Fresh illegal recruitment scandal at Malawi Revenue Authority

Nyasa Times can reveal that Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Office of President and Cabinet are separately investigating another illegal recruitment of a whole department at the tax collecting body, Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA).

Our sources at the two institutions said filed documents of the new case trace it back to early this year.

MRA is already struggling to clear the mess of another illegal recruitment where nearly 80 of 125 new tax officer recruits ended up to be sons and daughters of senior politicians and relatives of senior executives at the authority that were offered employment without attending any interviews.

Documents of the fresh case show similarities in nature with the other scandal, occurring at almost the same time involving very senior and influential leaders at the tax bull who illegally hired their relatives and disregarded basic procedures involved when employing public officers.

“Nauseating pure nepotism and cronyism, that is what it is. From the look of things it’s as if there was a contest about who has to hire more of his relatives between politicians and bosses at MRA,” highlights one of the Nyasa Times source.

 The documents say that without announcements of vacancies existing at MRA, early this year over ten people just reported to MRA to start work at a new department called remote resolutions and calls centre.

“They were just handpicked and invited to start working at MRA without procedural advertising of their jobs at a new department called remote resolutions and calls centre. They are directly related to the influential MRA lawyer Felix Tambulasi, former controversial deputy commissioner general Roza Mbilizi, director of HR Michael Ndaferankhande and Lloyd Muhara’s operative, Nelson Maguru the then chauffer to commissioner general,” one of the documents on the case reads.

 The documents allege that MRA senior legal officer Felix Tambulasi in the fore to influence employment offers to the cohort hiring his relative Chikumbutso Tambulasi in the process.

 In addition to the young Tambulasi, employment offers were given to Symon Maguru, Constance Ganiza, Christina Jimu, Faith Ndawala, Vanessa Mkwate, Winter Chiumia, Emmanuel Banda, Sungeni Mangulama, Edgar Mpelepele.

 “Maguru came for industrial attachment and within two months he was given employment without a job application and without attending a job interview while as Tambulasi and others just joined and started working without even internal interviews or vacancy notices in radios,” another document reveals.

MRA spokesperson Steven Kapoloma could not immediately comment.

 Of late, ACB has placed orders at MACRA stopping illegally employed personnel from reporting to working while OPC has terminated tens of illegal employment contracts within the main civil service and reversed secondments of officials who lacked any special skills.