President Peter Mutharika is residing at Mtunthama State Lodge in Area 3, Lilongwe pending assessment of purported damage and rehabilitation of Kamuzu Palace, the official residence of the President in the capital city.
Presidential press secretary Cathy Maulidi said in an interview yesterday Mtunthama was habitable; hence, the President moving in.
She said: “Temporarily, the President is putting up at Mtunthama State Lodge. As was announced by the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, currently the government is in the process of estimating the extent of the damage to State residences, particularly Kamuzu Palace. Once this assessment is complete, you will be informed.”
Maulidi said owing to financial constraints, the residences will not undergo full maintenance, but focus will be on essential repairs.
She also said for staff houses, maintenance works will also be limited to basic repairs due to insufficient funds.
“The President is committed to ensuring that maintenance works are carried out in a strategic and phased manner,” stated Maulidi.
When contacted on the status of the maintenance works, Ministry of Transport and Public Works spokesperson Watson Maingo asked for more time.
Meanwhile, National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe has called for transparency and accountability in the ongoing assessment and maintenance of State Residences.
During the seven-day constitutional transition period, it emerged that State Residences, particularly Kamuzu Palace, were in a dilapidated state, preventing Mutharika from moving in. The President was, thus, operating from his private residences in Blantyre and Mangochi.
On arrival in Lilongwe last week, the President, while addressing supporters at Biwi Triangle, joked that he was “rushing to look for accommodation”.
However, the erstwhile governing Malawi Congress Party and former State House chief of staff Prince Kapondamgaga have distanced themselves from the allegations of damage at State Residences, calling them mere political propaganda.
