Government abhors contract awarding monopoly

There will no longer be a monopolist tendency of awarding contracts to the same people over and again the Malawi government has said.

The Chakwera-led administration, therefore, says contracts will only be given out to the right people to do the job after following all the necessary procedures and vetting and not out of favour or connections.

Government spokesperson and Information minister, Gospel Kazako says there is a greater need for the state to award contracts through adherence to professional practices for purposes of equitable wealth distribution in the country.

Kazako, made the call Monday in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe during a press briefing held alongside Malawi’s chief legal advisor Attorney, Attorney General, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda.

The government’s mouthpiece, Kazako, said there are a few individuals who have amassed wealth for a long time through government’s contracts in the country to the disadvantage of many other Malawians who have the expertise and capacity to do decent jobs for the country.

Kazako further said it was government’s desire to see that most Malawians own businesses and are awarded contracts instead of the current scenario where international investors own a larger chunk of the business environment.

“We are saying nobody should monopolise the contracts and take every job that comes out. We are saying Contracts will be awarded equitably to all Malawians with the capacity to carry out the jobs.

“We are saying we are against predominantly few families amassing wealth. These individuals and their families control every sector of the country; they even have the power to control the political landscape,” said Kazako.

Kazako added: “We want to break this cycle of having individuals who capture this country by using their wealth as a means of controlling Malawians.”

The minister said as a control measure, every contractor will be required to present his or her National Identification cards during the vetting process as a way of confirming the identity of the individuals background.

“The government’s stand is to see to it that 60 percent of contracts must be awarded to Malawians and the remaining 40 percent can therefore go to international investors.

“People who spoil this country do not belong here; we are not trying to be xenophobic, but we want to bring sanity in the country,” said Kazako.

Kazako, therefore, pleaded with the citizens to be alert and never to be enticed to be supporting greedy people who use the less privileged to demonstrate while they are achieving their hidden agendas.

The minister then reassured Malawians that the challenges being currently faced would be addressed and so should be taken as temporary.

In his remarks, the top government lawyer, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda, said government is ready to address incidences of shady awarding of contracts and irregularities concerning procurement of government equipment.

Nyirenda cited the awarding of a contract at the Department of Immigration as an unfair deal to Malawians because passport prices are high without taking into consideration that materials for processing a passport are cheaper.

Chakaka Nyirenda said when awarding the contract, a feasibility study was not done and, therefore, government would probe into the matter until truth is established.

The Attorney General said there are laws that govern the awarding of contracts in the country and if not properly followed, Malawians are the ones to suffer the consequences.

Said the Attorney General: “The manner in which contracts are currently being awarded does not benefit Malawians.

“My office is allowed to impose restrictions in the manner in which these contracts are awarded with an aim of bringing sanity.”

Nyirenda warned that all public officers who would cause government to lose money through their negligence would be held accountable.

Nyirenda has, therefore, reminded Malawians that negligence by a public officer is punishable by law, adding that all illegal wealth accumulation by public officers would be investigated.

According to Kazako, the Ministry of Information will be holding weekly media briefings as one way of addressing emerging issues affecting Malawians.

President Chakwera told Malawians after taking over government that his priority is to root out corruption in the country especially in the government.

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