ACB halts Dowa subsidy programme for ghost villages

Kaliati: Implicated

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has halted the distribution of the subsidized fertilizer coupon in Dowa district following discoveries that the District Commissioner allegedly created ghost villages to corruptly benefit from this year’s subsidy program.

Traditional Authorities (TAs) from the district stormed the office of the District Commissioner Felix Mkandawire (DC) seeking an explanation as to why fake villages were being registered.  

With the intervention of the Programme Manager (PM) for Salima Agricultural Development Division (ADD) Mr. Kausi, the move was unearthed and all village registers were cleaned where some 500 plus fake villages were flushed out. 

Apparently, the DC allegedly created ghost villages in a scheme which Information Minister Patricia Kaliati has been names to have been architect to get the subsidized fertilizer farm input coupons. 

One Traditional Authority collaborated that during the last growing season, the same agricultural officer was in-charge of a similar sinister programme working with Kaliati.  

The chiefs said though police caught the Phalombe man Police at Mponela while selling coupons he was released on orders from Kaliati and former DC, Hamis Twabi. 

In a related development, ACB on Friday arrested two Ministry of Agriculture officers in Kabudula, Lilongwe Extension Planning Area (EPA) also for creating a ghost village. 

According to ACB statement, the two suspects George Jamu (an enumerator) and Kondwani Ngoga (an agriculture extension development officer at Demela EPA appeared before the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court and were granted bail.

“They were ordered by the court to pay K5, 000 cash each, report every fortnight on Friday at the Anti-Corruption Bureau offices and produce two sureties of K30,000 each not cash.

“The two will be taken to court after the investigations are concluded and consent from the Director of Public Prosecutions is granted,” said the statement. 

Secretary for Agriculture and Food Security, Andrew Daudi, said that he had so far received 130,000 metric tonnes of fertilisers from an initial order of 170,000 metric tones, representing a deficit of 40,000 metric tonnes of the subsidised fertilisers for poor smallholder farmers. 

He said the subsidised fertilisers will be distributed to the poor and the underprivileged farmers in the country through the use of a coupon system distributed by local village chiefs. 

"The exercise of coupon distribution has already started in all the districts of the country after identifying those people who are eligible to receive the subsidised fertilisers from government and it is going on well," he said. 

He said the government’s aim was to improve smallholder productivity, food and cash crop production and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity and hunger among the society. 

Malawi has achieved maize bumper yields for three years in a row after subsidising fertilisers and other farm inputs.—(Additional reporting APA)