Kapalamula tipped to replace Mukhito at Police
President Bingu wa Mutharika on Sunday replaced Clement Kapalamula with Bintony Kutsaira as Director for the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and highly placed sources reveal that the former spy chief is heading for the Malawi Police Service (MPS) where he would take over as Inspector General.
According to the sources, Mutharika is in the process of overhauling his entire government machinery to strategically position it for the crucial 2014 general elections and that many heads are likely to roll while other officials will be reshuffled drastically.
However, the incumbent IG, Peter Mukhito, who is also State House former Guard Commander has fallen out of the President’s favour and may be given the least expected positions, more likely an ambassadorial one.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Bright Msaka could not pick up his phone when Nyasa Times attempted to seek his comment on the developments on Tuesday neither could Kapalamula and Mukhito.
But the sources revealed that the President is not happy with Mukhito’s performance at MPS, citing his alleged involvement in the death of student activist Robert Chasowa at the Polytechnic in September, 2011.
Under Mukhito, the Transparency International (TI) recently revealed that the Malawi Police is the second most corrupt in six SADC countries, South Africa, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Mozambique. Malawi scored 57 percent is the TI survey, which involved 6000 people, behind the DRC, which was at 64 percent.
Under Mukhito, there has also been discontentment among junior officers owing to the manner promotions have been effected in the police service with allegations that they have taken a nepotistic fashion.
Most of the officers that have been promoted in the past two years hail from Thyolo, the President’s home, Chiradzulu, Mukhito’s home, Phalombe and Mulanje.
Mukhito was also at the centre of academic freedom row.
