Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill Receives Overwhelming Response: Passed Without Amendment

Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill Receives Overwhelming Response: Passed Without Amendment 

The much awaited bill Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill has received irresistible positive reaction from members of National Assembly.

The Bill was presented on Thursday afternoon by Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare hon. Patricia Kaliati. She told the house that the bill seek among others raise the marriage age from 15 to 18 years in order to promote wellbeing of children especially girls who are being married at tender age.

“The bill adds value to the promotion of education and empowerment of children especially the girl child.”

She said girls are continuously facing gender based violence and that Malawi is among 10 countries with the highest child marriage levels in the world currently estimated at 52% which she called the “sad note”

She said this development is ruining the future of girls because of fistula due to teen pregnancies and school dropouts.

Responding to the bill party spokes persons hailed the bill saying it will assist alleviating challenges that women and girls are facing in the country in absence of this legislation.

Malawi Congress Party Spokes person on Gender issues in the National Assembly hon. Jessie Kabwira in her remarks said “It is a longer awaited bill” adding “It declares Malawi’s fight in ending gender violence and early marriages”

She said early marriages are creating a cycle of poverty in the country and it denies girls right to heath, education and on behalf of MCP Kabwira urged all parliamentarians to support this bill in order to make people from their constituencies (those who voted them) to live better life.

Peoples Party Spokes Person hon. Patricia Kainga Nangozo said “PP supports this Bill because it will help this country to ably define who the child is in our own understanding” she added that this will help girls to stay in school and be mature before getting married a development which will help them contribute effectively to the economy.

She also hailed that the bill will protect women during divorce and added “This is a bill to benefit both men and women”

United Democratic Front (UDF) Chief Whip and Spokes Person on gender issues in Parliament hon. Lillian Patel said the party supports the bill.

She said the early child marriages are worse in her constituency “Over 21 girls aged 11 years dropped out of school in a single term at one school. I hope that problem is not only in my constituency, this might as well happen in other constituencies. We have to support this bill”

But she bemoaned that the fees contained in the bill are mean and urged the ministry to change. 

However male MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the level of debate of the bill because no male MP was given an opportunity to hold the floor and very few female MPs spoke on the bill. During the tea break male MPs were heard on top of their voices over dissatisfaction on how the bill has been debated.

The development saw leader of the Opposition in Parliament hon. Dr. Lazarus Chakwera immediately after tea break expressed his dissatisfaction over lack of men’s voice in the chamber.

“I am concerned over procedure of the debate which has been curtailed without men contributing on the bill.” He said “It should have been better to let men to speak on the bill because this is not women issue”

But the bill was passed without amendment. Immediately after the bill was passed the Leader of House Honorable Francis Kasaila thanked all parliamentarians for passing the Bill and announced that the house be adjourned immediately (That time was 16:30 hours) which was 30 minutes earlier to the official adjournment time at 17:00 hours.

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Norwegian Church Aid Appeals for Passing Trafficking in Persons Bill

Norwegian Church Aid Appeals for Passing Trafficking in Persons Bill

The Norwegian Church Aid has appealed to Members of Parliament to pass Trafficking in Persons Bill without hesitation once it is presented in the house on Thursday.

The bill is already appearing on order paper and is expected to be presented in the house this Thursday.

Cases of human trafficking are increasing in the country due to lack of specific legislation to curb such illegal practice. Last month 13 children the youngest being 6 years old were trafficked from Zomba to Mozambique and in Phalombe, Police have been involved in rescue operations with Mozambican authorities and more than  124 children have been rescued but some of these were mutilated their genitals according Norwegian Church Aid information.

Habiba Osman Gender Justice Programme coordinator for Norwegian Church Aid says current proposed legislation contains necessary provisions that can help to end the human trafficking which is rampant in Malawi in all regions and most vulnerable areas being border districts due to porous boundaries.

Habiba said Malawi is the only country in SADC region that does not have a comprehensive law on trafficking “There has been no specific legislation that prosecutes traffickers adequately” but assured “current proposed law is a good one” and hoped that the National Assembly will do the “need full” to pass this legislation.

She said absence of the legislation puts everyone in a vulnerable to trafficking and that everyone is living in fear. She therefore pleaded that, MPs should debate the bill of trafficking with sober mind and seriousness taking into account that trafficking is happening everywhere in the country.

“This legislation should be passed even without debate” she added

“It is my deepest call that when the bill reaches parliament members of parliament should not sent it back but should pass it” reacted Maxwell Matewere President for Southern Africa Network against Trafficking and Child Abuse (SANTAC)

He said “This bill is very important because it is supporting the victims through care programmes and rehabilitation and sheltering programmes among others. This is also important for the collaboration with other countries where prosecution will also be easy if for example Malawi arrests traffickers from other countries or Malawian traffickers arrested elsewhere”

Floods continue dominating national Assembly deliberations; MP’s Calling Govt to Assist flood victims in their Constituencies

Floods continue dominating national Assembly deliberations; MP’s Calling Govt to Assist flood victims in their Constituencies

A lot of Members of Parliament are continuing pleading with government to assist their respective constituencies with food , and farm inputs like fertiliser and seeds for the families that were affected by floods. 

Attention for humanitarian aid for the flood victims has been given to 15 districts that were declared 'flood affected areas' particularly the worst affected areas of Nsanje and Chikwawa districts. 

But the 3rd Meeting of 45th Session of Parliament has proven that floods spared no corner of the country as call for help for flood victims continue dominating deliberations in each sitting day since last week whereby a lot of parliamentarians from districts thought to have been free from floods are also bringing to the attention of government that parts of their constituencies were hit by floods and urgent help is required. Similarly, some parliamentarians from districts declared ‘flood affected areas' are also complaining that distribution of relief items in their constituencies were either delayed or not enough and some did not receive the help.

On Monday sitting as members continued with General Debate on the Budget Review statement, Zomba Chingale Parliamentarian was one of the members who brought to the attention of government that his constituency needs urgent assistance.

He said in his constituency over 5,000 people were affected by floods during early week of January but the response from UNICEF through government was made last week on Friday.

He said government brought to his area 190 bags of maize, beans and blankets but said food distributed in his area is not enough as two families were required to share a single bag of maize.

“Although nobody died in our situation in Zomba Chingale we still experienced a lot of difficulties in having houses collapsing, crops being washed away, bridges damaged like Masaula at Wisiki and another one at Namitembo going to Zomba town…” he said “Yes we have been assisted minimally but that’s not the end of it all because there is still two months before we get the next crop out for people to feed on and until that time what will people do?” 

The parliamentarian like all other members he said delay or failure to send relief items to people in his constituency will create more problems especially hunger.

Several other members of Parliament who spoke in the day also asked government to assist people from their constituencies with food items and seed as crops in most fields were washed away.

Bushiri Encourages Fellow Prophets to Start Businesses

Bushiri Encourages Fellow Prophets to Start Businesses

Prophet Bushiri 

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has asked his fellow Prophets in the country to do a lot of personal investments like venturing into businesses for the support of their own families and their ministries 

Prophet Bushiri was speaking during the first ever Prophets Summit on Friday in Lilongwe. He said Men of God can do so many businesses that may not necessarily need much of their time. 

He urged them not to rush buying things like cars “First of all invest…, am saying this from my own experience” he said and gave an example of himself saying he owns several companies including his diamond business.

In order to run away from widespread notion that Prophets take money from the people he said “Let us have our own things in order to expand our ministries.”

“We are not growing, Prophets in Malawi our Ministries are not growing!” he said “That is not success, there are people out there we must reach them out, we have to gather millions in stadiums, we need to make some crusades but we cannot do it without finances.”

Group of Malawi Prophets 

“If we don’t have money we will not achieve anything so it is good that you own personal businesses if you want to take this far. It’s not about fame but impact you are bringing to the people.”

Later in an interview Bushiri dismissed widespread notion that Prophets take money from poor people by saying that Prophets spend church money for events and services though Sunday collections are not enough to support the prophetic missions.

“If there are poor people then they don’t have and you can’t get something from somebody who don’t have” he said “If pastors were rich because of the church then all pastors could be reach”

Prophet Bushiri speaking to fellow Prophets. 

Bushiri made emphasis that personal investments among church leaders will stop people from continuing denting their image on church finances at the same time motivate believers who often take from their pastors to start working hard in their endeavors and stop relying on saying that God will always provide “but also God provides for the hardworking people” he said

Prophets Summit Preaches Unity Among Prophets

Prophets Summit Preaches Unity Among Prophets 

Prophet  Hara (Left)

The Malawi Prophets Summit held in Lilongwe on Friday has resolved that Prophets should unite and help one another in their day to day life as well as their Ministries.

Some of the speakers at the Summit Apostle Sipi Magawa of Living Environment Church Ministries, Senior Prophet Justice Hara for Ambassador for Christ Ministries International Church and Major Prophet Shepherd Bushiri for Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) spoke highly on the need to unite as Men of God and stop castigating one another.

“Nowadays everyone wants to stand own their own but as an apostle I would like to encourage that Prophets should stand together to have one voice” said Apostle Magawa while referring to Bible that from the Unity God’s Power manifest.

The apostle said lack of unity among prophets has greatly disappointed Christians and in many times Christians have lost their trust in Prophets and left their church ministries.

“In togetherness we can make the deference, in unity we will move forward” said Senior Prophet Hara “We need each other in our lives including in our callings”

Hara, who also described their grouping in Lilongwe as  a meeting which has sharpening each other “like an iron sharpening an iron” said their meeting will also benefit Malawi as a country because prophets in the summit have discussed a lot of development issues including on good governance and not only on spiritual matters.

Prophet Bushiri 

According to Major Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, Malawi was lag behind on unity of prophets as prophets from other countries begun long time ago to meet. 

Bushiri one of the organizers for the summit said the reason prophets met in Lilongwe was because God asked him to unite prophets. He said “One day God said to me, what you are passing through now is a mistake which spiritual fathers who came before you did and did not prepare the way for the next future generation. So he told me prepare a way not for yourself but for the future and the way you are going to do it talk with fellow prophets meet together….” 

He encouraged fellow prophets to unite and be open to speak to one another and share their problems “Our Nation has for so long fault prophets sometimes because of the mistakes prophets have done and sometimes because we did not respect ourselves and we have opened a loophole of the enemy to attack us. But we are not going to go down no matter how opposition we face”

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The prophet said their group will now be a platform to help one another ending mistakes being made by prophets on their prophesies as “most prophecies are being done without wisdom”. He said some prophesies are becoming threat to the nation or individuals “which is not biblical” and if that is left unchecked it will continue dent image of prophets in the country.

“This unity will help all prophets to be of discipline and help sorting out some mistakes happening in the prophetic body.” He said

Bushiri also shared with fellow prophets on topics of secret of success, his prophetic journey particularly how he endured the castigations from the public, purity and order in the body of Christ, expanding ministries, giving and empowering others, relationships between people of Malawi and the prophets and the importance of assisting Malawians affected by floods.

It was known in the summit that other prophets were against the summit and did not avail themselves in the summit. Prophet Bushiri, Prophet Hara and Apostle Magawa both said there is need to pray for those prophets so that they understand the importance of togetherness.

The summit was attended by more than 30 prophets across the nation and some few church leaders who lead various church ministries. 

Proper Legislation Needed to Resolve Public Sector Industrial Strikes -Chakwera

Proper Legislation Needed to Resolve Public Sector Industrial Strikes -Chakwera

Chakwera 

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president and Leader of Opposition in Parliament suggests that a proper legislation is needed to take care issues of workers in the civil service in order to end numerous industrial strikes that have been happening recently.

Chakwera was reacting to the just ended strike by the workers at parliament. The strike halted national assembly business for two days a development which opposition parties described it as an embarrassing moment for Malawi government for letting such a thing happen.

Striking Worker carrying banner of salary demand 

"We were informed by the honorable  speaker before we rose on Monday that there had been notice on impending industrial action by the staff of parliament and that necessary procedure had been followed and negotiations have been taking place."

Part of Striking workers 

"These issues were supposed to be resolved even before this 3rd Meeting of 45 Session began." He said

"Obviously the programme that had been outlined for this meeting obviously there would be some delay"

Striking Workers carrying banners 

"Issues of this nature needs to be resolved as most expeditiously as possible" he said and suggested "if we go deeper into situation of this nature there is need for legislation that takes care of workers generally because the understanding has been  policy on salary harmonisation and some quarters have questioned that because different entities have had legislation that takes care of their remuneration and until that legislation is changed you do not apply policy over law."

Leonard Tilingamawa President for
Parliamentary Workers Union speaking to Press 

For two sitting days (Tuesday and Wednesday) national assembly was at a stand still as workers downed their tools demanding government to accept full implementation of 24% salary increment 

Sentenced Criminals Furious at Police Prosecutors for Asking Court to impose Stiff Punishment

Sentenced Criminals Furious at Police Prosecutors for Asking Court to impose Stiff Punishment 

There was chaos at Salima First Grade Magistrate Court on Thursday when His Worship First Grade Magistrate Alex Kamtiki pronounced 14 year jail term to two armed robbers.

When the verdict was passed the two armed robbers Mizeki Jekapu aged 30 and Vesiyamu Chitenje aged 29 got furious and attempted to fight the prosecutors for pleading with the court to give stiffer penalties.

Public Prosecutor Sergeant Morgan Kabango told the court that the two had on 21st July while in company of others invaded Katelera Trading Centre armed with a muzzle loader gun and panga knives, stole cash and cellphones from Katelera ADMARC, Kadam'manja bar, Afrasian Cotton Company and from Mrs Chateka's grocery all valued at K850,000.

First Grade Magistrate Alex Kamtiki when passing the sentence made emphasis that conduct of the two convicted men lowers the development of an individual and a the nation as a whole and that the punishment should serve a lesson to others.