Chief Mlonyeni against transfer of Mchinji DC
Senior Chief Mlonyeni has said he is against the transfer of Commissioner (DC) for Mchinji, Peter Jimusole and three other council officials.
Recently, a group of concerned citizens dubbed Mchinji Social Economic Citizens Alliance (Mseca) has been demanding the immediate transfer of the DC Jimusole and the three officials, accusing them of failing to address corruption at the Council.
The group claims the council secretariat failed to respond to the allegations that some officers illegally sold public land and misappropriated some funds at the council as revealed in the audit report of 2019.
In an interview on Monday, Senior Chief Mlonyeni said Chiefs in the district do not recognize the group.
‘’This is a group of people who would want to derail development in the district. We do not know this group of people calling themselves concerned citizens. The DC has stayed in office for less than a month and as Chiefs in Mchinji, we have not seen anything wrong with him,’’ he noted.
On Saturday, the group’s executive director, Lawrence Chikhasu told reporters in the district that the 2019 audit report revealed that funds amounting to K68 million meant for Decent and Affordable Housing Subsidy Programme went missing in 2015 but nobody had been arrested.
He said there are plans of seeking intervention from the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The group threatened to shut down council offices if their demands are not met in a period of 14 days.
But Jimusole said the audit report revealed that the K68 million meant for DAHSP was borrowed by Council’s sectors and that they have agreed to start paying back the money.
‘’The group is demanding the arrest of some Council Officials who were implicated in the report, but the audit report which I have, cleared the officers and there is no way we can say let these officers get arrested,” he said.
On the issue of 14 days ultimatum the DC said he was not aware as the Group did not present a letter to his office.
Mchinji District Council Chairperson Yona Mtanga said they will hold a full council meeting on Wednesday, to hear the group’s grievances.
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