Macra blows K7.5m for Tele Centre opening: Probe on illegal allowances
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) will spend a whooping K7.5 million in allowances and other logistics for members of the parliamentary committee on media to attend the opening of a Tele Centre in Karonga on Wednesday.
Macra Director General Charles Nsaliwa whose contract expires at the end of this year and is in negotiations for a new contract is said to have directed that all members of the parliamentary committee on media should attend the function in Karonga and Macra would foot all the bills which will cost the tax payer K7.5 million.
The expenditure is seen as an extravagant and coming at a time when government has been called to tighten belts because of worse economic conditions it is currently going through.
Some rights activists have called on government and its departments to even reduce local travel to save the economy.
Insiders said Nsaliwa wanted State President Mrs Joyce Banda to open the Tele Centre but she turned it down and instead Vice President Khumbo Kachali is expected to open the Tele Centre.
“Nsaliwa is trying all the tricks in the book to have his contract renewed. He has already met the new board of directors last week and the board is yet to make its decision on the matter,” said our source.
“Now it is not known why Nsaliwa want all members of the media and communications committee of parliament attend the function in Karonga. Why not just invite the chairperson or deputy? But all members, this is weird because Macra could have saved a lot of money if they only invited the chairperson or vice of the committee,” added our source.
Illegal allowance
Meanwhile, Macra is being investigated on why they paid former Intelligence chief Bintony Kutsaira allowances amounting to K367,000 just soon after President Bingu Mutharika died.
Sources said Kutsaira is said to have visited Macra two times just soon after the death of Mutharika on April 5 this year but the reasons for his visit were not disclosed and Nsaliwa ordered Macra accounts department to pay Kutsaira the “illegal” allowances.
The other high profile people who were getting allowances from Macra include former presidential aides Francis Mphepo and Hetherwick Ntaba.
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