Ministry of Health and Malawi Police Service have emerged as government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) with the most complaints regarding service delivery.
This came to light during consultations held in Mzuzu last week and organised by Youth and Society (YAS) in partnership with the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Office of the Ombudsman to get feedback on the quality of service delivery by public offices. The consultations also sought to empower communities on reporting mechanisms on corruption and various governance injustices.
In an interview on the sidelines of the consultations in Msongwe, Masasa and Jombo Ward in Mzuzu, YAS project officer for the anti-corruption programme Jane Chibisa said the engagements are part of their Action for Integrity project.
She said during the engagement, complaints against law enforcers, detention of suspects for more than 48 hours and officers demanding bribes to grant bail topped the list.
In the case of the Ministry of Health, Chibisa said people alleged negligence by public officers where in some cases they are being denied essential services.
She said the Ministry of Education also had a fair share of the complaints, especially on flouting of professional ethics such as drinking alcohol on duty and inappropriate attire at work by some staff.
Reacting to the findings, National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya conceded in an interview yesterday, saying they are aware that a lot of studies on corruption rate the police poorly.
However, he dismissed accusations of violation of the 48-hour rule within which a person arrested and detained must be brought before a court of law.
Said Kalaya: “As police, we are doing everything to clear our reputation because of these poor ratings. But the truth on the ground is that corruption is perpetrated by law breakers. Still, we do not condone corruption and anyone must report to the police or ACB.”
Office of the Ombudsman civic education officer Ruth Lupanga said inadequate training for area development committees (ADCs) by the authorities is contributing to a lack of accountability and transparency among duty bearers.
She echoed Chibisa’s sentiments, saying the Office of the Ombudsman has registered complaints on delayed disbursement of terminal benefits, neglect by duty-bearers in schools, health facilities and police.
Said: Lupanga: “A lack of comprehensive training has resulted in ADC members failing to execute their duties with proper knowledge of their responsibilities.”
ACB public education officer Sara Nanthoka observed that communities are afraid to report corruption involving duty-bearers.
One of the community members in Msongwe, Francis Chirambo hailed the training, saying it is an eye-opener on how they should present their grievances to the relevant authorities.
Towards the end of this month, YAS is expected to hold a city accountability forum to engage public offices, including police and Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services on the issues highlighted.
