Drivers lament corruption in police

Drivers Union of Malawi has lamented growing corrupt practices among traffic police officers, especially in the Central Region where they are alleged to demand money for committing no traffic offence.

The union has written to the Minister of Homeland Security Jean Sendeza to address the situation.

In the letter copied to the Inspector General of Police Merlyn Yolamu and signed by the union’s president Rodwell Kumtanga, the drivers say the malpractice deprives government potential revenue as where drivers are in the wrong, the officers allegedly get kickbacks instead of collecting fines on behalf of government.

Reads the letter in part: “We humbly recommend that you [the minister] should warn the officers to stay away from these corrupt practices or face the law because corruption is bad and even the President does not embrace corruption.

“If it happens that the officers are still embracing the corrupt practices after 21 days from the date of issuing the warning, we will mobilise drivers to deliver a petition to the Malawi Police to transfer these officers because we are well aware of the stations they operate from.”

Ministry of Homeland Security spokesperson Maureen Nkhoma refused to comment, saying she was yet to see the letter.

In a separate interview, National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said although the Inspector General’s office was yet to receive the letter, the concerns were not new.

He observed that an Afrobarometer survey in April this year also revealed similar concerns.

Kalaya said: “The Police is working to address these issues. Our intention is to keep on improving as well as to serve Malawians better and we will strive to achieve that.”

Serving a large community of drivers, the union is an umbrella board of all drivers which works to fulfil its mission by improving the social economic status of drivers in Malawi.