Communities give Karonga District Council 7 days to return “unlawfully sold lifesaving health assets”

By Winkly Mwaulambo

Communities in Karonga have demanded the immediate return of what they describe as “unlawfully sold lifesaving health assets” by the Karonga District Council.

The assets in question, donated by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), were reportedly sold without following proper procedures or conducting consultations with the affected communities.

On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, members from Fulirwa, Hara, and Lwezga health centres issued a joint press statement demanding accountability, the recovery of the sold health equipment, and an independent investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) into the procedures followed during the sale.

The assets sold at a public auction included tricycles and a fully equipped ambulance fitted with an oxygen concentrator and a medical box. These were donated through the UK Aid Match (UKAM) project in partnership with Christian Aid, the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS), and Adventist Health Services (AHS), with funding from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

“This initiative significantly improved maternal, neonatal, and child health outcomes for over 40,000 vulnerable pregnant women and babies in Karonga. Through strengthened healthcare systems, the project enhanced demand, access, and quality of care, leading to a marked reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity,” the statement reads in part.

The statement further calls on the Karonga District Council to immediately convene a stakeholder meeting, including concerned community members and the media, to account for its adherence to government asset disposal procedures and to justify the sale of the health assets without replacing them.

Commenting on the matter, Zebedee Mvula from Fulirwa Health Centre said the council’s actions have violated the community’s right to health, adding that people feel as though they have been robbed of resources meant to save lives.

“We tried to follow up on the matter, but the responses we’ve received are not convincing. When we asked the Director of Health and Social Services for Karonga, David Sibale, he told us he had only heard that the district council was selling motorbikes and an ambulance—not the tricycles donated by NGOs—and promised to look into it. But up to now, there has been no feedback,” Mvula said.

“This is why we decided to involve the media to help amplify our voices and push for the return of these assets to our health facilities,” he added.

Mvula further warned that if the council fails to act within seven days, they will escalate the issue by involving other organizations to help them reclaim the assets.

In response, Karonga District Council spokesperson George Mponda said the council passed a resolution on February 10, 2025, to publicly auction all obsolete and idle items.

“Following the resolution, we began by listing all items deemed obsolete. We visited all sectors and health centres to identify such items,” Mponda said.

He added that the council followed all required procedures and wrote to the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA), which gave them the go-ahead after determining there were no objections due to the low value of the items.

Mponda also said the council is open to meeting stakeholders to explain the process and welcomes any investigation by the ACB.

Meanwhile, Griffin Nyirongo, Programmes Officer for FOCUS, said the sale of the assets violates the health rights that communities are entitled to enjoy.