Malawi govt announces bold expenditure controls

Government has announced bold expenditure control measures, which include an immediate order to stop recruitments and restrictions of top civil servants to travel in business class of aeroplanes.

According to a circular signed by chief secretary to the government Lloyd Mhura, the expenditure control measures are with immediate effect.

Others include an order that all government vehicles be parked on weekends; the government will stop giving allowances to officials who go for full board workshops.

However, this is not the first time that the government has come up with such cost effective measures which are in most cases largely ignored by some civil servants including top civil servants.

National budget watchdog, the Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) executive director Dalitso Kubalasa welcomed the move but urged the government to walk the talk.

“It is always better late than never. This is the right decision. The government should ensure that this is done,” said Kubalasa.

Some commentators have said the government is very extravagant as its cabinet ministers travel in very expensive vehicles when the country is one of the poorest in the world.

“It is interesting to see the president travel in a convoy of very expensive vehicles to see very poor people,” commented one Malawian on Facebook.

The World Bank and IMF accuse the government of having a bloated civil service, most of the public officers are political appointees yet critical ministries of Health and Education lack trained personnel.