HRDC gives Nankhumwa 7 days to pay back K3.6m Covid-19 allowances

Rights activists have given Leader of Opposition in parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa seven days to pay back K3.6 million he pocketed as sitting allowance in presidential taskforce on Covid-19.

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) says the money pocketed by Nankhumwa could have gone a long way in saving the lives of many Covid 19 patients.

The rights group also demands that the government should make public all cluster expenditure reports, to give Malawians a picture of how the  K6.2 billion response funds were used or misused.

According to the HRDC National Chairperson Gift Trapence, the grouping will embark on a serious “Pay Back the Money” campaign against anyone who unduly benefited, overcharged or inflated prices of items meant for the Covid fight.

But Nankhumwa said he got the allowances for lodging, food and fuel since he operates from his home residence in Luchenza.

Some section of society say Nankhumwa has not acted illegally by getting the allowances, saying he got what he was entitled to.

Some people say Nankhumwa is not the only one who got the allowances, saying cabinet ministers who sit on the taskforce get their allowances too.