Chilima speaks on K53bn ‘Uniform-gate’: Karim Batawarara denting Malawi govt’s image

January 30, 2019 James Nthondo -Nyasa Times 38 Comments

State Vice President Saulos Chilima has said only a mad person would buy a belt at K100 000 and a shirt at K60 000 and has asked authorities to properly investigate the infamous   profiteering in the controversial K53 billion Immigration uniforms supply deal christened as  ‘Uniform gate’ scandal at the Immigration department.

Chilima: Immigration officers shirt costs K60 000, belt K100 000, really?

“It will only be a mad man who will buy a belt at K100 000 and a T- shirt at K60 000. This is pure theft. I would like to ask those investigating this issue to go to the very end of this  and the people involved should be prosecuted,” said Chilima.

Addressing a news conference in Lilongwe on Wednesday, Chilima said there are several corruption scandals that he would want to talk about in a few days time and the ‘unformgate’ is one of them.

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has since expressed fears of profiteering in the Immigration uniforms supply deal after noting exorbitant prices for items like gloves at K60 000.

PAC chairperson Alekeni Menyani said his committee has cast doubt at some claims in the deal such as a single uniform shirt for an Immigration officer pegged at about K60 000 and in some cases a belt quoted at K100 000.

The committee also invited the two contracted companies—Africa Commercial Agency and Reliance Trading Company—that are demanding K53.9 billion for a K9 billion contract to supply uniforms and other accessories to the Immigration Department through a 2012 contract. Delivery, however, only started five years later.

The two companies are owned by controversial businessman Abdul Karim Batawarara.

Recently, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) wrote President Peter Mutharika to intervene in the matter.

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38 replies on “Chilima speaks on K53bn ‘Uniform-gate’: Karim Batawarara denting Malawi govt’s image”

  2. Zopusazo ayi sitingapereke lamamba mmodzi MK100,00 or ma body guard a Trump savala lamba wodula choncho. What is special with an immigration officer? Shiit

    Akagwere

  4. Obviously Chilima wears cheap stuff. There are people out there who are spending more than that on belt and shirts and they are not mad its just that 0they can afford it. Kodi kumene mukumakayendako simumakaona mitengo ya dzinthu? I don’t condone the practice that was conducted by the indians. But you can not call someone who is able to spend a mad man, that’s nonsense.

    1. i think u are missing the path here mr pathfinder! he has not said anything that u are alluding to, yes we know there are designer belts more expensive than that and people who buy them u have said already yourself. so if you are a poor guy and you go for such a belt the price of which chokes you what will people call you or say about you?

    3. Mbewe, i think something is wrong with you. Are you sure malawians tax money can be used to buy such expensive things? We dont have medical facilities in our hospital, how can someone who is mentaly sharp buy a belt for 100, 000? I agree with mr SK

    4. DPP thugs live in their Fong Kong fantasy world. Mwina akanakhala makobiri anu, tsono nanga misonkho ya anthu osawuka yemweyi? Kenako mumange ma stadium 4 muka city kakang’ono ngati Blantyre. Koma ndiye phada weniweni.
      Numbskull logic ndithu.

  5. Please be professional on your reporting, he answered a question on this not speaking about it. you should be able to differentiate the two.

  6. Dr Banda new how best to deal with this kind of business man. He never tolerated this rubbish, word has it that one white man gave ngwazi a mecerdenz as a gift but three weeks later he was deported,how true this is I don’t know I was very young,but that’s the way it is said he did it. Our mulmultiparty democracy presidents will grab a bribe and pretend nothing happened. Shame on the leadership.

  8. Nothing happens to rich people jail is for the poor .. this kalim batatawara is finishing malawi off with no sympathy. He is forgetting above all god shall show him one day.god bless our poor nation.amen

  10. With the amount of money he has trust me he is above the law here in nyasaland,he bribes anyone from Peter mutharika to the lowest police officer in the police service so tell me who is going to stop him? Why did we let this thug from Bombay get the keys to our account number 1 and steal unlimited money? Shame on us malawians.

  11. The contract was signed by Mr Elvis Thodi now Director General of the National Intelligence Services who bosts of a two-storey residential property in Namiwawa, Blantyre next to the former toothless ACB Director Alexious Nampota making it twine-towers. The letter of the signing was signed by Ms Fanny Masupayi who was rewarded with a laxurious personal house in Mpemba, Blantyre. Indeed the ACB should not relent on this clear corruption case resulting in inflated prices and excess orders of the uniform items for the tìny immigration department. To agree with other sentiments, the relationship of Madula and Medi is really questionable!

  12. Do you know that the contract has not been effected? In other words no money has exchanged hands. In fact government is refusing to honour the contract. So what is all this hullabaloo for? Don’t show ignorance. Already the contract is being reviewed so no one should give impression that review will be done because of him PAC is already doing that and MCP also demanded the same

  14. Mr or Dr what ever Chilima….I think you’ve followed this story properly tell your little boys with chicken brains that its not DPP but mmwenye yemwe boma linakana kumupasa bznes….ndiye ati akusuma for loss of bznes…..iweyo chilima why asking yet the responsible people are doing it mxiiii kusowa zoyankhula basi

    1. The real chicken brain is the one that cannot reason and question why such bogus deals are happening only under this DPP government.

  16. Indeed let’s vote them out, these DPP people are not ashamed.
    They know that their days in government are numbered that’s why now they opt on stealing.

    Under DPP , we have;
    (1) Maizegate Chaponda
    (2) Police gate Mk145million President
    (3) Uniform gate Mk53billion
    (4) Fuel gate 4.6million litres of Fuel
    (5) genset gate ( Generators gate)
    (6) dual carriage gate from area 18 to City center, mk7billion
    (7) Black out through out the year
    (8) Water shortage through out the year
    (9) Albino rituals
    (10) undressing women by Cadets

    These are not good part on re-election.

    Be a shamed of these.

  17. Koma pa 21 May tichotse a Pumbwa mu boma ndithu!! Kenaka timva kuti Batawara wakhala akupeleka mphatso za ndalama ku account ijayi…ya agogo!!

  18. Ok. That is noted. But what do you do a man who gets paid for doing nothing? You Chilima Br reminded that you are a liability to millions of poor Malawians. You get paid for doing nothing. Since you are in Government we expect you to address some of the issues you have raised. What does your conscious say when you enjoy the benefits in Government you keep criticizing day in day out? Is that good leadership? No!!!!

    1. no Let him answer for his crime and his loot from the poor Malawians. she has to return all our money and properties back and than go to his country.

  22. kuba agalu amenewa alibe nchito akulimba ntima chifukwa cha antu osazindikila koma akuyenera kuchoka mbomamu basi , opusa kwabasi kumangoba ndalama ngati zilibe mwini zoona zimenezo

    1. Only people with a profession eye can see what is happening. Chilima can not even see himself. This is very dangerous. He is young man but he has finished everything typical of colouds people.

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