More rot emerges at Information Ministry
Barely a week after Nyasa Times unravelled a syndicate at Information Ministry that is ripping off government revenue by using government equipment for their personal benefit, fresh investigations show officers in the Technical Section of the ministry has been pocketing illegal allowances whenever they are carrying out their core duties.
Nyasa Times sources within the ministry has revealed that officers always demands hefty allowances from unsuspecting individuals and organizations who hire Public Address System from the ministry even in the event they have not travelled out of their duty station.
According to government regulations, officers claim subsistence allowances when they have travelled outside their duty station which is supposed to cater for their food and lodging and this is backed by a circular which is issued by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).
The practice is deeply ingrained so much so that even other government department and ministries pay allowances to these officers failing which they don’t work yet the same government pays their salaries for doing the work they were employed for.
“Officers from Technical Section of ministry of Information who mans the PA systems demands allowances from people who hire their equipment. They issue ordinary receipts and not the government General Receipt which ensures that money will go to government coffers,” the source said.
These allowances, said the source, are illegal because one is not supposed to claim when they are working within their duty stations, saying this has been happening even when officers within Lilongwe at places such Capital Hotel, Lilongwe Hotel which are a stone throw away from their place of work at Chief Kilipula Building.
Director of Information Gerald Viola confessed that he is aware of the syndicate that is ripping off government of its much needed revenue but was yet to summon the officers involved in the malpractice.
Further, revelations has it that the Film Unit in the ministry is also deeply involved in the malpractice of hiring out equipment like Video Cameras, Television sets etc and do not remit the revenue acquired to government coffers.
“This malpractice is not only limited to the Head Office in Lilongwe but is also spread out to all Regional, district Information that spread across the country. The revenue collected ends up in officer’s pocket instead of government Account No 1. The amount is very substantial and could have gone a long way in contributing to government revenue. Believe you me Information ministry is completely rotten,” bemoaned the source.
According to our source the Technical Section and the Film Unit of the Information ministry is indexed as one of the government departments which collects revenue for government whose proceeds go to Account No One, where all government revenue is kept.
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Mundango Nyirenda ninkhani yayi iyi akulu ndiukhungu wachikhazikile uwu, panyake imwe wakamunolani ma allowance sono mwati muwatundule pa Nyasatimes pano, check how ma DCs plus anyamata a Accounts mmene akudyera makobiri a boma in the form of allowances yet they have not travelled. Its sad koma and ma journalist nanu you come ku ma meetings ndicholinga choti mulandire allowance even if ndinuyo mupange benefit newzo apo biiii simummaulutsa nyuzi shupits
Palibe nkhani apa ampatsa osesa pa office they are generally underfunded this is part of motivation otherwise onse athawa ena ndi magraduate palibe nkhani apa
I think most journalist are dull they dont know what they are writing for. what you should know is this each and every department has its own budget any activity which involve other depart they suppose to budget it and must include allowance such as lunch, payment for booking of the equipment which goes to acc no1 by issuing GR. allowances r paid separately and u can not issue GR as u cant wthdraw any amount from acc no 1. Mind u they cant offer free service to private organization at their cost while Gvt gets its entitlement. why do… Read more »
Makito, we want this malpractice to end. It is people like you who are spoiling Malawi. Angulu inu kuzolowela kuba. Viola put in a system to ensure no one steals.
Odi ukoooooo
Aliyense ngokuba Naye wapa
Reception amaba internet tym pa computer yaku office,h/masters kuchititsa hire mipando,holo
za sukulu,ndikachiwanda komwe kadakhadzikika m’mdzikoli
Zonse izi zinayamba kale-kale, apa zango fipa mochedwa kuti ziziwike, komano osati ku information kokha ayi, palinso ma unduna ena nawo ali ndi ma plan awo, amatenga malawanse amatsiku 10 / 15 kuti akagwira ntchito ku Chitipa koma sapitako ayi, amatenga ndalama za ulele basi, chonse chonsecho abwana anamazi, koma pakuti nawo amatenga popo,sanena ayi. Fufuzani mumafile muzazipeza izi.
GOD SAVE MALAWIANS AND LET CORRUPTION PERISH ON ITS OWN.
This is not news. Even individual Nyasatimes journalists expect to be paid for the news. In other countries, media houses pay for the news. Stop writing as if you have ” discovered” something when everyone knows this is the system of a rotten cultured Malawi. Kapena it is Viola’s strategy?
The internal control system in the government set collapsed long time ago. The Controlling OffIcers have turned into distructive officers. The question now is, who is controlling who? Malawi should expect hard times, especially the rural masses who have nowhere to steal. At least a mbomafe tiziba kalikonse kamene kapezeka until cashgate is sorted out and internal controls are back in place.
Corruption is entry he’d in the entire system.fish rots from the head. If head of civil service is corrupt every one else will be. No ifs or buts about it. What I fail to understand how government of the day is failing to eradicate this cancerous culture which is ruining our chances to develop. We need to go back and evaluate what went wrong with our so called democracy. Is this what we wanted when we asked HKB to step down? Because if that is the case I would rather live with a benevolent dictator than a rotten bunch of… Read more »