Malawi Ministers get Covid-19 allowances, compensate on salary cut
Cabinet ministers are drawing allowances for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic assignments, it has been revealed after government spokesman had denied the matter but an internal communication at Capital Hill has revealed the taxpayers are financing travel allowances for the ministers and their travel party.
“May controlling officers submit this morning [Monday] to the Ministry of Disaster Management Affairs, by way of memos, all officials and support staff accompanying the ministers, indicating names, name of banks and account numbers and vehicle registration numbers for processing of allowances and fuel arrangement,” reads the leaked communication seen by Nyasa Times.
The internal communication on field trips further reads : “ The contact person for these transactions is Mr Dyce Nkhoma, deputy director of response and recovery [Ministry of Disaster Management Affairs and Public Events].”
Nkhoma has confirmed that he is coordinating the funds but that Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) is the one which is “responsible for the budget and funding.”
The issue of allowances comes at a time when President Peter Mutharika ordered a 10 percent pay cut for himself and his 32-member cabinet to cushion the impact of coronavirus on the economy.
But while the government is to direct the resources to the fight against the virus pandemic, the ministers in Covid-19 Committee are in self-enrichment drawing allowances together with members of parliament belonging to the Committee on Health for the field trips on pretext of assessing preparedness of Covid-19 at district level.
Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communication Technology, Mark Botomani, a member of the Cabinet committee and official government spokesman, who recently branded issue of allowances as fake news, has refused to immediately comment on the revelations.
Botomani may come up with a spin on the matter later.
Cabinet members earn large sums of money beyond their salaries through allowances and other benefits.
And the Covid-19 is being turned into an allowances spinning exercise and have been taking trips to various districts nationwide to pocket allowances and cushion themselves from the salary cut.
Critics query government that instead of reaching out to the vulnerable people and cushion them against the negative impact that has come about because of COVID-19, the Special Cabinet Committee are taking advantage to enrich themselves.
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Azitafune basi akudziwana , ku Malawi kumafunika a tsogoleleli a chinsisi Ngati awa akudyera lomodzi . Funsani Joyce Banda ndiulula amene akuononga ndalama Za boma zinawagwetsa Gada wa cash gate.
koma yaaaa
cakadzuka cinsalu ca nkacisi.
botomani ka katakwe kena kake.
kakucita kunjanja koma yaaaa.
nde imalizeni mwakambilana bwanji mathelo ake akutinji. yooooooooooo
ma yob amunthalika ndi gilezeda.
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
CHILIMA ANANENA KALETU IZI PALIBE CHACHILENDO.
Now we know why APM didn’t want the Covid 19 Committee to be inclusive but remain an all DPP affair. An inclusive committee would have ensured checks and balances. The appointment of a partisan Committee was to make sure no one challenged looting of taxpayers money.
Our acting president fooled us into believing our cabinet ministers were patriotic as to foregone 10% of their salaries with the aim of using the savings as a contribution towards the Covid 19 scourge. That was not to be as they are now getting much more than they got before.
Mind you there is no harm in getting allowances but the issue is the obscene amounts they are getting.
Oops there’s no lockdown, would have saved the allowance money and the same time avoided getting infected out there . We need lockdown please .
What’s the fuss about? Ife am’boma we can forego salary for the 12 months, knowing pretty well we rely on allowances. Bvuto lanu ndi chani? Who told you to work in NGO’s and private firms? Tilekeni tudye vimenezi
Kodi anthu enanu mumagwira ntchito kuti kopanda ma allowance ko? Do you really expect a minister or an MP or an officer to work outside their district of office without getting allowances? Palibepo nkhani apa.
Even baby chilima knows kuti everyone is entitled to allowances when working outside the district of duty station.
Being a Minister duty station is whole country, they can only claim allowances if outside Malawi. This is stealing.
ine ndifuse kuti salary ya pamwezi ncito yake ndiina
kenako ma allowance recruitment yake nddiinaso????
There is nothing wrong to have an allowance when going out. These are things that are budgeted in any project you carry or do. Should the minister use his own salary to buy food when out in the field? Should he use his salary to fuel the car? Should the driver get allowance from the minister’s pocket. Sometimes I fail to understand with my fellow countrymen. Yet you are also doing the same getting allowances even to some field trip you have not gone. There is no evidence you can show to support what you do. Should the people going out with ministers not get their allowances? Is it a taboo cause it is a minister? Envy, jealous is destroying our line of thinking. After all the people accompanying the minister are not all DPP supporters, but civil servants who are either in support of opposition or the ruling party. Malawi is a country of full of pretenders, as if they are honest themselves. Most cries, murmuring we see is because we don’t have a share hence no discipline of who information should be governed. This tells everyone that those who are crying loud or take a job of whistle bower are opposition members working in govt. They cannot different their role as civil servants, but act as opposition spies.
Iwe ndiye mbuzi yeniyeni yodya udzu wokedzera mbuzi za kwa Nyezerera! How can you defend these evil, bloody, merciless thieves?
Ooh my God.Malawi mwa dzinalako uli pa malawi a moto.Zoonadi osauka adzingosaukirabe olemera adzingolemerabe.Ndiye choncho mudziti Lockdown pamtumbo panu ma Minister nonse ndipo ndinu afiti mulibe chisoni.Nawenso amene ukumalemba ma comments opusa kaya ukuti dzina lako(Ndikhetsa mwazi chakwera )nawenso pakholo pako wamva anthu akuvutikatu mamidzimu iwenso ndi cadet wa DPP .
Iwe Kaliwamba Nzeru zakuthera kale zomwezi? Kikikik chicken headed
If indeed these guys are traveling outside lilongwe for supervision I see nothing wrong here.am in the civil service it works like that even donors themselves amapanga zimenezi
You want these people to work without getting their dues? Name me one Malawian that gets paid without working other than Vp Chilima. Let these ministers get paid. You work, you get paid, that’s how things work.
Palibe nkhani apa.
That’s DPP for u…….!
Mmesa padzana amakana amenewa ndiyenpano agwidwa panti ali pansi. Munthu amene akukhala ku plot yoyamba akakhala mbava aliyense amene akumutsatira amakhalaso mbava. Padzana amati sanalembe kalata yonyoza ma court kenako zinadziwika kuti analemba. Apa amakana kuti sakulandira ma allowance to an extend yonena kuti akugwiritsa ntchito ndalama zamthumba mwawo koma pano si izi? Dziko lathu lili pamoto chifukwa likulamulilidwa ndi mbava.
These people will never see heaven. They are agents of the devil himself. the devil is waiting to reward you.
koma dpp this is too much
After getting the allowances, you will come with a lock down, knowing that your banks are full of cash.
No problem to get allowances but how much are they getting? that’s my interest. Salary cut Ija si 10% which means ngati amalandira 450 pin pa mwezi, 10% ndi zinga ? nde panopa allowance mpakana 320 pin a day? are u kidding me?
However, MK450,000 and MK350,000 are not justified amounts at all.
Nsanje ndi kaduka, let people enjoy.Nanu work hard and pray hard, your time will come. Kapena join Bushiri, mulemela.
I thought the Minister denied of getting allowances from this Covid-19 activities on Times Exclusive when Brian Banda Questioned him about this? If True, I wont trust these polititians. We are monitoring your true colours honourable
The good thing is they will return the money soon just like minister Mwawa.
yet the frontline workers are paid 4,000 for training, whats the meaning of this
We all get allowances when we are outside our duty stations.
But how much? do you get 450,000 a day?
You are the reason why late Dr Kamuzu Banda’s hard work for this country is flushed down the toilet. Anthu muzayankha ndipo pansi pompa.
Which hard work are you talking about?
mbutuma zenzene zawanthu