Malawi anti-graft body launches district council integrity program

In an effort to eradicate fraud and corruption in the country’s district councils, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has launched an integrity program that is aimed at empowering the integrity committees at the councils in handling corruption issues.

Presiding over the launch on Monday in Salima, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Kiswell Dakamau ,said the program would help safeguard the finances and the resources that come at the council.

“The program we have launched today is very critical as you are all aware of the national decentralization program, this has increased the amount of resources going to the councils and it is likely that it will make the officers more prone to corruption,” said Dakamau.

He added that the authorities that have been picked to be in the integrity committees are supposed to make sure that all the resources that come to sectors of the council are well utilized for their intended purpose so that they can create a corrupt free local government.

Acting Director General for the ACB Reyneck Matemba highlighted that district councils have a crucial role to play in ending corruption and that there is a need to provide them with all the necessary support.

“Councils receive a lot of financial support and resources that make them venture into corruption when they don’t have the required integrity in safeguarding resources, so this will help us work together in eradicating corruption as well as help the councils know how they could report corruption cases to the bureau,” he said.

In her sentiments, the District Commissioner for Ntchisi, Malango Botomani said the training would help the council be empowered on issues regarding corruption.

“Currently the challenge we have been facing is that as councils we were not being incorporated in implementation of corruption programs, but as of now, we will be able to monitor all projects that are happening and make sure that they are successful,” she said.

She further urged all the councils to make sure that the district council’s integrity program is operational.

The program has started running in the districts of Ntchisi, Salima, Nkhotakota and it will soon roll out to other districts of the country with the aim of making sure that recourses are safeguarded.

 

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