Kaliya warns MESN partners against ‘cashgate’ malpractices
Malawi Electoral Support Network (MESN) vice chairperson Emma Kaliya has warned MESN partners managing funds for the organisation’s electoral programmes against applying ‘cashgate’ means to drain resources meant for programmes.
She said donors would not hesitate to freeze their aid where funds are misappropriated.
Kaliya was speaking on Wednesday in Lilongwe during an orientation of MESN’s regional coordinating bodies on how to manage funds allocated to long term observation and parallel vote tabulation programs which MESN is implementing for the May 20 tripartite elections.
“Malawians are quite angry at cashgate. Cashgate has affected almost everyone including us civil society organizations. Donors are not smiling on anyone who misappropriates their funds. If you misappropriate funds for these programmes it will be the whole MESN to blame. We must be careful when we are spending other people’s money. We should be accountable,” said Kaliya in her opening remarks.
She said she had confidence in the organizations that were selected to manage MESN funds at regional level for the programmes.
These organizations are the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of Mzuzu diocese and Nkhoma Synod of the CCAP Church and Society. They will manage funds for the northern and central regions respectively.
The regional bodies are handling long term observers that MESN deployed early February this year for their respective regions. The regional coordinating organizations will be processing observers’ reports before sending them to MESN secretariat. They will also handle finances for the observers.
Mzuzu CCJP diocesan secretary Alnord Msimuko and Edwin Zawanda and their officers availed themselves for the training. Also present were officials from National Democratic Institute who are providing technical expertise to MESN.
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