Why is Immigration Dept, Attorney General, PPDA in the dark over procurement process that identified E-Tech Systems?
Tongues have started to wag in the public over what appears to be a calculative silence from all government agencies and departments that are supposed to provide information to the public with regards to finer details of the procurement processes that led to the identification of E-Tech Systems as the new passports supplier to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services.
Earlier this week, Ministry of Justice spokesperson Frank Namangale told the media that government has engaged E-Tech Systems as the new passport system supplier to address the passport crisis at the Immigration Department.
E-Tech Systems managing director Raphael Msowoya confirmed to the media that they have been engaged, but refused to give more details.
“Contact the Immigration Department as we are not allowed to speak on the matter,” he said.
However, in an interview yesterday, Immigration Department director general Charles Kalumo said the Attorney General (AG) was better-placed to explain as “the department does not deal with procurement laws”.
“The department only prints and issues passports. If you are asking about the law, then I would prefer you speak to the AG,” he said.
AG Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has been blatantly non-communicative on the matter, choosing to avoid every call that bears this story.
However, the Public Procurement and Disposal Authority (PPDA) public relations manager Kate Kujaliwa came out clear on the matter and underlined that her office did not handle the contract with E-Systems.
She said: “Please, check with the [Immigration] Department on the thresholds. Not all procurements come to PPDA, but only those above the procurement and disposal entities [PDEs] threshold [do].”
One Malawian, writing on social media, queried the entire procurement process that identified E-Systems.
He wrote: “This raises more questions than answers. How E-Tech identified? Was there a call for tenders, as should happen for all government tenders? Who owns E-Tech? Who are connected to? Do they have prior experience in this field? I smell a very big and smelly rat.”
However, weeks ago Serbian government released a photograph bearing E-Systems Managing Director Msowoya with President Lazarus Chakwera’s son, Nick, and MCP first vice presidency aspirant Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba apparently as Malawi government’s economic delegation to the country.
There hasn’t any statement from government to ascertain the photograph.
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