Roads Authority board did not recommend Hiwa suspension: To be quizzed Friday
The Roads Authority (RA) chief executive officer Trevor Hiwa is expected to appear before the board on Friday to be quizzed on allegations of a misprocurement in which he is suspected to have awarded a $303,823 (about K217 million based on the exchange rate then) World Bank project to his own firm called Infrastructure Consultants (Infracon).
Nyasa Times understands that the RA board did not recommend Hiwa’s suspension but rather to be called and be warned.
These revelations are contained in the letter to the controller of Statutory Corporation dated 20 October, 2016 which was signed by Roads Authority board chair the late James Gomani.
In the letter which is titled ‘Boards resolution on the allegation against engineer Trevor Hiwa’, Gomani wrote that the board resolved to invite Hiwa for “a one on one discussion with some members of the board after which he will be warned;”
But government reacted to the board in a letter Ref No: MJCA/AG/184 dated 10 November, 2016, in which Capital Hill agreed with the recommendations of inviting Hiwa to the round table discussions but quashed the board’s decision of warning him over the allegations levelled against him as pursuant to clause 11.4.4 of the revised conditions of service.
Capital Hill threatened to fire and hire the new board members if they implemented their decision.
“Please be guided according and the board needs to be alive to the fact that it is amenable to have its mandate reviewed if it makes decision that is cannot be reasonably justified or are out rightly imprudent,” the letter from Capital Hill reads/
Hiwa will be appearing on the disciplinary committee on Friday .
Secretary to Treasury, Ronald Mangani, said the Ministry of Finance did preliminary investigations on Hiwa issues.
The board formed a team of investigators to probe further. The team comprised Chief Director responsible for Good Governance in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Wezi Kayira as Chairperson; Chief State Advocate in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Richard Santhe; Director of Human Resources Management and Development, Hilario Chimota and Deputy Director in the Office of the Director of Public Procurement, Edward Jeke.
Meanwhile, Malawi Law Society General Secretary, Khumbo Soko has faulted Ministry of Justice for interference on the operations of the parastatals.
Soko said it is the duty of the board to transact any business of firing and hiring of employees at any level of governance at parastatals and that government is there to give policy direction on the running of the parastatals.
“In this case of Road Authority, it was paramount to let the board implement its decision without being gagged,” said Soko.
Hiwa declined to give a comment when contacted, saying he has been subjected to smear in the media.
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Why spare this kind of person? Why waste time warn him? What is so special with him? What are you afraid of? Who is he in relation to ……..? Was the business clear or not? When does conflict of interest apply? Why does conflict of interest apply? Tatiuzanitu apa ambuzife. Other good and honest firms are suffering coz of this kind of people. Just fire him the same way you would do with others, especially from North and Central.
The RA board is weak. Capital Hill did the right thing to intervene. Hiwa should have been suspended even dismissed a long time ago. Giving a contract to a company owned by his wife is a clear conflict of interest which is part of corruption. Hiwa’s case is even worse than Kamoto of MERA or Mlumbe because there’s no clear evidence that they got the money. Hiwa’s case is straightforward. It’s good that govt moved in quickly to act bcoz the board failed to do its job.
Hiwa mukumuopa coz adzikuduwisani one by one koma pliz put me board chair wa RA ndikamuchotsa mamawa omwe
ACB Kodi iyeyu agwida liti?????
A Boma uyuyu akangobwerera ndika thyola ma bridge a ku mudzi kwake.
Double standards. Double standards at the best. Integrity at its worst. Then why did he “finish”the board chair immediately after his suspension?