Speaking during the handover ceremony of the houses at Mzuzu Prison Grounds, Deputy Mayor for Mzuzu City, Tony Mwenitete said the lack of proper accommodation for the Malawi Prison Services employees at the institution posed a security risk to the workers.
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“Though we have some staff houses at the institution, they are very old, dilapidated, and not suitable for officers to live in during these millennium times.
At the same time, those who live in locations are at risk of being attacked by relatives of friends of those serving different sentences at this prison and even by ex-convicts,” he said.
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Chief Commissioner of Police for the North, Wandika Phiri said the lack of decent housing close to the facility made it difficult for the facility to respond timely to emergencies.
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“Since the officers used to reside in different residential areas, it was hard to assemble themselves in case of a security emergency. However, with these houses, we are sure that we will not face such challenges again. My plea, however, is for my colleagues to take care of the houses so that they last long,” she said.
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Deputy Minister of Lands, Deus Gumba said that by nature of the officers’ job, just like any other security institution, prison officers ought to live on campus for them to easily discharge their duties.
“Leaving them to mingle with civilian communities will have their discipline compromised as men in uniform, hence the government’s decision to construct decent houses for our security agencies across the country,” he said.
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Gumba who was in the company of Minister of Homeland Security, Jean Sendeza, commended Chinese Owned Hua Long Construction Company for completing the construction of the houses within the agreed time frame.
“The construction of these houses is part of the government’s commitment to construct 10,000 modern houses for all security agencies in the country by 2025,” he said.