Malawi Housing Corp boss in school fees scam

Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) Chief Executive Officer Wezi Mkandawire is embroiled in school fees scam where she has been claiming tuition allowance from the Corporation on behalf of a dependent child who is not qualified under her conditions of service.

Nyasa Times can reveal that for the past three years, Mkandawire has been asking MHC to pay school fees for her dependent, Catherine Munthali at Young Ambassadors Private School in Blantyre at K50,000 per term and her biological son Watipa Mkandawire at Phoenix International Primary school at K855,500 per term.

Investigations by Nyasa Times have revealed that it is only Watipa Mkandawire who is qualified to have his school fees paid for by the Corporation and not Catherine, according to Mkandawire’s conditions of service.

According to the conditions of service, MHC is supposed to pay school fees to a designated school for Mkandawire’s ‘bonafied’ children under the age of 21. Bonafied in this case will mean either biological or ‘legally adopted’ children.

Nyasa Times investigations show that when Mkandawire was being employed at MHC, she stated that she has two biological children, daughter Chifundo born on 21 February 1991 and son Watipa born on 16 December 2004. She listed Catherine Munthali born on 16 June 2001 as her dependent.

According to the conditions of service, Catherine does not qualify to have her fees be paid by MHC unless she was ‘legally adopted’.

It was learnt that Mkandawire has not ‘legally adopted’ Catherine to be her ‘bonafied’ daughter.

According to a memorandum from Mkandawire to MHC Director of Administration and Corporate Services dated August 11, 2014, file ref. AP/5766, Mkandawire is asking for school fees for both Watipa and Catherine.