Chakwera warns heads will roll in K6.2bn Covid funds, demands accountability

Heads will roll if any controlling officer or cluster head fails to account for the K6.2 billion Treasury released last August for the Covid-19 fight, President Lazarus Chakwera has warned.

President  Chakwera in his National Address on the update of Covid-19 from Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe Sunday evening said  it was unfortunate that some controlling officers in government ministries  as well as  Covid cluster heads were yet to submit expenditure reports.

“This is completely unacceptable. I have therefore summoned all controlling officers and heads of clusters to meet my [Presidential] Taskforce  [on Covid] in 48 hours and account for how they used that money,” said Chakwera.

Talking tough, the President added: “Make no mistake: Any cluster that either fails to account for the money it received or is found to have abused their funds is a cluster in which heads will roll.”

Chakwera  tough stance on the K6.2 billion expenditure reports come against accusations from the public that the funds were abused by some officers.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has been dogging  individual journalists and media houses, including Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) demanding information using the Access to Information law on various expenditures.

According to the President, part of the K6.2 billion was used as follows: K60 million on planning meetings; K535 million facilitating the return of Malawians from South Africa; K185 million on public awareness on media platforms; K580 million on border patrols (and) K72 million to support victims of gender-based violence during the pandemic with materials and cash transfers.