Nawena says corruption starts from the presidency in Malawi: ‘A fish rots from the head down’

Political activist and former Thyolo Thava MP Lifred Nawena says corruption in Malawi would never end because it starts from the presidency.

“When our presidents want support on an issue from people, they corrupt our chiefs and are paraded on televisions yet the traditional leaders themselves do not really understand the matter,” said Nawena.

The controversial former Democratic Progressive Party legislator was contributing in a talk show program on whether President Peter Mutharika was justified in assenting to the Land bills into law.

Nawena said some chiefs are backing the Land bills not because they are good for them but because they have been corrupted to support them.

He said this tendency of presidents corrupting chiefs on issues of national importance is destroying Malawi and said there cannot be an end to graft.

“I remember when Bingu was in power, the chiefs supported the Injuction bill. After they made their case, they came back to us to find out what the bill was all about. They were corrupted that they supported the bill blindly,” he said.

There was no immediate reaction from State House or the Office of the President and Cabinet on the corruption allegation.

However Lands minister Atupele Muluzi has been telling people that the Lands law will help in the administration of land matters.