Mutharika says ‘root out corruption’in civil service: Swears in Muhara, Dausi, Usiwa-Usiwa

President Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika has  called upon senior government officers to execute their duties with utmost impartiality and fairness towards Malawians  and challenged the newly appointed Chief Secretary to Government, Lloyd Muhara, to root out corruption in civil service.

Mutharika made the call on Friday at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, when he presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Secretary to Government, the new Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Nicholas Dausi, the new High Court Judge, Justice Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa, and the four commissioners Mutharika appointed recently to dig into the procurement of maize from Zambian government by ADMARC.

The President said he had a lot of confidence in Muhara and the rest of the newly appointed office bearers and that he and all Malawians had high expectations in them.

He described Muhara as having experience in both the public and private sectors and that the president wanted him to bring change to the public service.

“I want you to root out corruption from the civil service,” said Mutharika. “Your office is mandated to discipline, to suspend and to fire people.

“I want wrong-doers to be fired and prosecuted – in fact, we are better off parting with people who bring performance down than keeping them in the system. Time for playing games is over!”

Mutharika said now that the Commission on Public Sector Reform’s work was coming to an end, the Malawi leader wanted to see better speed of implementation of reforms.

He also hailed the appointment of Nicholas Dausi to the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology saying Dausi had the capacity to deliver in his new role.

He said Dausi had served in cabinet before and that he had a “very good overview of government and politics” and the president challenged the new minister to lead Malawi into the digital age.

“We are fast becoming a digital generation. This development needs to be encouraged but balanced with discipline and an ethical culture,” said the president, adding: “You are the Ministry that must champion cyber-security and protect Malawi from cyber-crimes.”

Turning to Justice Usiwausiwa, Mutharika said judges should help the country in the fight against corruption.

The president expressed concern on the way people used their right to injunctions in the country saying some injunctions only took the country backwards.

“I have seen injunctions being granted to stop us from investigating officers who are alleged to have misused public funds.

“We face the same problem in collecting taxes, where a person suspected of tax evasion or externalisation, simply goes to some judge and obtains an injunction. This is destroying our institutions,” observed Mutharika.

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