Malawi Govt appoints new NICE board
Minister of Information and Civic Education Moses Kunkuyu on Friday announced the appointment of the new e board of trustees of the National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE).
This follows the dissolution of the NICE board by the Minister after a public outcry that it had been done illegally and amidst queries from the European Union (EU) who are major financiers of the initiative.
Kunkuyu said he has appointed the board after a thorough consultation with the public.
“Article 5 of the constitution of the NICE trust states that a board shall be appointed in a transparent manner from a list of officials that the public submitted,” Kukunyu said in a statement.
“I am pleased to inform you that we did what the constitution requires and we have appointed a board,” said the Information Minister.
The names of the new members of Board of Directorsfor NICE are Mrs. Martha Kwataine, Mrs. Susan Kaunda, Mrs. Bertha Sefu, Reverend Francis Kaulanda, Sheikh Idrissa Muhamad, Traditional Authority Kwataine, Kizito Tenthani and Mr Justin Dzonzi.
The Secretary for Information -(ex officio member), The Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development –(ex officio member) and the Executive Secretary for Malawi Human Rights Commission (ex officio member).
Kunkuyu explained that President Joyce Banda had nothing to do with the appointment of the board and it all came from the public.
The previoius board which was illegally appointed by former presidentLATE Bingu wa Mutharika had Mabvuto Bamusi, a former human rights activist, who was hired by the Mutharika’s DPP party to fight the civil society, Pastor Frank Chirwa of the Seventh Day Adventist, Ombudsperson Tujilane Chizumira, Traditional Authority Mkumbira of Nkhata Bay, Bishop Francis Kaulanda of the Anglican Church and Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) chairperson Sheikh Muhammad Idrissa.
Meanwhile, EU is geared to rebuild the NICE board at it recently a K1.6 billion (7.5million Euros) injection of funds in direct reaction to the government heeding its call on administration of the body.
