Boardroom war at Admarc: Deputy ‘plotting to oust CEO Botolo through leaks’, sources allege
A power struggle is said to be tearing at the top of the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc), with sources alleging that deputy Aubrey Sumbuleta is trying to push out Chief Executive Officer Ben Botolo.
The claims come from unnamed sources described as high-level institutional insiders. None has been independently verified, and Mr Sumbuleta has not been quoted in response.
The lodge row
The alleged campaign centres on public anger over Mr Botolo’s temporary accommodation. He has reportedly spent months living in lodge facilities while his official residence undergoes major renovations.
Sources in Admarc’s corporate affairs and administration say the story was packaged and leaked to selected media by people answering to Mr Sumbuleta’s camp.
They say administrative files show the residence needed safety-related renovations, but internal documents were twisted to make the arrangement look like extravagance.
“It is a classic smear campaign,” a senior Admarc manager, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, told the writer.
“Every piece of documentation leaked to the press regarding his stay was cherry-picked. The goal is simple: make Botolo toxic in the eyes of the public so he can be pushed out.”
The two men
Mr Botolo is a former Secretary to the Treasury, appointed to stabilise a struggling Admarc. His mandate has centred on cutting waste, streamlining procurement and returning the parastatal to financial viability.
His cautious, systematic approach to reform, the sources say, has made him an obstacle to factions seeking to influence Admarc’s large procurement and operating budgets.
They allege the aim is to position Mr Sumbuleta to shape the corporation’s multi-billion-kwacha restructuring.
Institutional strain
The sources say the dispute has left Admarc in institutional paralysis, at a time when Malawians rely on the grain trader for food security and market stability.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :