Mkondiwa appears before Appointments Committee of Parliament: Malawi High Commissioner to India designate
Former Chief Secretary to the Government George Mkondiwa has appeared before the parliamentary Appointments Committee which scrutnised his credentials for his new job as Malawi High Commissioner to India designate.
President Peter Mutharika appointed Mkondiwa as Malawi’s High Commissioner to India a few weeks ago.
The chairman of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Lingson Belekanyama confirmed Mkondiwa spent three hours before the committee but refused to say the outcome of the interviews.
“We will forward the results to the secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet this week or next week which will in turn make it public,” said Belekanyama.
He said the committee spent a lot of time with Mkondiwa because it wanted to learn more from him having worked many years as principal secretary including PS for Foreign Affairs, ambassador to the US and then chief secretary to government.
However, Belekanyama said his committee did not look at the age of Mkondiwa who is 60.
“For your own information, the committee approved Mr Kaphambe Nkhoma to be ambassador to Germany and I think he is already gone. Mr Nkhoma retired 10 to 15 years ago as deputy chief secretary and had to be recalled from retirement to serve as ambassador. He is at advanced in age,” said Belekanyama.
Mkondiwa was expected to leave office by November 25 2015 when he attained 60 years of age, government’s mandatory retirement age.
But before he was removed as Chief Secretray, Mkondiwa was given a new three-year contract up to 2018.
The parliamentary committee chairman Belekanyama has come under intense criticism from some of his own members for allegedly receiving bribes from some government officials in order to make some candidates pass interviews.
They give an example of the Labour minister Henry Mussa family whose wife, Agrinna is Malawi’s High Commissioner to Kenya and his daughter is Malawi’s junior diplomat to Zimbabwe making the Mussa family dominant in government positions at the expense of other deserving Malawians.
Former chairmen of the committees announced to the media results of the interviews as soon as they were out, same day of interviews.
Mkondiwa could not respond to the short message service (SMS) as an alternative way of reaching to him.
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At 55 President Obama has retired and he has become a revered statesman. At 60 bwana you are taking up a diplomatic position. Really? Arent there other things you can do after ascending to the highest position in Malawi Civil Service and earning the best benefits for years. Learn to let go boss. Let someone else go to India in all fairness.