushi in unprecedented development

•Some of the infrastructure development in Kalulushi.

•Some of the infrastructure development in Kalulushi.

FRANK CHING’AMBU –

IN a bid to make decentralisation a reality, Government through its Expansionary Fiscal Policy embarked on vigorous developmental projects aimed at transforming various districts across the country.
Located 46km away from Kitwe, Kalulushi like many other districts in the country is one place that has received unprecedented development befitting its status.
The mining town has in the last four years seen a new birth in infrastructure development in the health, education, tourism, road, agriculture, economic, water among other sectors.
Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Howard Sikwela who recently toured the district to check on the progress of various projects which Government initiated said Government was in a hurry to bring services closer to its people’s door steps.
Rev Sikwela added that this; can be attested by the massive infrastructure development that is currently going on in the country where no single angle has been omitted.
“The aim of Government is to see to it that no part of this nation is left out as with regards to development, which in the long run will improve service delivery to all citizens in this beautiful and peaceful nation.
The works here in Kalulushi and other districts in the province are spectacular, they are really impressing and this makes me proud as provincial Permanent Secretary as they are testament to Government’s burning aspiration to develop the country,” he said.
He added that for many years, the people of Kalulushi District solely depended on mining for their survival but that Government through various empowerment programmes such as the women and youth, and the social cash transfer have provided people in the area with opportunities to venture into multiple business activities which have positively changed their livelihood.
In the education sector, Government was constructing an Ultra-modern Chati South Boarding Secondary school which is the first of its kind in the district at a cost of K44million kwacha.
Once completed, the facility was expected to reduce the distances which pupils in the district previously used to cover as they longed to access the education service.
The boarding school that includes 22 staff houses,13 classrooms and a modern school hall will not only accommodate pupils from Kalulushi but surrounding districts such as Lufwanyama, Kitwe and, Luanshya among others.
Kalulushi District Education Standards Officer (DESO), Edith Siame thanked Government for having recognised the challenges that pupils in the district were faced with adding that the boarding school is a landmark in the promotion of girl child education.
She disclosed to ZANIS in an interview that the girl child in the district, particularly those in both Chat North and South areas covered long distances to access the service,a situation she described as history to be after the completion of the learning facility.
She further said that the construction of the boarding school in the area will supplement Government’s efforts to support the girl child education through improved service delivery in conducive environment.
She also said the completion of the boarding school would reduce on the expenditure that parents incurred when sending their children to schools in other districts such Lufwanyama and Kitwe.
“Construction of this first ever boarding school in Kalulushi demonstrates Government’s efforts to increase access to decent secondary education to the girl child here in Kalulushi as the facility will reduce on the long distances our children used to cover.We are very thankful to Government for having recognised us as a district by giving such a modern structure, it will have a positive impact on academic performances of our children,’ she said.
The development has cheered pupils who disclosed that they are looking forward to the opening of the school as they have been waiting for such a facility from time immemorial.
Isaac Banda who communicates every day to and from Chat day Secondary school which is quiet far from his homesaid the money he spends on fares could have been used to meet other expenses at home if Kalulushi had enough secondary schools.
He, is however, optimistic the school will be completed in the stipulated time and allow pupils from the district access boarding services locally adding that it will also help them improve on their academic performances.
“It is encouraging to have a boarding school here, before, we used to and we are still covering long distances to school. This is really affecting our performance as pupils because we reach schools when we are already tired and this affects our performance.
My appeal to Government is that let there be close monitoring so that the contractor expedites the works and complete within the given time frame or before so that we start using the school because we are spending a lot in terms of transport,” Banda said.
In the health sector, Government has built nine health posts of which five are already operational as four others awaits commissioning.
The nine health posts are part of the 650 health posts which government is constructing across the country. The health posts have already started yielding Government’s goal to havehealth services in the mining town.
The construction of these health posts in Kalulushi will consequently lead to the reduction of mortality and contribute towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Initiative on accelerating the reduction of maternal, Neonatal and child mortality whose rate is currently at 398 per 100,000 births.
The move has brought smiles on the faces of residents in the district as they can now boast of being in possession of some of the state of the art health facilities which they longed for; for a number of years.
“This means millions to the people of Kalulushi who moved thousands of miles to access medical facilities at the district hospital or clinics which were only available in town but now the long distances will never be covered with the coming of these health posts.
We salute government for bringing the health services closer to its people especially us in far flung areas. Governments have come and gone of which we never witnessed such developments in the sector, there has been situations where people gave birth on their way to the clinic or hospital a situation which did not show respect to us women at all,” Justina Mambwe,a beneficiary, at the newly constructed Chembe North health post said.
For a long time the district has been serviced with water from the neighbouring Kitwe, a situation that postured numerous challenges to the people in the area when it comes to accessing the essential commodity.
These challenges, however, will soon be curtailed as Government in partnership with African Development Bank (ADB) has spent 9million Kwacha to connect the mining town to its own water source.
In its quest to meet the 1,000,000 jobs targeted in the “Industrialisation and Job Creation Strategy” which the tourism sector has the task to create 300,000 formal jobs, the Ministry of Tourism has started refurbishing infrastructure at Chembe bird sanctuary where over two million has been spent so far in for restocking of a variety of animal species.
So far, the site has created over 50 jobs and the number is likely to swell to over 300 as Government kick starts the construction of new infrastructure to ensure that Chembe becomes a full-fledged tourism site.
Belinda Tembo, a National Heritage Officer in charge of Chembes Bird Sanctuary explains that Government has started a process of refurbishing infrastructure at the site before it is a variety of different species of animals are brought to the site.
She further explained that among the infrastructure that have seen a face lift include the ticketing office, ablution block, and the control house and fencing with wire. Before the site is connected to the national electricity grid, Government has procured a modern generator to supply power to the entire area.
To ensure a full supply of clean water, a bole hole worthy millions of kwacha has been sunk and works on relation places such as gardens are progressing well.
“We have already started generating funds here despite not having fully refurbished the infrastructure at the site, this is really an indication that people are eager to start visiting the place and do away with the pressure that they go through.
We hope to construct two lodges which will about 300 direct jobs and about 200 indirect jobs. Talking about indirect jobs, we are going to allow farmers supply their produce to the lodges thus shortening on the distances they cover to take their agricultural products to market places,”Ms Tembo said.
Motorists in the district have also benefited from the construction and rehabilitation of 20.75kilometres urban roads to bituminous standard.
Kelvin Nyamanswayi said the roads have not only reduced tear and wear on vehicles but have also added value and beauty to the town of Kalulushi.
“Roads are looking nice, our vehicles will now last long due to the fact that they being driven on better roads, the only we have to Government through our local council is that let them put some speed humps on these roads as some of us will now take advantage of the good roads by over speeding,” Nyamanswayi observed.
In order to promote agriculture in the district, government has also constructed a Dip tank and Livestock Service Centre in Chati area.

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