Youths decry funding in corruption fight

Youth and Society (YAS) says funding and lack of political will continue to hamper efforts to curb corruption in the country.

In an interview on Tuesday, YAS executive director Charles Kajoloweka said although the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (Nacs) II, the blueprint for the country’s aspiration of attaining a corruption-free society singles out youths among the 12 pillars, participation has been limited.

He said: “Corruption fight [for the youths] remains a daunting task because of lack of investments in civic education and activism for the youth has not motivated young people to become a force in the fight against corruption.

“Youths remain a critical support system, not just as advocates, but also as individuals in charge of mindset change.”

Kajoloweka observed that with the Nacs II expiring this year, the strategy has failed to bear fruits.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), through its National Integrity Committee, the Office of the President and Cabinet and the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament are championing the implementation of the Nacs II, which runs from 2019 to 2024.

Nacs II provides a new framework for fighting corruption through the pursuit of three strategic goals of improving service delivery, strengthening the rule of law and promoting a culture of integrity.

It identifies and tasks 12 pillars that are all-encompassing of the Malawian society to work towards the achievement of clear goals and objectives following clear governance, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Ironically, in the 10 years dating back to 2012, Malawi’s fight against corruption has weakened.

According to Transparency International, in 2012 Malawi scored 37 points but during the 10 years under review it has fallen by three points, scoring 34 and eventually landing on position 115 of the 180 countries assessed.

The 34 points were maintained from 2022, but the position has further slipped from 110 to 115 this year.

The poor ranking this year means Malawi continues to be in the red zone of countries where corruption is prevalent and requires immediate attention, with decades of severe underfunding in public sectors, among others, hampering corruption fight.

Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs chairperson Albert Mbawala is on record as having said enforcement is key in ensuring compliance with national strategies, adding that the committee is summoning and sanctioning those that fail to comply

Ealier, immediate past ACB director general Martha Chizuma hailed Nacs II for improving coordination among various entities in fighting corruption.

She, however, singled out poor funding to the ministries, departments and agencies as one of the obstacles hampering the efforts.

The Government of Malawi recognises corruption as one of the major impediments to the achievement of national development targets. It derails social and economic development efforts, resulting in poor service delivery.