Amid endless stories of dwindling support towards refugees and asylum seekers in Malawi, our Assistant Lilongwe Bureau Chief SUZGO CHITETE invoked the Access to Information Act to compel the commissioner for refugees in the Ministry of Homeland Security to explain government spending for people who leave their countries due to various reasons.
Here are excerpts of the response of the Department of Refugees senior administrative and operations manager Hilda Kausiwa, the commissioner’s official information officer in line with the law which compels government agencies to proactively provide public information people need to exercise their rights as stated in Section 38 of the Constitution.
Who are the top 10 donors to your department?
The Refugee Department relies on support from UNHCR, the United Nations Refugees Agency, for the refugee programme. Apart from UNHCR, another main donor is World Food Programme (WFP). These [UN] agencies rely on donors to support the Government of Malawi and they can be consulted on the required information.
How much did each of these provide in the last financial year?
In the 2023 financial year, UNHCR funded us to the tune of K280 089 922 and WFP provided K19 171 952
Does the Government of Malawi contribute to Dzaleka’s refugee operations? If so, how much was the contribution in the last and current financial year and what was the funding used for?
The government contributes a lot to the operations at Dzaleka Refugee Camp. All employees at the Department for Refugees are paid by the Government of Malawi. The government also provides security, land and infrastructure at the camp and transit centres.
In the 2023/24 financial year, the department received a total of K720 million from Malawi Government. A bigger chunk was for the relocation of refugees back to the camp. For the 2024/25 financial year, the department has an approved budget of K534.1 million and K300 million is for the development of the new proposed site for a refugee camp at Kayilizi in Chitipa. The remaining K234 million is for office operations and relocation of refugees back to the camp
What are the current funding gaps and how are these affecting the refugee management?
Funding or resources will never be adequate. The department has several funding gaps, however, the main ones are that the we cannot afford to provide basic needs for refugees such as food, shelter and clothing. The department is still waiting for office space from the Lands Department as the current office space is not enough. We have no vehicle; all the vehicles we have are for UNHCR. The camp has porous security due to inadequate personnel.
All these challenges require funding. Furthermore, there is need for $85 million for the establishment of the new refugee settlement in Chitipa.
The gaps are affecting our daily operations at the camp as we cannot effectively manage refugees.
