Watchdog demands audit of Malawi first lady’s charity over ‘wrongful enrichment’

A Malawian governance watchdog has called for a forensic audit into Beautify Malawi Trust (Beam), the charity run by the country’s first lady, Gertrude Mutharika, accusing her of wrongful enrichment and abuse of power.

Sylvester Namiwa, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi), made the call at a livestreamed press conference in Lilongwe on Friday, arguing that the office of first lady does not place its holder beyond scrutiny.

“She is not above the law,” he said, insisting the position must be subject to accountability.

Namiwa was responding to an investigation published by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) Malawi, which detailed a wave of donations to the charity.

According to the report, contributions included K5bn from NBS Bank, K4bn from the South African businessman Zunaid Moti, roughly K1.7bn (US$1m) from Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, among other pledges that brought the publicly disclosed total to close to K17.79bn.

Namiwa said the source and purpose of these funds warranted investigation, questioning what the donors expected in return.

He suggested some contributors may be seeking preferential treatment in their dealings with the state.

Namiwa also raised concerns about the first lady’s influence over government decision-making, alleging she had involved herself in public appointments and had contributed to tensions between President Arthur Peter Mutharika and Vice-President Jane Ansah.

The PIJ investigation itself was sharply critical of Beam’s structure and funding model, describing the charity as, on paper, a philanthropic body but functioning, in the eyes of governance watchdogs, more like a vehicle for cultivating political and financial access.

The report suggested that some donors’ generosity may be intended to secure proximity to power, enhance reputations, or unlock future business advantages.

The charity has faced scrutiny before. PIJ’s reporting referenced an earlier controversy involving refuse trucks donated by the Chinese government, which were later leased to Blantyre City Council in an arrangement said to be worth about K22m a year – reportedly without a competitive tender process.

The investigation posed a broader question about the charity’s nature: whether Beam operates as a genuine public-interest organisation, or functions instead as a fundraising vehicle that thrives while the first family holds power and fades once that power ends.

Namiwa echoed that concern, saying the pattern of donations detailed in the PIJ report was, in his words, cause for worry, and called on Beam to ensure it did not betray the trust of ordinary Malawians.

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