Kaliati chases Sports Ministry officials from offices 

Minister of Civic Education, Culture and Community Development, Patricia Kaliati, has evicted Ministry of Sports’ officials from offices at Capitol Hill, Lilongwe without giving them enough time to move their stuff.

Kaliati, who has been demoted in the recent cabinet reorganization- which has seen her powers being trimmed-, confirmed ordering the officials to relocate to their new parent, Ministry of Labour, Sports, Youth and Manpower Development.

“Why should they remain in offices belonging to my ministry as if they will be working for me?” argued Kaliati.

Asked why she did not give them time to reorganize themselves, the garrulous Kaliati popularly known as Akweni said “If I give them time, where will my officers be? Why should they cling to those offices? They should decide if they want to be under my ministry or move to where they belong.”

Before the cabinet reorganization, department of Culture was part of Sports, and now it’s under Kaliati’s new portfolio.

Kaliati is said to have not been convinced with the office space at her new portfolio, and this made her to quickly send some officials at Ministry of Sports on forced leave to ensure that they do not fight for their office space.

Eyewitnesses told Nyasa Times that yesterday Kaliati shouted  with some unprinted words at the Ministry of Sports officials who included Director of Sports a Mr. Ndalama, ordering them to go and find space at Labour offices.

She however, dismissed the claims.

“I am straightforward person and I met them yesterday. If they are professional enough they wouldn’t be wasting time spreading such lies. All I did was to advise them to move to where they belong, nothing else,” explained Kaliati who sounded bitter.

It is unprecedented in the history of Malawi for a cabinet minister to be searching for office space as that is the job of the Chief Secretary and line ministry Principal Secretary.

Kaliati could not however explain how life is at the new ministry after being stripped off the role of being government’s spokesperson, dismissing the inquiry as irrelevant.