Every weekend, the country’s national stadiums bustle with social football matches, netball, aerobics and martial arts.
But beneath the vibrant sporting culture, lies a murky trail of unaccounted for cash and potential fraud.
Weekend Nation undercover investigation at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe and Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre has unveiled a revenue leak orchestrated by insiders.
Public Finance Management Act (2003) and Treasury Instructions 5.7.1(2004) state that “controlling officers of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) shall manage revenue efficiently and effectively by implementing appropriate processes that provide for identification, collection, recording, safeguarding and reconciliation of information in respect of revenue”.
But we have established that some funds collected as user fees from social sports matches are bypassing official channels, violating government financial protocols and starving the facilities of maintenance funding.
All the users we interviewed at Bingu National Stadium said they are issued generic receipts and not the Government General Receipt (GR) used by official agencies while at Kamuzu Stadium it’s cash-for-access.
A social football team official from Biwi Township we met at the Chinese-built stadium, showed us the generic receipt after paying K100 000 for a social football match.
“When entering the stadium, this is the receipt that the security guys check out. Once you show them, they usher you in,” he said.
An athlete based in Area 49, said she pays K10 000 per day to use the facility and the stadium officials issue the same receipts.
“All along we thought these were the official receipts from the Ministry of [Youth and] Sports,” she said.
Another user from Area 18 said they pay K50 000 to use volleyball facilities and are issued the same receipts.
At Kamuzu Stadium, the officials simply do not issue any receipts for the booking which is K40 000 for pitch hire and K20 000 for referees, according to social football matches and athletes we interviewed.
A Chitawira-based social team official said ever since they started using the facility, they have never been issued a receipt.
“The demand for use of the stadium is very high. You wait for several weeks just to book the facility. When that opportunity comes, what matters is that you pay the cash to the official on duty on that day.
“The stadium official, who is your contact point, collects the money and when you come to use it for the event, they simply check you out and then you go ahead,” he said.
Kamuzu Stadium sting: Cash deals for field time
To test the system, posing as a social football match organiser named “Patrick Mvula,” our undercover journalist approached a Kamuzu Stadium official on April 23 to book a social football match for two fictitious teams: Chilomoni Socials and Lumbira Socials. The official admitted in recorded conversations that staff rotated bookings and collected money for personal gain.
“Right now, there are a lot of activities going on. I will let you know when I have my slot,” he said.
The quote fee was K40 000 for pitch hire and K20 000 for referees, paid via mobile money directly to the official’s personal account on May 3. The match was scheduled for June 21. No official receipt was issued, but we kept the transactions.
Bingu Stadium: Ghost receipts and personal bookings
Another sting operation from May 19 to May 26 revealed similar abuses in Lilongwe.
This time, posing as “Maxy Kwenda,” we booked a football match between Gulliver Socials and Towers for May 25. A stadium officer demanded K100 000 for a two-hour slot.
When asked for a receipt, the officer claimed he could not issue any because accounts officers were attending a funeral.
Following our insistence for a receipt, a WhatsApp message followed—bearing a photo of a generic receipt, not the mandatory Government General Receipt, a development the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (Icam) says is a serious regulatory non-compliance.
Missing millions as facilities collapse
Both stadiums host 10 to 15 social matches per day, with fees ranging from K40 000 to K100 000 per match. That adds up to K1.5 million in a single day at Bingu. Yet, the facilities remain in disrepair.
At Bingu Stadium, Escom disconnected electricity in February over a K3 million unpaid bill while at Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre Water Board Water cut off water supply in April due to a K39 million debt.
Asked to comment, Ministry of Youth and Sports spokesperson MacMillan Mwale admitted the ministry had neither prior knowledge of the cash collection irregularities nor the use of unauthorised receipts.
“We will summon stadium managers to establish the facts and address this accordingly,” he said.
But this is not the first time the stadiums have been found in fraudulent activities.
A 2020 audit report covering 2018/19 flagged extensive revenue abuse at both stadiums, raising concerns about systemic financial mismanagement.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports recently cited inadequate financing to support maintenance and rehabilitation of its sports facilities, including Bingu and Kamuzu Stadium.
The ministry said the K100 million allocated to Bingu National Stadium and K35 million for Kamuzu Stadium in the 2024/25 National Budget was not enough.
In the 2025/26 financial year, Bingu stadium was allocated K186 million while Kamuzu Stadium got K80 million.
Meanwhile, Icam has called for an immediate forensic audit of the Ministry of Youth and Sports- owned Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe and Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
The professional accountancy body’s stance comes after The Nation investigation revealed a lack of accountability on funds for booking the facilities for social football and other activities.
Icam chief executive officer Noel Zigowa called on government to immediately institute an independent forensic audit of the two facilities.
He said: “The current practices at Bingu National Stadium undermine financial integrity and public accountability. Immediate reforms, both at the institutional and government level, are essential to restore trust and ensure that public resources are managed responsibly.
“The use of unofficial, unnumbered receipts and delays in issuing proof of payment for facility hire at Bingu National Stadium presents serious risks.
“Without traceable receipts, there is no verifiable audit trail, making it difficult to confirm whether funds are deposited into government accounts. The absence of official documentation creates opportunities for misappropriation or embezzlement of public funds.”
Zigowa said failing to issue mandatory General Receipts is a serious regulatory non-compliance.
