It has emerged that Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) Limited chief executive officer Ben Botolo has spent about 10 months living in lodges at the corporation’s expense.
The former secretary to the Treasury, who was appointed in December last year, is yet to move into the institutional house at Mudi residential estate in Blantyre, which he says is not habitable and is undergoing renovations.
But a senior official in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) wondered why Botolo has not occupied the house while the renovations are being carried out.
The official said given the state of the economy, it would have been prudent for the CEO to use the house while the work was in progress.
“We all want good things but this is not the right time to make demands. If the other CEO lived in there then it must be fit enough for anyone. This does not speak to the spirit of austerity measures,” said the official, who asked not to be named.
When contacted yesterday, Botolo shared videos of the property showing an old, unpainted house that appears to be undergoing renovations.
He said his predecessor, Daniel Makata, left the house in “tatters” in June this year.
But Makata disputed this accusation, saying he vacated the property in February this year although his contract ran until June.
“I left the house in February and not June. My contract ended in June. On your other question, if the house was in tatters I would not have lived there,” he said.
Botolo said Admarc has not had the financial capacity to complete the renovations, but expects the work to be finished this month.
The prolonged accommodation arrangement has incurred costs for the financially struggling grain marketing parastatal.
Botolo said he has deliberately avoided hotels and opted for cheaper lodges, which cost about K135 000 a day.
He said he has been moving between Lilongwe and Blantyre for work, including finalising salary payments and other Admarc business.
“I am not staying in the hotel. I have been staying in Lilongwe working at Malangalanga and I come here to finalise payments such as salaries, etc. While I am here I stay in lodges,” said the CEO.
Botolo said he was conscious that his accommodation could attract criticism but argued that his priority was reviving Admarc.
The accommodation issue comes as Admarc faces significant financial pressure and requires substantial public financing to operate.
In March this year, Admarc said it requires K144 billion to operate efficiently and restore the institution during the 2026/27 financial year.
The Nation questionnaires to Admarc board chairperson Grey Nyandule Phiri and Comptroller for Statutory Corporations Stuart Ligomeka seeking their comment are yet to be responded to.
