Chaos at Macra as boss Itaye takes over finance directorate
Instability and confusion is reigning supreme at Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) after its Director General Godfrey Itaye took over duties of the Finance Directorate, despite being manned by professionally qualified and experienced director and deputy, Nyasa Times can reveal.
Finance sources told Nyasa Times that with effect from Friday, all finance issues, including signing of all cheques, local purchase orders (lpos), management of all MACRA investments Accounts will be handled by Itaye.
MACRA invests billions of kwachas with several investment banks including FDH bank, CDH bank, Alliance Capital. These investmensts are handled by Deputy Director of Finance Elvin Mwapasa, who Itaye suspects is scheming by negotiating with the banks to get a minimum of three percent per month, a commercial bank source confided in Nyasa Times on Monday.
Itaye on Friday left out all Finance Directorate officials opting to take a three man Macra delegation to Mangochi for final negotiations on the controversial Consilidated ICT Regulatory Management System (CIRMS) – widely known as the spy machine – contract, which needs to be upgraded by the supplielr Agilis Internatiinal Inc. costing millions of US dollars.
The Macra boss was accompanied by Director of Telekoms, Henry Silika, Director if Legal Affairs Dan Chiwoni.
“How does Macra negotiate such a huge contract upgrade worthy millions of dollars for CIRMS in the absence of anyone from the Finance Directorate?” a Macra source said.
Nyasa Times can also reveal that Itaye in October last year collected up to $150 thousand dollars as inducement from Agilis International representative Rovan in South Africa to ensure the upgrade contract is approved.
The CIRMS machine initially cost $6 142,,608 about MK2.8 billion, but after court wrangles delayed its implantation, the upgrade shot up to $7 729 361 about NK3.4billion, a deal signed under former Minister of Information and ruling DPP strong man Kondwani Nankhumwa who still calls the shots.
Itaye takes instructions from Nankhumwa, completely ignoring the figurehead current Information minister Nicholas Dausi.
The Macra boss refuses to grant interview to Nyasa Times.
The Finance Directors will gain nothing by reporting their boss to a newspaper. If anything people will be asking why the resistance? Actually if the Legal Director was previously not involved the Finance Directors were wrong not to involve the custodian of contracts. Mulira ndipo simunati
Nankhumwa is Lomwe 100%. Itaye not sure of his tribe…but seems like Lomwe too
If this is true, then its a very sad development and blatant abuse of office
a itaye!!!! mwaiwala momwe munabwerera pa macra. yemwe akanakhala pa mpando panupo munamuchotsetsa nchito, Chibowa. lero mwagundika kuba; koma la sabata ku church. ine ndikakakuonani ku church ndikakutulutsani. ndukkuzani chaka chino simugonera
LA 40 lidzakwana iwe itaye.
Nyasa times, thumbs up. Ena sangalembe zimenezi. Angaluze business.
Alomwe mbamva za pa Malawi………atsogoleri opanda maloto….mwachisanzo kamuzu anakusiyilani air Malawi,inu kugulitsa ndalama kuika muthumba ndikupanga ubale ndi Ethiopia mumvekere Malawian airlines pano ndi awo akuthawirani mumvekere iyayi anene bwino.Anenaso bwino chani koma ngati nzoona ndinu anzeru komaso a chitukuko yambitsaniso yanuyanu air Malawi koma osati muja munapangira ndi National bus line…ndi iyo yathayo pano anthu nkuma dalira company ya munthu AXA bus services…shit DPP…Ngati ndinu okonda dziko lanu yambisanisoni zoti ana a sukulu aziyendera ma conseccion tickets monga mumene zinkakhalira nthawi yimene inu munali kusukulu ndipo zoona agalu inu ngakhale mukutukwana MCP koma munaphindula tioneseni zanu tione ngati zoona ndinu okonda dziko lanu.
Itaye is not a lomwe and so is Nankhumwa. Please spare our tribe from nonsense. Lomwes are hardworking people.
WHY is Itaye behaving as if he owns MACRA? Alomwe anthu ozikonda kwambiri, zinthu za dziko azitenga ngati zapantundu pawo
The untouchable big boss under DPP protection. As long as we are approaching the campaign period an the ruling party is soliciting funds nothing can be done to protect tax payers money
Inu zitsiru zansanje ku MACRA mwatitopetsa. Bwanji kufuna kulimbana ndi Itaye? Is it bcoz wakuchotsani ntchito?
Nyasatimes a President akugula tomato ,Sofa Ku Ndirande simukulemba bwanji .Kukondera amangwetu mulimbana ndi zimenezi.Bwana ife ogulisa amphaka ndi agalu mutigule nafenso.
its only nyasatimes that reports issues at macra and its director in particular, other medias sanena kanthu because they are corrupted an also tied with advertisment form macra
Good people, how true is this story?