State House in contempt of court over staff eviction

State House risk being sued for contempt of court for defying a court order restraining it from going on with plans to transfer over 22 employees from state residences.

Nyasa Times understands that State house through Director of State Residences wrote the staff members informing them of their immediate transfer but failed to indicate their new working stations.

State House protocol demands that each and every staff is informed of housing and transportation arrangements before being deployed to another duty station within the residences.

But the letter with a reference number 2/1/26 signed by Mr Palani only informed the staff  that their services are no longer required.

“The exigencies of the service require your immediate post from state residences, you are therefore required to surrender your identity cards as soon as possible and report to your new duty station,” reads part of the letter.

Through an injunction obtained at the Industrial Relations court, State House was restrained from posting them to unknown workstations without following procedures.

The injunction restrained the respondents whether by themselves, their agents, servants or whosoever from evicting the staff until determination of the matter by the court.

However, Nyasa Times understands that State House has already started transferring some staff.

State House has evicted about nine female teachers from Kamuzu Palace Primary School and Kamuzu Palace Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) on grounds that they could compromise the security of President Peter Mutharika.

The houses which some of the teachers have occupied since 2000 are within the State House compound and were allocated to the schools to ease accommodation challenges for the teachers who were posted from far places.

According to Central West education division manager Joseph Nkhata, director general of State Residences Peter Mukhito through the security adviser Paulo Chisale, explained that the female teachers have been singled out because they had men visiting them who are not known by security officials and could pose a danger to the occupant of State House.