By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –

AUTHORITIES at Kamfinsa Female Prison in Kitwe are seeking help to have the dysfunctional electrical kitchen at the state-facility renovated.
The kitchen ceased to function last year when fire caused by an electrical fault, swept through the facility and severely damaged one of the two electrical pots that were being used for cooking and the roof.
Officer-In-Charge Espinah Choba said the prison was now relying on fire wood for cooking meals and this was proving a big challenge to the institution.
Ms Choba said the kitchen was gutted last year in April and had not been renovated since then making them depend on fire wood as a source of energy for cooking.
She said this over the weekend when a group of ladies from Lawrence Sikutwa and Associates (LSA) Group of Companies donated a range of food and groceries worth about K10,000 to the institution in commemoration of International Women’s Day, which fell last Saturday.
“Right now we are depending on off-cuts which we pick from saw-millers around this area because if we turn to the forest, there is going to be a big cry from the Forestry Department that we are causing deforestation,” she said.
Ms Choba said the non-functioning of the electrical kitchen was sometimes making the prison fail to cook especially on days when it was raining heavily and prisoners could not have access to fire wood.
She said there was need for the renovation of the gutted kitchen so that it could start operating normally and save the prison from the trouble of fetching fire wood.
“We would be very much grateful if well-wishers can come to our aid and help fix the kitchen,” she said.