First Lady dominates headlines: UK says no aid money was used on Malawi president’s wife private trip

July 29, 2019 Nyasa Times Reporter 33 Comments

First Lady Getrude Mutharia dominated the British media headlines which has criticesed her for extravagance after she reportedly enjoyed an £80,000 (about K61 200 000) pubic funds  for a  personal  trip  to London last week to see her son graduate from university.

Gertrude Mutharika, wife of the President of Malawi, dressed in Pink, came to Britain last week to watch her son Tadikira Mafubza receive a degree from University of Greenwich in Kent

Britain’s Daily Mail, The Express and The Sun have all carried the story criticising Gertrude Mutharika, wife of the President of Malawi,  that  despite UK taxpayers giving Malawi  £65million a year in aid, she was “squandering” the taxpayers’ money to see her son Tadikira Mafubza – the president’s stepson – receive his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Greenwich in Kent on Thursday.

The press reported the First Lady has a large group of aides, including the vice president’s wife Judith Chimulirenji, and  stayed at the five-star Dorchester hotel, where rooms typically cost £700 to £900 a night – and suites have a price tag of up to £5,500.

But the Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) says the government of Malawi has not used the United Kingdom aid on Gertrude Mutharika’s private trip.

DFID has issued a very brief statement following the assertin  in Biriths media that  UK gives Malawi 65, 000 Sterling Pounds in aid to Malawi and the first day has blown 80, 000 Sterling Pound for her 10-day private visit .

A DFID spokesman said: “No UK aid funding is given directly to the government of Malawi, and no UK aid has been spent on this visit.

“We ensure our support through trusted partners delivers value for money for UK taxpayers and transforms the lives of the poorest people, with 215,000 children in Malawi getting a good education as a result of UK aid.”

State House said  it was a government-funded trip.

Presidents (Salaries and Benefits) Act (Chapter 2:02) of the laws of Malawi, Part 1 of the schedule provides that the president’s spouse shall entitled to travel abroad privately at government expense but restricted to three times a year for a duration not exceeding 14 days each time.

However, Malawians in various social media platforms have condemned the First Lady for blowing taxpapers’ money on the trip just to attend the graduation ceremony of the son.

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition has threatened to drag the First Lady to court over allegations over spending spree to fund her private trip to the UK.

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33 replies on “First Lady dominates headlines: UK says no aid money was used on Malawi president’s wife private trip”

  1. These are the right issue to demonstrate on. This woman is the one making the old man to loose focus because of her appetite for money and foreign trips. Her son had to fly friends from Malawi just to join him in partying and they have been sending whatsapp pictures showing them merry making.

  2. Grace Mugabe was probably more extravagant, considering that the Zimbabwe nation has more mineral resources currently being enjoyed by the privileged few. Getrude Mutharika is probably following in Grace’s footsteps. However, passage of time has a way of putting these ‘Jezebels’ where they belong eventually, and usually it’s an abrupt ending to their lavish lifestyles even as it happened for the biblical Jezebel who orchestrated the killing of ‘poor’ Naboth to forcefully confiscate his only ‘vineyard’ land for Ahab, her kingly husband. These women have a way of enjoying abundance amid extreme poverty all around them. But God is watching everything and their end will not be that extravagant.

  3. We are ready for chipongwe chimene mukupanga atsogoleri athu. Mpakaso zalowa kwa azikazi awo, iyayi you have gone too far. Ndichipongwe ngati mukudana ndi azimuna awo azimayi asiyeni. Thats being foolish. Mtambo and trapece since you started your demos nobody has ever commented about your spouces or children. Did you indeed go to school seriously or this happened by chance? Am doubting to question your levels of education. You should be very stupid. Agalu eni eni. Zitsiru za anthu. If this is activism business then you have lost the plot. Muwauze anakupatsani ndalamawo kuti zavuta nkhanga zaona. Mind you these violents in quest for resources. Kulikose parties promise theor financiers business opportunities if they go into power. In uk during the brexit campaign, boris johnson got money and he seems he is going to have his way satisfying the insatiable appertite of his financiers and that of trump. Do those so called supporters of yours know these issues? I do not think so. Mmangowatengera mthumba because they do not know issues behind your advances. If at all you want anthing from the dpp guys join them or else confront them peacefully. Ife timangolima chimanga ndi mtedza kaya whatever crop. Otherwise mtambo, trapece and your friends, you are a bunch of stupid people. Zitsiru zeni zeni. Do not fool malawians.

  4. Malawians are we that chip that we cannot sleep in a better place because we come from a country categorised as poor. Should we eat cheese sandwich in UK because we come from Malawi? Should our president sleep in a bed and breakfast? Next time we will be told sleep in trees because we come from a poor country. One thing we should know is that we have Malawians too working and paying tax there . No one comes from UK and pays tax here. Harry and Megan have spent millions to renovate their house using tax payers money, of which some of our brothers working there are paying too.

    1. The funds that are being misused can be put to a better use, not to satisfy the ego of some evil goddess. I would understand if the entourage was kept to minimum considering the financial quagmire this country is in. St Johns hospital in Mzuzu is lamenting about increasing bills it is facing since Mzuzu Health Centre cannot provide life saving services it used to provide. Mrs Chimulirenji, not to be outdone by the evil Getrude, decides to jump on the bandwagon.

      I recently visited Misuku and could not help but wonder if we have a government in this country. Misuku is one of the most beautiful places in this country I have been to. But the road to Misuku is a nightmare as if the people of Misuku do not pay taxes. What is the Ministry of Tourism doing? Here is a potential tourist attraction area we are under utilizing. If we are austere in out public spending, we could save a million here, a million there and be able to do roads such as Misuku and others.

    2. Ntambo is crazy jealousy and i dont know what he want this guy. this is nothing. Lazarous will need the same tax money to travelel when he will be the president will he sue him? stupid HRDC

  6. There is no President in this country, just an old miserable clown wasting taxpayers money and clearly sleeping on the job.

  7. Kuba basi. Mitembo kuchipatalako simalupatsani mantha? Munthu wanji oyipa, wopanda chikumbumtima

  10. Kukhala tsogoleri sikuti akupatsa ufulu wakuba kapena ufulu womangoononga ndalama misokho yawathu inunso mukuikila kumbuyo awa akubawa simukonda dziko lanu mavuto pa Malawi 🇲🇼

  11. A Malawi umphawi wangokula basi. K61m ndi chaninso choti munthu azilira kuti ndalama yaonongeka. Mumafuna atsogoleri athu azioneka ngati anthu opemphetsa basi. Kodi tizasiya liti kukhala opotoka maganizo. Cholakwika ndi chani munthu kupita ku UK ku graduation ya mwana wake? Umbuliwu uzatithera koma? Akanakhala mwana wanu inu mukanakhala osapita. Kungoti amene amapanga alocate ma allowance analakwitsa. Ndikanakhala ine ndikanapereka K100m.

      1. You are the one whose mistaken if you think that 80,000 pounds is a lot of money. That just goes to show how twisted and far behind this economy really is. I bet you people in UK are laughing at us when they here we are griping over 80,000 pounds!

    2. Yes, amafuna aende pa kabhazza? muone maiko enieni ngati US sangapange comment zimenezo, thats less than their minimum wages, zooona ka 30Mn phokossoooo??????????? NDIIFEDI AMAPHAWIII ndi ndalama imeneyooo?? Olo ooda napweriii, soya, mtedza akuuzani amagwira daily ndalama imeneyo, shaaaaaahhhh, we are really primitiveee

    3. Joloza, the ones complaining are the very same idiots driving K80,000,000 Prados & Fortuners around town whilst they can’t even form a neighborhood coorporative within their own communities to repair the potholes where they live. They need to shut up!

  12. All of you who are against the first lady, you can’t be trusted, maybe MCP members,or a breakaway DPP( utm)
    You leave Joyce Banda who blows taxpayer money abroad for four years in South Africa and America sleeping in 5star hotels, where do you think she got the money?does she own a gold mine? remember she was a president for two years,now you’re expecting the sitting first lady not travel?be srs guys:

    1. Inunso mutu sugwira, dont you know that JB ali ndima businesses? She also earns a good salary as president wopuma. On top of that kunjako samangokhala, she was doing presentations even in famous universities where she given money. Inu ngati muli ndi umboni kuti she was involved in cashgate bwanji osamumanga ngati Lutepo or Kalonga? What we know is that cashgate started with Bingu and JB only exposed it, otherwise bwezi pano ali kundende. Ngati munamangitsa Trapence ndiye mungalephere JB akanakhaladi wolakwa!!

      1. Inu mukusesa pakhomo pamunthu in the name of job, first lady once worked as an mp meaning her status is far away from you,now mukufuna anawake asaphunzire kunja? sometimes use your brain, don’t just. Follow,the facts is, she is the queen of Malawi,no one can change that,mufa ndi BP

      2. Mutharika doesn’t earn much to afford his wife a trip?only Joyce Banda : which business Joyce Banda ownes? A school?wake up

  15. It’s where the problem is, if their children are going to UK can you expect the same people to make Chanco, Poly, Bunda to be of highest quality? Never. So we have a problem with the present leadership. The spending of money that is another problem cos look the way Malawi is suffering then someone is spending all that money for useless trip.

  16. Thieves all over this government. In South Africa there is a thief at the Malawi Consulate called by name Immigration Consul. He has established his own system to ensure that the money for visas and travel documents go into his pockets. Evil people.

  17. Umbuli a Malawi siuzatha. Kududuluka ndikonyoza chifukwa chosadziwa. Naye Mtambo mmalo mochita ma demo a Trapence ndi Sembereka anaba dollar aja akulimbana ndi izi?

    2. Mbuli ndiwe. Kusekerera ngakhale akukubera. Idiot, Nkhwere iwe. Mphevu iwe, Nyani, Katumbu Zereza, Chindere osamba madzi ometera iwe KUUJENI konunkhako galu

    3. Nawe big dance you are afool.. have ever lived in Engi? Do you know that what DFID is complimenting its just politics at the heart of full tension in Malawi? That’s to avoid escalating or riots and chaos. But in reality they know whats under the carpet.

      Iwe mmutu mwakomo you cant think how much the president receives ayear and we have problem in hospitals and the like but munthalika is enjoying tax PAYERS money.

      How many relation or azibala amunthalika amene mu England and America and some are give jobs in our embassies. Zongo waponya poti ndi abale awo .WHAT AM IS TRUE AM NOT DREAMING. They consider that Malawi is all people whether rich or poor . I WISH THE JUDGES IN LILONGWE THEY BRING RERUN . I TRUST THEM THEY ARE NOT FOR JOKES BUT JUSTICE IMPARTIALLY.

      MALAWI WILL MAKE HISTORY IN AFRICA.

    5. Mbuli ndiwe Big Dance chifukwa chosazindikira kuti Mkazi wa Nkhalambayu akuononga our Tax Payers money pazinthu za ziiiii. Kutinso tikufufuze ndiwe mphawi otheratu oti you cant even afford a trip to Chipata Zambia to say the least. Changamuka . Trapence and Mtambo, thumbs up! God should continue protecting you.

      1. You’re a Coward of justice,pitani Ku school,kudambweko chokani,kutukwana Ngati mkazi Kodi paja mumachokera Kwa angonia kumalawi kunali kothawila nkhondo,Ife nkhondo takana,bwelerani kwanu

        1. The Daily Mail Newspaper didn`t say that. quite the opposite! Akazi a Chimulilenji anapita ngati ndani kumeneko? Za ucitsilu basi.

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