Mutharika appoints Voice Mhone as NGO Board CEO : CSOs warns against witch-hunting

Malawi President Peter Mutharika has appointed former Council for Non Governmental Organisations(CONGOMA) board Chair Voice Mhone as its Chief Executive Officer.

Voice Mhone:  CEO
Voice Mhone: CEO

In a statement signed by NGO board chair, Emily Banda, the appointment is with immediate effect.

This is in conformity of NGO Law section 5 subsections 19 (1) when it is said that the board shall appoint the Registrar who will be known as its Chief Executive Officer.

Mhone will be the first NGO board CEO since the organization was formed.

All along the Government has been designating or seconding a civil servant as a Registrar of the Board.

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) Executive Director Timothy Mambo, has congratulated Mhone for the appointment.

Mtambo has since advised Mhone to be independent in his execution of duties.

“Sometimes people dance to the tune of appointing authorities,” said Mtambo.

Mtambo said he is hoping that Mhone’s appointment will improve the relationship amongst government and NGOs.

Centre for Development of people (CEDEP) executive director, Gift Trapence, cautioned against the politicization of the office.

“It is our belief that Mr Voice Mhone will be professional. The challenge that professionals have had is to be non-partisan when appointed into such Government positions. Some quarters may look at the appointment as compensation after PAC rejected his appointment for the position of Ambassador in Germany. It is also important to note that the NGO Board has always been used as a political tool to silence CSOs leaders. That has been part of its history,” said Trapence.

Trapence said  NGO Board was formed to fight CSOs who were against the third term bid of Bakili Muluzi.

“It will be very difficult for Mr Voice Mhone to work against this historical political culture that is entrenched in the NGO Board. No wonder the Chair of the Board herself has demonstrated her political behaviours in running the affairs of the board,” said Trapence.

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Kent Mphepo
Kent Mphepo
8 years ago

Countrymen, I am a member of this board. What has been portrayed in this story is not true. Unlike other statutory boards, the State President has no legal powers to appoint either board members or the CEO (i.e. Registrar) of the NGO Board of Malawi. For example, the current board was nominated during the CONGOMA AGM that took place at Lilongwe Hotel in October 2012. Unlike what happened in 2009 when the Bingu wa Mutharika government replaced names nominated during the CONGOMA AGM with political appointees, the Joyce Banda administration did not change this list but went ahead to confirm… Read more »

Kent Y.G. Mphepo
Kent Y.G. Mphepo
8 years ago

Countrymen, I am Kent Mphepo a member of the NGO Board of Malawi since 2012. I write in my unofficial capacity to straighten the record on the coming of Voice Mhone to the NGO Board of Malawi last month. It is plain from the NGO Act of 2001 that the Registrar of the Board shall appointed by the Board. The President has no powers to fill this position. Mr. Mhone applied for this position, shortlisted, interviewed and appointed by the Board – a group of Malawian local NGO player who were themselves openly nominated by the CONGOMA AGM at Lilongwe… Read more »

Chancy Chisambi
Chancy Chisambi
8 years ago

Congrats to my Cousin for the appointment. We need to go to Zowe to celebrate this weekend for this KKKKK!!

Bangor
Bangor
8 years ago

Stupid appointment since Voice is but an empty head. Remember he is the same guy who gave Patricia Kaliati advocate Madises number for Kaliati to shout at Madise. Tithane nawe iwe ife alhomwe enipeni we are left behind and you are taken from nowhere.

Israel
Israel
8 years ago

The voice is now no more. Independence ‘kulibenso’. Kikikiki. . . .

Ngwinde
Ngwinde
8 years ago

Experienced prifessionals should be brought in to silence them. Ampaka kale mafuta ameneyo azingonyambitira forgetting fighting for the good course of all Malawians. Yet to see more troubles, poti tazolowera.

phodos
phodos
8 years ago

Number 19, really the voice has been silenced.The country is quiet. A good number of them are busy kunyong’olera the big bans including those who voiced and reminded the big man that he has forgotten to silence him. kkkkkkkkkkkk Pamalawi.

Bwanji
Bwanji
8 years ago

The voice has been silenced………..Malawian politics at its best

John Tomoka
John Tomoka
8 years ago

Zilibe tsogolo chifukwa popano zikhale mbali yina

Bornface c Mwale
Bornface c Mwale
8 years ago

Fanta

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