Chakwera warns On covid-19 funds

President Lazarus Chakwera has warned that he will fire any controlling officer or cluster head who fail to account for the K6.2 billion Treasury released last August for the Covid-19 fight.

Delivering his fifth National Address on the War on Covid-19 from Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe last evening, the President gave the respective ministries and clusters 48 hours to account for the funds to the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

“Make no mistake: Any cluster that either fails to account for the money it received or is found to have abused their funds is a cluster in which heads will roll,” he said.

The President’s visibly tough stance on the K6.2 billion expenditure reports come against the background of speculation in the court of public opinion that the funds were abused by some public officers.

The speculation comes after the President had initially [presented an expenditure breakdown that, among other things, indicated allocations for meetings and other items critics felt were not a priority.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has in past weeks refused to entertain requests from individual journalists and media houses, including Nation Publications Limited, demanding information using the Access to Information law on various expenditures.

Earlier yesterday, Dodma spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula referred questions on the issue of the expenditure reports to the department’s chief relief and rehabilitation director Fyawupi Mwafongo who in turn said could not take questions on the matter.

“I have travelled to Karonga. May you check with co-chair [of Presidential Task Force on Covid-19] Dr. John Phuka or the coordinator,” he said.

Phuka said he was yet to receive the reports, saying the National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Committee, which comprises several controlling officers from various departments, was better-placed to give an update.

During yesterday’s speech, Chakwera acknowledged receipt of K2.6 billion from various donors to support the national response. The donors comprised both local and international organisations.

The President also briefed the nation on the AstraZeneca vaccine whose first consignment is due in the country at the end of the month.

He said Malawi has opted for the vaccine which has an efficacy of between 60 percent and 70 percent, citing costs in comparison to other available options.

The President said the first consignment of 1.5 million doses will cover 750 000 people while additional consignments will ensure 3.8 million people are vaccinated “as a matter of urgency”.

Chakwera, who was addressing the nation just after finishing attending a virtual African Union heads of State meeting, urged the nation to applaud health workers across the country for their heroism during the pandemic and further urged the citizenry to reduce their plight by adhering to strict Covid-19 preventive measures.

During the week under review, Malawi recorded 2 987 new infections out of 13 448 tests, representing a 22 percent positivity rate.

But Chakwera said while the 22 percent rate was lower than the previous week’s 29 percent, it was still higher than the zero to five percent rate Malawi is targeting.

He said this was the reason preventive measures, including closure of schools for a further two weeks, have been maintained.

Said the President: “Admittedly, some of the preventive measures you are having to endure are difficult because they are disruptive to your social life, your professional life, your academic life and your economic life.

“But the continued drop in the rate of infection means that your compliance with the measures is making a difference, so let us keep running this race until we reach the finish line of zero infections.”

For yesterday’s Covid-19 updates see the Covid-19 Tracker on Page 3.