Malawi Government has suspended Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) chief executive officer (CEO)Henry Kachaje pending investigations and terminated the contract for National Registration Bureau (NRB) Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo.
In an interview yesterday, Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi confirmed Kachaje’s suspension and termination of Sambo’s contract.
He said the Mera CEO is under investigation, but did not disclose the nature of the probe.
| Nation
“He is being investigated but I cannot provide more details. There is no specific timeframe for the investigations as that depends on the nature of the case,” said Saidi.
Kachaje, whose contract was renewed for a second three-year tenure in September last year, refused to comment, stating: “No comment”.
On his part, Sambo, who joined NRB in August 2021, said he still had some years left on his contract, but he was leaving the bureau “a happy man”.
“I thank the government for giving me the opportunity, the partners that supported me to deliver and the team that I worked with. I also thank God who gives me wisdom,” he said.
In an interview yesterday, Sambo said during his tenure the bureau managed to register millions of Malawians for national identity cards and set up systems for continuous registration across the country.
Yesterday, Sambo formally handed over the mantle to his successor Patrick Machika, an information and communication technology expert who has served as director in several government ministries, departments and agencies.
The developments come after the government last Friday announced the suspensions of Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority director general Daud Suleman, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation director general George Kasakula and National Economic Empowerment Fund CEO Humphrey Mdyetseni pending investigations.
The move came after the Peter Mutharika administration dissolved all boards of parastatals and State-owned enterprises.
Saidi justified the decision to suspend parastatal heads in the absence of the boards, saying that authority reverts to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).
Recently, University of Malawi law lecturer Bernadette Malunga told Nation on Sunday that the suspension of the parastatal heads violated the establishing legislation of the institutions.
She said: “What the government should have done is constitute the boards and allow them to make these key decisions. As it stands, they have acted beyond what the law allows.”
On the other hand, former Malawi Law Society (MLS) president Burton Mhango said there is nothing irregular about the suspensions because OPC takes charge in the absence of boards.
