Displaced Luombwa community appeals for land

——–Displaced villagers in Luombwa area in Serenje district in Central Province have appealed to government to quickly allocate them land in Musanagashi Reserve Forest Area.

 

The 300 families do not have permanent settlement since 2013 when they were displaced by a foreign investor in the Luombwa farming block.

 

Speaking to Serenje District Commissioner, Charles Mwelwa, when he visited the displaced villagers recently to assess the hunger situation in the area, Luombwa Displaced Committee Chairperson, Jackson Chilufya, said the people in the area are facing a critical shortage of maize and are asking for government to send them relief food.

 

Mr Chilufya said the people in the area were being exploited as they are buying a gallon of maize at K10.00 and finger millet at K7.00 per gallon.

 

He said the villagers are tired and fed up of asking for relief maize from government every year.

 

“We are tired and fed up of this situation of asking   for relief food from   government hence our appeal to give us land in Musanagashi Reserve Forest Area so that we can start farming and sustain our families.

 

We are not respected by those who have land where they are doing farming activities,” said Mr Chiluyfa.

 

The chairperson also appealed to the government to construct a school and a health centre as people in the area are accessing education and health facilities from  Kabundi School while the  clinic which is about 20 km away.

 

And District Commissioner, Charles Mwelwa, said government has released money to construct a school in the area and called on the community to organise themselves and find a suitable place where the learning institution can be constructed.

 

Mr Mwelwa said his office has already written to the Central Province Coordinating Officer for Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to send relief maize in all the hunger-stricken areas in Serenje and Chitambo districts.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Mwelwa has also invited the District Disaster Management Committee for the continuation of the disaster meeting to be held in his office on Wednesday, next week, whose agenda is to identify some areas negatively affected by hunger.