Zamba faces PAC May 20
Barely days after incurring the wrath of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament for her no-show, is Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Colleen Zamba set to meet them on May 20.
Parliamentary committees, notably PAC and the Public Appointments Committee, have previously summoned Zamba to answer a number of accountability queries. However, the May 20 appearance, if it works out, will be her first in her role.
Parliament spokesperson Ian Mwenye in an interview yesterday confirmed PAC’s scheduled meeting with the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) team on May 20 as well as the agenda
“I can confirm the meeting. In terms of agenda, it’s the general performance of the civil service,” he said.
OPC chief communications officer Robert Kalindiza yesterday refused to comment, saying Parliament was better-placed to provide more details of the meeting.
Earlier, PAC chairperson Mark Botomani said it is a tradition that after meeting various government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on audit queries, the committee meets with the SPC.
“The committee has been doing this from time immemorial and I recall that we actually met the immediate past SPC Zanga-Zanga Chikhosi three times,” he said.
Among other issues, Botomani cited the general observations on the MDAs failure to follow laid down procedures on various issues, including procurement, stores, fuel and vehicle usage.
He said: “There are also other issues like people that retired a long time ago still appearing on the payroll in the civil service; and the performance audit of some institutions such as the Malawi Police Service. So, there are so many issues that we intended to discuss with her.”
When called for more details about the May 20 meeting, Botomani said the committee has resolved not to comment further.
In November last year, the joint parliamentary committee investigating the botched K750 million fertiliser deal failed to interview Zamba as some members suggested that her predecessor Chikhosi be summoned instead.
Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Sameer Suleiman is on record as having said they are waiting for Parliament leadership to guide on the way forward on the matter.
In March this year, legislators, especially from the opposition benches, threatened not to approve the K19.8 billion OPC budget allocation because of the SPC’s failure to appear before Parliament.
Zamba’s initial meeting with PAC failed to take place on May 3 because she was on the entourage of President Lazarus Chakwera to the United Kingdom for the coronation of King Charles III.
Forum for National Development (FND), a local non-governmental organisation, earlier wrote the Speaker of Parliament to issue arrest warrants for Zamba and Ministry of Energy Principal Secretary Alfonso Chikuni for contempt of Parliament after they failed to appear before the PAC in November 2022, to respond to allegations of bulldozing former National Oil Company of Malawi acting chief executive officer Helen Buluma to dubiously award fuel contracts.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa supported the FND position, arguing that nobody is indispensable under the laws of Malawi. Parliament only passed the OPC vote after Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda assured that the SPC would avail herself in future.
