Malawi aid debate in UK House of Lords

The House of Lords in Britain will debate a Motion on aid to Malawi on Thursday, Nyasa Times learnt in London.

Peers will debate the motion to be led by Lord Jack McConnell and Baroness Lindsay Patricia NorthoveR.

McConnell, Scotland’s former first minister,  was named a future British High Commissioner to Malawi but never got the chance to take up the appointment, following Labour’s UK election defeat.

But he said Scotland’s partnership with Malawi – one of the world’s poorest – would be at the heart of his work.

The aid debate is titled: “Economic and social development in Malawi.”

All direct British financial  aid  to Malawi was frozen in 2012  where 40% of the national budget comes from donors, after the so-called “cashgate” scandal.

The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) went a step further than other donors in suspending sector budget support, which involves money going to a sector-specific government bank account, for example, health or education, but with oversight from donors.

Aid experts warn that continued donor absence could have huge adverse effects on health and education.

So far, the graft-busting body has secured two convictions in the ongoing cashgate  trials.

On Friday, a former accounts assistant in government Victor Sithole, 27, was found guilty of possessing stolen cash.

Early this month, a former tourism official Tresa Namthanga Senzani was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison in connection with the cashgate scandal.

A  former budget director Paul Mphwiyo , his wife and newly appointed Director of Public Officers’ Declarations Christopher Tukula were arrested at weekend in relation to cashgate.

Government has said there will be more arrests.

Meanwhile, Malawi Watch Executive Director Billy Banda told a local newspaper that he is  not satisfied with the speed of some cashgate cases.

He said although there is some independence in the way Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Judiciary have been handling the cases, the progress is not fairly satisfactory considering the economic damage behind the cases.

“There appears to be some political will if we look at the way government has allowed the ACB and the judiciary to handle the cases independently and the economic empowerment of the ACB. However, we needed to do more considering the impact of Cashgate to our economy.

“Donors withdrew their money resulting into zero-aid budget. We have been strangled economically because of the cashgate scandal and it would be necessary for these cases to be completed as early as possible so that we can concentrate on rebuilding our economy,” Banda said.