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Free-for-all at foreign missions

Lack of accountability and poor management of assets at foreign missions is costing the country millions of kwacha and some former diplomats have proposed creation of a Department of Inspectorate of Foreign Missions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The suggestion from two ex-envoys comes after it transpired that government is incurring unwarranted public expenditure on two residential properties in Canada, which were vacated 18 years ago following closure of the mission in that country.

Malawi’s mission offices in Nairobi, Kenya

Without referring to specific missions, former diplomats retired Major General Reuben Ngwenya and John Chikago have observed that most problems affecting foreign missions were due to lack of seriousness by authorities.

“The main challenge is lack of follow up by authorities from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on what happens in the foreign missions. For instance, when an embassy has been closed and staff recalled, it takes too long to complete the process,” said Ngwenya.

He added: “The best the Foreign Affairs should do is have a department purely responsible for foreign missions to be following up on what is happening, not only to the properties, but everything.”

But Chikago pushed the blame on the process of recruiting diplomatic staff, which he described as “leaving a lot to be desired”.

“Usually, those appointed and deployed to foreign missions are relatives, friends, or sympathisers of authorities. There is no screening of who is to be appointed and will do what.

“As a result, such people are never cautious in whatever they do because they know that even if they misbehave, they will be shielded by the political powers that sent them there,” he said, and suggested establishment of an independent institution to sift through foreign mission appointees.

Chikago also claimed that when he was High Commissioner in South Africa, government had almost 20 properties in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria.

“Where are they now?” he asked.

Malawi closed its mission in Canada in 2004 and the two houses in the capital Ottawa were part of six properties it owned prior to the mission’s closure and subsequent sale of the other four buildings.

But for 18 years government has been using taxpayers’ money to pay insurance and property management fees on one of the two houses, which is vacant, while the other was self-financing having been let out until December 2021, when the lease expired.

According to documents we have seen, all these years government has failed to tend the vacant house, on plot number 240 on Coltrine Road in Rockcliffe, which used to be the high commissioner’s official residence. The house now requires massive maintenance before it can be let out.

The other house, on plot number 1850 on Camborne Road, was let out at around $3 080, but it was still accumulating expenses in form of insurance, taxes and property management fees.

The two properties are managed by the Malawi Embassy in Washington DC, USA and are both no longer classified as diplomatic properties, but as commercial properties.

The expenses accrued in Canada are in dairect conflict with the Public Finance Management Act (2003), Section 10, sub-section 1(h) and (i) which states: “Each controlling officer is responsible for ensuring that all expenditure is incurred with due regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness and the avoidance of waste; and that all necessary precautions are taken to safeguard public resources.”

In an interview this week, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Kabaghe justified government’s decision to hang on to the properties, saying the decision to close the mission was a temporary measure due to economic issues the country was experiencing then.

He said government had held the hope that once the situation improves it would re-open the mission in view of the strategic partnership Canada offers to Malawi’s development.

On property management and maintenance fees, Kabaghe explained that government plans to source the funds from the other property’s rentals.

However, Kabaghe said government plans to re-open the mission in Canada as such it will endeavour to pay up the outstanding fees with the hope of maintaining one or both properties.

But an Auditor General’s report on government accounts for the year-ended June 30 2019 indicates that an inspection of reports and communication between embassy officials in Washington DC and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials revealed that since the sale of the four properties in Canada, there have been no clear policy direction on how to deal with the remaining two properties.

Ironically, events surrounding poor property management in foreign missions is not limited to Canada as the same has been reported in other missions such as United Kingdom (UK), South Africa (RSA), Namibia (closed), Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique.

In Namibia, South Africa and UK, officials are alleged to have sold State assets, including houses, but did not account for the proceeds.

Asked on the alleged State assets sales in the said countries, Kabaghe said: “This matter was referred to competent offices to investigate so as to determine the way forward.”

On his part, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Steven Kayuni said in a separate interview Friday last week that after the Foreign Affairs Ministry reported the issue, his office looked at the law and asked for institution of criminal proceedings with the Inspector General of Police.

Commenting on the matter, property management specialist Fred Kapito, managing director of Fred & Ted Properties, said government needed to set guidelines on property management.

Kapito also said looking at the expenses that the two properties in Canada have been incurring over the years and the income being generated, it was evident government was losing on the investments.

Malawi has 21 diplomatic missions, including 11 embassies, seven high commissions, three consulates and three Permanent Missions to Geneva, Switzerland, United Nations and the African Union.

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