Blantyre Water Board (BWB) board of directors yesterday appeared before Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC), but declined to respond to allegations of maladministration raised by concerned employees, citing lack of signatures on the petition.
The development prompted PAC to adjourn the meeting and ask the board to prepare for another engagement.
BWB employees petitioned the committee in a letter dated October 14 2026 and accused the board of interfering in operational matters, manipulating procurement processes, ordering irregular payments to suppliers and abusing public resources.
They also raised concerns over alleged irregular transfers of employees, mandatory administrative leave imposed on management, the dismissal of the former chief executive officer Yeremiah Chihana and the awarding of contracts to companies.
The petitioners said they did not sign the letter for fear of reprisals from board chairperson Stanley Chirwa.
But during the meeting at Parliament Building in Lilongwe yesterday, Chirwa told the committee that the board was uncomfortable discussing its resolutions and other internal matters, arguing that members had taken an oath not to disclose certain information to the public.
PAC chairperson Felix Njawala urged the board to explain the regulations and procedures governing its decisions, including the placement of officials on mandatory administrative leave.
But Chirwa, a private practice lawyer, said the board could not discuss administrative leave and suspension because the matters were before the Industrial Relations Court, warning that doing so could breach the sub judice rule.
“Going into those matters can be an attempt to relitigate the matter in a different forum, and it can also offend the sub judice rule. Due to that reason, we cannot respond to the question which was raised,” he said.
Chirwa also questioned the credibility of the anonymous petition, claiming it was unsupported by evidence and could have been motivated by political propaganda or personal vendettas.
On alleged irregular staff transfers, Chirwa said the matter fell under management’s day-to-day responsibilities, in which the board did not directly participate.
He also declined to comment on the alleged illegal dismissal of the former CEO, saying the matter was before the courts.
But the board’s responses drew criticism from several committee members, who accused it of appearing before Parliament unprepared.
Dedza Mlunduni member of Parliament (MP) Moses Kunkuyu (Malawi Congress Party) said the meeting was making no progress because the board was unwilling to adld waste taxpayers’ money.
Mchinji South MP Owen Malijani (independent) also faulted the board, arguing it could not dismiss the allegations simply because the petitioners had chosen to remain anonymous.
However, Zomba Malosa MP Grace Kwelepeta (Democratic Progressive Party) disagreed with those who argued that the board was unprepared. She said the board had submitted documents for the committee’s consideration, adding that she had not yet properly examined the anonymous petition.
Njawala defended the committee’s handling of the matter, saying it had carefully selected issues that could be discussed without interfering with court proceedings.
He dismissed the board’s suggestion that the petition could be politically or personally motivated, insisting that the committee was fulfilling its parliamentary oversight mandate.
Chirwa maintained that the board was prepared to appear before the committee but acknowledged that some issues came as a surprise.
