Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ralph Kasambara says 70 percent of corruption cases in the country are procurement-related and called for the need for companies and government to have professional procurement officers.
Speaking during the opening of the Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply (Mips) annual meeting in Mangochi last weekend, Kasambara said sustainable procurement should be carried out by people with requisite skills because if it is done by non-professionals they compromise ethics.
“Procurement should be done by professionals and not any other person in a company. Just because one is a chief accountant, he should not be given the leeway to procure. As government, we are taking the issue of procurement very seriously because research has shown that 70 per cent of corruption is procurement-related,” said Kasambara.
The minister on a lighter note, said if procurement is done by chief accountants sometimes they end up having money in the boots of their cars.
Kasambara also disclosed that the Mips Bill may be tabled in Parliament during the next meeting.
“We want to promote green revolution in the procurement sector and once the Mips bill is tabled in parliament we will encourage all organisations to have procurement specialists because this is an integral sector in the running of any organisation,” said Kasambara.
Mips president Emmanuel Chisesa said the Mips Bill was integral to their operations and it was important that it is brought to Parliament during the next sitting.
“We have all along been pushing for the Mips Bill to be enacted into law, but the process of getting the bill to Cabinet is not easy. We have tried to do the needful and that the Cabinet Committee on Legal Affairs has looked at the bill and we hope that during the next sitting of parliament it will be presented for discussion,” said Chisesa.
