Opposition leader Nankhumwa pens President Chakwera over delayed civil servants’ salaries

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa on Wednesday, September 1, 2022 wrote a letter to President Lazarus Chakwera calling on him to intervene in the matter of delayed civil servant salaries.

“I am sure that Your Excellency are aware that civil servants in this country who include teachers, nurses, clinicians, doctors, drivers, cleaners, office assistants, clerks, quantity surveyors, accounts officers police, army, immigration and prison officers, among others, have not been getting their salaries on time.

Kondwani Nakhumwa briefing members of press – pic by Roy Nkosi

“As I write, civil servants have not yet received their August salaries, which was also the case with the July salaries,” said Nankhumwa in the letter whose copy Nyasa Times has seen.

Ironically, President Chakwera stormed through the Department of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD) at Capital Hill on Thursday, September 2, 2021, to demand answers and call officials to account for the delays in payment of civil servants’ salaries.

President Chakwera was returning from the launch of a nutrition campaign at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC), when he passed by Capital Hill to seek salary delays clarification. He was accompanied by State Vice President, Saulos Chilima, who is also Minister Responsible for Public Sector Reforms and Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Zanga-Zanga Chikhosi, among others.

President Chakwera has since demanded that a report on the problem and the remedial measures to be taken to urgently resolve it be put on his desk tomorrow for his continued intervention.

But in his letter to the President, Nankhumwa said apart from the mainstream civil servants, Members of Parliament (MPs) have also not been receiving their salaries and allowances on time dating back to the Budget Session meeting of May, 2021.

“As I write, various parliamentary committees are meeting and members have not been receiving allowances for fuel and others.

“We are informed that these delays are caused by some technical challenges facing the government paying system, the Integrated Financial Management Information System, or IFMIS. Whether or not this is true, what civil servants want, Your Excellency, is to be receiving their salaries on time,” reads Nankhumwa’s letter in part.

The opposition leader informs President Chakwera that civil servants, their families and dependants woke up very early on June 23, 2020 to cast their vote, which culminated in his ascension to power.

“It is, therefore, important that when the same people are suffering today, you must always listen to and side with them.

“Civil servants have responsibilities to take care of their families and dependants, and pay electricity and water bills every month. Schools have just opened and parents, including civil servants, are supposed to pay school fees for their children.

“Most civil servants live in rented houses and one cannot begin to imagine the embarrassment they have to endure at the hands of their landlords as a result of late payment of salaries.

“Your Excellency may also be well aware that Malawians are already suffering due to the prevailing unfriendly economic environment where prices of basic commodities have risen sharply, including rentals and transport costs. So, it is catastrophic for a civil servant, who is already under-paid, to be receiving salary late,” says the opposition leader, who also serves as DPP Vice President for Southern Region.

He concludes by reminding President Chakwera that it is the legal obligation of government to pay civil servants’ salaries on time.

“I, therefore, wish to request Your Excellency to reconcile this worrying situation as a matter of urgency and find a long-term solution to it,” ends the letter.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
12 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Kambewa Ngozo
2 years ago

FOSEKI
Nankhumwa you act as you are an engel. The whole system of civil service payroll is full of Gost workers. This started during Dpp government . Dpp cadets are still in in the system. We need head count of all staff on payroll

nsabwendiimeneyitu basi.
nsabwendiimeneyitu basi.
2 years ago

UNGA paja ndi ma house worker anapita nao. Ma salary athu kumacedwa.
110 went for shopping spree.
Getrude ndi cimululenji wife as well.
You have just pocketed money from that envelope you said you dint know where it came from.
Idiot

Chembuye
Chembuye
2 years ago

Bola ogwira ntchito mu government amalandilako mwachangu. Check what happens to a CHAM worker, treasury funds CHAM hospitals after the tenth of every month. Ogwira ntchito mma CHAM hospitals amalandira salary ngati pension ya pa 14

Patsons
Patsons
2 years ago

HH of Zambia had cleaned his house soon after taking over, don’t delay clean your house you will fall if you let those dpp guys in power

Eddie
Eddie
2 years ago

Mr president , please do something we are suffering

mtete
mtete
2 years ago

Commendable action by Him. Nankhumwa and mature response from HE

Bibo
Bibo
2 years ago

Nankhumwa , always wanting to gain political mileage as if under his DPP things were better. Did you guys care for civil servants let alone Malawians? Didn’t Malawians suffer under your party’s rule? Appreciate that president Chakwera is a caring leader not you or your father Peter Mutharika who is still crying about the judiciary taking the leadership from him.

Suzgo Nyirongo
Suzgo Nyirongo
2 years ago

This Nankhumwa guy is acting as if the DPP was a saint of a government!!

John Namiwawa
John Namiwawa
2 years ago

A Nankhumwa, zochedwa ma salary ama civil servants sizidayambe ndi boma la Chakwera, it has been like that since multipartism chifukwa chakusolora, pano its worse chifukwa mu system munatsala ma cadet who are doing everything possible to delay govt business. Luckily for them, they can not be booted out as they are in main stream service who were recruited legally. Koma ama contract opanga normal recruitment process, ndiye mmodzimodzi out. You would have remedied this during DPP reign.

nsabwendiimeneyitu basi.
nsabwendiimeneyitu basi.
2 years ago

Komatu anali mommo lelo akuona zowanyasa. Wanu uja olo kumucita pen nta Koma e bwana ebeana.
Munkayabwa bwanji a Malawi kumacita kulephera kupuma mpweya waulele omweo.
Kuphupha kuphupha a joji malenya kuti tiziti.
Anthu alipidwa. Siza 4 months mumacita inu a ja. Kukhala ngati mumangova ngati zikucokela dziko lino.
Mxii.
Osadanda tilipidwatu ife

Read previous post:
Police arrest three ex-convicts, recover stolen items worth K2.5 million in Mangochi

Katuli Police Unit in Mangochi district have arrested three men who once served jail terms on suspicion that they committed...

Close