11 suspended as ACB probes Macra jobs

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has opened an investigation into the recruitment of 11 senior officers at Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra).

In an interview yesterday, ACB director general Reyneck Matemba said the graft-busting body received a complaint that the 11 were employed without following recruitment processes; hence, its move to investigate.

“We are investigating the way they were recruited at Macra,” he said.

In a communication to Macra director general Henry Shamu, Matemba has advised that the affected officers should stop working until the investigation was finalised.

The ACB probe comes hot on the heels of another investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman into alleged abuse of power and maladministration in the recruitment of some staff at Macra.

In a letter dated September 4 2020 addressed to Shamu, Ombudsman Martha Chizuma asked him to provide “a comprehensive response” on the allegations within 14days.

Besides alleging recruitment of direct relations, fellow Seventh Day Adventist faithful and acquaintances, the complaint to the Ombudsman about Shamu’s predecessor Godfrey Itaye claimed that some officers were recruited for non-existing positions and that some Democratic Progressive Party loyalists were given jobs without following the due process.

In a written response to our inquiry, Macra communications manager Clara Ngwira yesterday said: “These issues are under investigation by law enforcement agencies and, therefore, we cannot comment on them.”

Minister of Information Gospel Kazako, who is the official government spokesperson, is on record as having said that government will flush out all people who were employed dubiously in ministries, departments and agencies.