First Lady dominates headlines: UK says no aid money was used on Malawi president’s wife private trip
First Lady Getrude Mutharia dominated the British media headlines which has criticesed her for extravagance after she reportedly enjoyed an £80,000 (about K61 200 000) pubic funds for a personal trip to London last week to see her son graduate from university.
Britain’s Daily Mail, The Express and The Sun have all carried the story criticising Gertrude Mutharika, wife of the President of Malawi, that despite UK taxpayers giving Malawi £65million a year in aid, she was “squandering” the taxpayers’ money to see her son Tadikira Mafubza – the president’s stepson – receive his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Greenwich in Kent on Thursday.
The press reported the First Lady has a large group of aides, including the vice president’s wife Judith Chimulirenji, and stayed at the five-star Dorchester hotel, where rooms typically cost £700 to £900 a night – and suites have a price tag of up to £5,500.
But the Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) says the government of Malawi has not used the United Kingdom aid on Gertrude Mutharika’s private trip.
DFID has issued a very brief statement following the assertin in Biriths media that UK gives Malawi 65, 000 Sterling Pounds in aid to Malawi and the first day has blown 80, 000 Sterling Pound for her 10-day private visit .
A DFID spokesman said: “No UK aid funding is given directly to the government of Malawi, and no UK aid has been spent on this visit.
“We ensure our support through trusted partners delivers value for money for UK taxpayers and transforms the lives of the poorest people, with 215,000 children in Malawi getting a good education as a result of UK aid.”
State House said it was a government-funded trip.
Presidents (Salaries and Benefits) Act (Chapter 2:02) of the laws of Malawi, Part 1 of the schedule provides that the president’s spouse shall entitled to travel abroad privately at government expense but restricted to three times a year for a duration not exceeding 14 days each time.
However, Malawians in various social media platforms have condemned the First Lady for blowing taxpapers’ money on the trip just to attend the graduation ceremony of the son.
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition has threatened to drag the First Lady to court over allegations over spending spree to fund her private trip to the UK.
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These are the right issue to demonstrate on. This woman is the one making the old man to loose focus because of her appetite for money and foreign trips. Her son had to fly friends from Malawi just to join him in partying and they have been sending whatsapp pictures showing them merry making.
Grace Mugabe was probably more extravagant, considering that the Zimbabwe nation has more mineral resources currently being enjoyed by the privileged few. Getrude Mutharika is probably following in Grace’s footsteps. However, passage of time has a way of putting these ‘Jezebels’ where they belong eventually, and usually it’s an abrupt ending to their lavish lifestyles even as it happened for the biblical Jezebel who orchestrated the killing of ‘poor’ Naboth to forcefully confiscate his only ‘vineyard’ land for Ahab, her kingly husband. These women have a way of enjoying abundance amid extreme poverty all around them. But God is watching… Read more »
We are ready for chipongwe chimene mukupanga atsogoleri athu. Mpakaso zalowa kwa azikazi awo, iyayi you have gone too far. Ndichipongwe ngati mukudana ndi azimuna awo azimayi asiyeni. Thats being foolish. Mtambo and trapece since you started your demos nobody has ever commented about your spouces or children. Did you indeed go to school seriously or this happened by chance? Am doubting to question your levels of education. You should be very stupid. Agalu eni eni. Zitsiru za anthu. If this is activism business then you have lost the plot. Muwauze anakupatsani ndalamawo kuti zavuta nkhanga zaona. Mind you these… Read more »
Malawians are we that chip that we cannot sleep in a better place because we come from a country categorised as poor. Should we eat cheese sandwich in UK because we come from Malawi? Should our president sleep in a bed and breakfast? Next time we will be told sleep in trees because we come from a poor country. One thing we should know is that we have Malawians too working and paying tax there . No one comes from UK and pays tax here. Harry and Megan have spent millions to renovate their house using tax payers money, of… Read more »
The funds that are being misused can be put to a better use, not to satisfy the ego of some evil goddess. I would understand if the entourage was kept to minimum considering the financial quagmire this country is in. St Johns hospital in Mzuzu is lamenting about increasing bills it is facing since Mzuzu Health Centre cannot provide life saving services it used to provide. Mrs Chimulirenji, not to be outdone by the evil Getrude, decides to jump on the bandwagon. I recently visited Misuku and could not help but wonder if we have a government in this country.… Read more »
Ntambo is crazy jealousy and i dont know what he want this guy. this is nothing. Lazarous will need the same tax money to travelel when he will be the president will he sue him? stupid HRDC
Public funds zimapezeka kuti zikuoneka ngati currency ya new onetu iyi.
There is no President in this country, just an old miserable clown wasting taxpayers money and clearly sleeping on the job.
Kuba basi. Mitembo kuchipatalako simalupatsani mantha? Munthu wanji oyipa, wopanda chikumbumtima
Any comments from UNDP, the defenders of Ansah and rigging and, by extension, corruption?
Tipangenso Ma Demo a Traphwisi ndi Sembeleka ndalama anaba zija
Kukhala tsogoleri sikuti akupatsa ufulu wakuba kapena ufulu womangoononga ndalama misokho yawathu inunso mukuikila kumbuyo awa akubawa simukonda dziko lanu mavuto pa Malawi 🇲🇼