Malawi Parliament approves extra K11.5 billion budget
Malawi Parliament on Monday approved an extra K11.5 billion (about US$76 million) supplementary budget.
The extra budget has increased the 2009/10 national budget to 269.5 billion kwacha from the initial 258 billion kwacha which was approved in July last year.
Finance minister Ken Kandodo said in an interview outside parliament that the upward adjustment is necessary to enable government to effectively carry out its programs for the remaining six months.
“This extra budget will help us mitigate the effects of the dry spell that has destroyed crop in nine districts, help us support new commitments for AU chairmanship, and help us repay domestic debt among other demands,” Finance Minister said.
He said in the additional budget, K350 million will be used to assist survivors of last year’s earthquake in Karonga district.
Kandodo also said K950 million from the budget will be used to fund President Bingu wa Mutharika’s activities as the chairman of the African Union-AU.
Mutharika rose to the high post of the African organisation, last week, after taking over from Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Meanwhile, the Parliament will from Tuesday start tabling government bills, which include the electoral commission and local government amendments and financial bills.
Mzungu you stick down your a@#*%. it looks like you have lived there for so long that you love the country
Senor Gonzales, Tsonga, Ndugu, i can not agree more. Mutharika is the biggest disgrace in the history of Malawi. Our parliament is riddled with bootlickers, men and women who have PHDs, MAs, Bachelors, but all lack backbones, they are heartless, cruel, selfish niccompups who have no regard for malawi and the local man.
The thought of 950 million and what it can buy makes me want to cry. Malawi needs something else, i dont know what it is, but its not spelt POLITICIAN.
Malawians need to rise, and protest, and vent our frustration on Bingu, this classless fake PHD holder.
Cruel, heartless, selfish, Bingu.
God will judge you severly one day! I pray i live to see that day.
Ingomwa termic ufe.
Development can be anything like winning a major football cup like what Egypt achieved is also development because development is about making the majority happy, so are the citizens when their team wins a major cup.
The same is chairing a major continental body like the AU which shows the world that Malawi has the human resource capable to do such a task for the continent and it must be funded to prove our acumen. So ena inu mukuti fifififififififii!!! MK950 million for this and that you are displaying major illiteracy in development.
senor gonzale!!! you have spoken Mr man, it makes me wonder if quota system would be an issue if things were sorted out the way you have explained in your article. i find it very funny from our government to fail to expand the bed space in our hostels!!!Imagine my brother with 12 points has not been picked because of this evil quota system,i personally come from rumphi and the quota system for Rumphi finished at 8 points, it means those with 9 points have also not been picked. can you imagine my friend sensor Gonzalez.My only hope is the trust the north has launched in order to support those left out of quota system!!!The trust launched by synod of livingstonia, FOND, Friends of the northern Malawi republic and donors from UK churches and churches from Australia have supported the trust to the tune of 50 million and will continue to be donated by these donors.imagine 400 students from the north with points from 6 to 20 have not been picked. The trust will pay fees for those left provided they find an education institution, be it in Malawi , Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, south Africa and must also show that they are citizens of the northern region!!!!
That is a great development. I personally am from Ntcheu and hate the quota system to hell. What the northerners have done is great. I wish I was from the north and be part of that movement in order to help many helpless students.
Senor Gonzales,Ndugu Ackim, Tsonga and others.
Kayambeni ndale muzikatsutsa ku Parliament zimenezo. Otherwise no matter how you will cry nothing will change. The Finance Minister is just being transparent to inform Malawians how some of the money will be used. Osangonyadila bwanji kuti Malawi is now coming on the map. Tsopano mukufuna kuti AU Chair should not implement what he is supposed to do during his tenure of office. Kodi when Muluzi hosted COMESA Summit and chaired it, how poor was Malawi? Chimanga kunalibeletu timadya cha yellow cha ku Kenya.
Those of you who think MK950 million minimum spend for AU activities is justifibale for Malawi have another thing coming.
For starters, you cannot compare Malawi chairing the AU to Malawi participating in football. To start with, footballing costs in Malawi can not be compared to the costs of running the chairmanship of a white elephant that will solve nothing.
Opposing this villainous spending does not mean illiteracy in development matters. We are being realistic taking our resources into account.
Why is Britain on verge of untold fiscal cuts in the years to come, regardless of who goes into power at the next elections? Why is budget and trade deficit a major issue in America at the moment? Prudent nations do not spend recklessly. Britain will embark on a series of numerous spending cuts that will affect DFID, thereby affecting parasites like Malawi. Barack Obama announced a spending freeze on all non essential activities for three years, which include USAID, who fund projects and some budgetary activities in Malawi.
You may want to ask, why are rich, first world nations like these taking such austere measures? They simply can not afford it anymore in these economic times.
Ask yourself, how come Kandodo will be paying an extra MK1.8 billion in interest payments in the first half of 2010? Malawi’s finances are not in shambles. In 2009 he budgeted for interest payments, but that budgeted figure has gone up by a further MK1.8 Billion to the end of the financial year.
Anyone with sense and patriotic to Malawi will know that we can not afford to bleed money the way we are doing. What Kandodo has not said is where Malawi will get MK1 Billion for AU activities. Chances are that he will be borrowing again, so in essence we are not talking of 950 million, actually its more if you take interest cost into account.
So i urge you to think again, and think of your relations in the village, or the mother of five in Bandawe/Kasinje/Namadidi/Thekerani who has a little chance surving should they require urgent medical attention.
Things in malawi are good if you live in the city and are top class, well educated, good job, car, house, health insurance. How many people in Malawi can claim to have such a life?
YES THE MINORITY 15%! no?
You have spoken sense. This time around I have understood you very well. You are wise. Not even 15% are the people confortably living in Malawi, I guess 6.8% could be closer to the realistic.
correction, paragraph 6 should read “malawi’s economy is in shambles”
Aford and Chihana fought Kamuzu Banda’s Iron fist. No man is invincible. Bingu needs to think again. If all Malawians work together and protest, call it what ever you want but this autocratic snile bastard Bingu must go! Papa Doc in Haiti was ousted by citizens that had enough! Malawians have had enough of a government that does not care about its people. $950 Million is not justifiable to be wasted on a position that does not benefit us as peoples. Banda created Silombera and the so called rebels. I am ready to sign up and yes to become chigawenga and fight Bingu by any means necessary. Who will stand up for us? The parliamentarians have lost focus. They have forgotten why and who sent them to parliament. They are all singing songs of praise boot licking Munthalika’s dry azz. Where is opposition? Kayembe, Tembo where are you? How can there be no debate in parliament to allow government to explain why we are wasting millions of kwachas for a position that we Malawians do not care about? I feel sad and sick to my stomatch to even think of the waste that is going on in our country. Like many others have pointed out already, the stealing of our money in the name of AU should not be allowed. The army where are you guys? How can you sit phwii while our people are suffering. Malwi is not poor. We have the resources to eradicate umbuli. We have the reasources to save many lives. Greed and corruption has infested politicians minds. Malwians need to arm themselves and fight these tyrants.