By Mcloyd Chilangiza:
The construction cost of Mzuzu University (Mzuni) library has been revised upwards, to K29 billion from the initial amount of K27 billion, The Daily Times has established.
The government embarked on the construction of the library, auditorium and associated works complex in 2020 at an estimated cost of K7 billion.
However, the budget rose to K27 billion in 2025 amid delays caused by unresolved contractual disputes and delayed payment.
However, K14 billion has already been spent on the project, meaning that an additional K15 billion is needed to complete it following the cost revision.
The Malawi Government allocated K5 billion to the project in the 2026-27 financial year, in addition to the K2.5 billion allocated in 2025.
Mzuni Vice-Chancellor Wales Singini said the university and contractor, China State Construction Engineering Limited, had agreed on the revised project cost of K29 billion following negotiations but the contractor had yet to formally confirm the agreement.
He said a team comprising representatives of the institution, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) engaged an independent quantity surveyor, who established that K29 billion would be sufficient to complete the project, including the provision of furniture and books.
“The contractor was claiming that, for him to complete that library project, K33 billion is required and, in the process, the team felt that we needed to have an independent opinion on the cost moving forward,” Singini said.
He further said the contract for the revised cost was expected to be signed on October 5, 2026 but the contractor’s representatives declined to sign the resolutions, saying they did not have the authority to commit the company to the agreement.
Singini said the contractor had been asked to provide feedback by October 12, but had not responded by October 14, raising further uncertainty over when construction would resume.
“They refused again to sign those resolutions, indicating that the team that came had no power of attorney.
“Therefore, they were going to take whatever was agreed back to their bosses, who have the power of attorney to sign those resolutions,” he said.
In recent years, taxpayers have been overburdened by project cost escalations resulting from erratic government funding and contractual disputes.
For instance, the Marka-Bangula railway line in Nsanje started with an estimated cost of K65 billion, but the figure rose to K141 billion.
Meanwhile, the cost of rehabilitating the M1 Road from Lumbadzi in Lilongwe to the Northern Region, initially pegged at K273 billion, has also risen to over K313.8 billion.
Commenting on the development, National Advocacy Platform Chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said delays involving major contracts undermined national infrastructure development efforts.
Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure Chairperson, Dumisani Lindani said the committee would investigate the matter and comment after gathering the necessary evidence.
Education, Science and Technology Minister Bright Msaka, speaking during a tour of the facility, indicated that the project would resume after the government resolved the outstanding contractual issues.
The Mzuni Library was gutted by fire on December 18, 2015.