Mutharika Walks Down Memory Lane of 2013 Arrest and Detention; Recounts His Time In Detention

Donates Various Items to Lumbadzi Police Station, Maula Prison

Mutharika

The State President Professor Peter Mutharika on Wednesday walks down memory lane of March 2013 arrest and detention following Treason  accusations leveled against him together with eleven Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials.

Mutharika visited cells of his detention at Lumbadzi Police station and later visited Maula Prison a place he denied to stay for he argued with officials that he could not stay there for he was not yet convicted of the alleged accusations. 

Speaking at Lumbadzi Police marking commemoration of 2nd anniversary of  his arrest in 2013, Mutharika immediately after visiting the cells he said "Henry Mussa was our pastor we used to pray every night." And added "Being in Police cell is not a joke, that's a place you notice that you are in an isolation world".

"The day we arrived here" he continued, "In the middle of night the Inspector General of Police Dzonzi (Loti Dzonzi former Inspector General of Police who was serving Joyce Banda administration) received information right away from the president. He was told that Professor requires medical attention and am sending medical doctors."

"But that was a total lie" he said

"When the three men came here, Bright Msaka (who were together with Mutharika in the cell) told them that Professor is fine and does not seek any medical attention." He said, then continued with  recounts of how those men were beaten by angry party supporters when the men forced themselves into the cells further sending suspicions of their presence and mission.

Mutharika revealed that the doctors were fake as one of them is being identified as a Head of Criminal Investigations Department and said " I have a signed affidavit by Inspector General of Police (refering to Former IG Loti Dzonzi) I have it myself at the right time I will use that Affidavit" 

Mutharika was in a company of some of the officials who were arrested with him; Goodall Gondwe, Nicholas Dausi, Bright Msaka, Vuwa Kaunda, Kondwani Nankhumwa and Henry Mussa.

He announced that he has donated 15 chairs for the police at Lumbadzi, 8 solar lamps and blankets.

Later, he visited Maula Prison where he also donated food and non food items worth millions.

The items includes three tones of laundry soap, 200 litres of cooking oil, 250 bags of maize flour, 500 bails of sugar, 400 litres of chlorine and 40 bags of beans.

He also went to Mtunthama State Lodge to honor several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials with medals for their endurance during such a trial times the party and its leadership went through.

President Mutharika Walks Down Memory Lane of 2013

Visits and Paint His Detention Cells at Lumbadzi and Maula Prison In Commemoration of 2nd Anniversary of His Arrest in March 2013

Pres. Mutharika

The State President Arthur Peter Mutharika is this Wednesday March 11, 2015 commemorating 2nd anniversary of  his arrest in 2013.

President Mutharika programme includes a trip down memory lane to see the prison cell in which he was once detained in 2013 that is in Lumbadzi and Maula Prison cells.

Malawi Public Service form Commission Flies to Singapore;

Chilima Leading the Lilongwe Team

Chilima far right, Mutharika centre& Muluzi (former President)

The Malawi team leading Public Service Reforms including its chairperson, Vice President Saulos Chilima is on Tuesday travelling to Singapore for knowledge sharing on Public Sector Reform.

The Lilongwe team is on trip to understand how to effectively implement the just launched Public Service Reforms.

Statement from Press Office of the Vice President says His Excellency President Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika has delegated Vice President Saulos Chilima to lead a team on Public Service Reforms to study the Singapore reforms in-depth. 

"The Southeast Asian country is one of the highly rated nations that have successfully implemented Public Service Reforms hence the importance of the study visit by Vice President Chilima and his delegation." Claim part of the statement released on Monday

The statement indicates that Malawi's Vice President, who is also Chairperson of the Public Service Reforms Commission, leaves Malawi on Tuesday, March 10, through Kamuzu International Airport KIA in Lilongwe at 13:30 hours. And arrives back home on Thursday, March 19, through Lilongwe’s KIA at 12:20 hours.



President Mutharika when launching the Public Service Reforms emphasized he is trying to make the public service efficient and effective. While his vice, Chilima has been emphasising that reforming the Public Service is not a matter of multiple choice, but will be done and it must be done now.




Malawi Public Service Reform Commission made several recommendations among them reforms which focus on optimal allocation of human resource, improving service delivery like decentralization and moving other departments to relevant government ministries including decision to make the Malawi Investment and Trade Center (MITC) a one stop shop.




Some of the recommendations were approved and implemented by last year.

Good News!ECM to Distribute Relief Items Worth MK1 billion for Malawi Flood Victims

Items includes; food and Non-food items like Clothes

Arch Bishop Msusa to lead the Bishop at the launch

The Catholic Church in Malawi has raised food and non food relief items valued at K1 billion which its distribution begins this week to all flood victims from all worst affected districts particularly in the southern part of the country.

The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) says distribution to be launched on Tuesday 10th March, 2015 by the Bishops, led by the  Chairman, His Grace Most Reverend Thomas Luke Msusa, will take place at January Parish which is in the area of STA Ngolongoliwa in Thyolo district. 

Acting ECM Secretary on the Left and other Bishops

Bishops are also expected to visit people living in shelter camps around the area, says Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo ECM Acting Secretary in a statement 

Submerged houses; T/A Malemia Nsanje district 

"Bishops have planned to visit flood affected victims to show solidarity and give a message of hope. Guided by Psalm 34:18" which reads “The Lord is close to those broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

During one of the recent Holy Mass
 Celebration where ECM encouraged
 Faithful to make contributions

"During the visit, the Bishops are expected to present some of the relief items which were collected from all parishes and institutions in the country and the Caritas family to cater for flood affected dioceses." Reads the statement 

Collapsed schoolblock in Thyolo Thava

The statement has indicated that, the items valued at MK1 billion, the church has managed to raise through its partners and the Church Structures. Addiding that these items  are just for short term sustenance of human life.

Flood affected victims

The statement further indicates that these items which includes money, clothes, food and non food items will go to flood affected communities in Chikwawa, Nsanje, Zomba, Machinga, Mangochi, Phalombe and Ntcheu among other areas.

Submerged houses in Nsanje 

Submerged school in Nsanje district

Drowning home in Nsanje District 

Village Savings and Credit Association Changing Lives of Chiuzira Women in Lilongwe

Tiyanjane Women Village Savings and Credit Association Members Are Able to Support their Families 

Women in the capital, Lilongwe from around Chiuzira village had not known what they thought to be a simple and mare lessons on Village Savings and Credit Association in 2013 would turn them 'Business Managers and food providers' from house keeper or housewives status.

Through Centre for Informal Economy Initiatives (CIEI), Outreach Scout Foundation (OSF) and Women of Action Ministry (WAM) 24 women from Chiuzira were trained in Village Savings and Credit Association, now the course has began bearing fruitful results.

Two years down the line, the club which was named "Tiyanjane" had in its first-share purchase of not less than K2,500 each  as of 2nd November 2013 raised a sum of over K1.4 million which was used for First loan disbursement.

This has enabled all the 24 women in the group to run some small scale business that are supporting their daily lives in their respective families.

Joyce Bamusi Chairlady for Tiyanjane women Village Savings and Credit Association told Malawi Voice that the initiative has helped members of the group to graduate from being housewives to women who are now able to help their families through businesses they do.

"We are able to provide for ourfamilies and that includes paying for school fees for our children some of us are building modern houses." She shared the testimony

She also hailed the initiative of village savings and loan association for being better that than accessing credit from commercial banks, "We previously tried to access loans from banks but it was difficult for us to repay such loans, we were not profiting from such loans"

Apart from individual small scale businesses, Tiyanjane women as group they used their good sum of retained earnings to buy pigs and that now, the group is doing pig farming.

This year, the group is now in second round of share savings of which in their first week managed to raise  more than  K350 thousand.

Centre for Informal Economy Initiative  Executive Director Francis Antonio says OSF, CIEI and WAM have intentions to rollout these initiatives to other districts to allow a lot of women get empowered through such economic activities.

We Can’t Work When We Have Poor Health; Mw Civil Servants Launch Sports for Health Initiative

Civil Servants Fighting Non-Communicable Diseases Through Sporting Activities

Working all day sitting on chair is not life style that Malawi Civil Servants would like to go on with, but physical exercises and some sort of sporting activity often times is new life style that they want to stick to from now on because they believe that a healthy workforce is a great resource to national development.


This is a rationale the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development lunch “Sports for Health Initiative” at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe on Friday 6th March 2015, where various sporting activities including, aerobics, football and netball are part of the event.


The core motivation of this initiative says Felix Linje, Chairperson for Sports for Health Initiative Committee is to protect themselves from some of non-communicable diseases that are continuing to attack people because of being inactive in sporting activities.


“We have organized ourselves starting with Ministries in Civil Service and we are hoping to go out to Public Office Organisations. This initiative (Sports for Health) starts with promoting healthy life styles and sporting activities in order to prevent non-communicable diseases and all diseases exacerbated by inactivity like high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes.”


He explained “We observed that many people who are working do not have time to involve themselves in sporting activities. Most of us we spend a lot of time during the week doing our work, and in weekends is time that we feel that we might want to rest. No physical exercises there.”


“What we are trying to do is to make sure that Ministries have their own wellness Committees to encourage officers engaging in sporting activities so that they start to at look sports for the prevention of other health related diseases.” said Sports for Health Chairperson


Linje revealed that very few government workers are in sporting clubs or do some physical exercises regularly. And said, though some government departments and ministries have their own sports clubs, still very handful of those working in government play for their teams.


“Normally when we have these football clubs within Ministries most of the times you find that they are competitive they are bringing in people from outside the working station, very often it is young boys who play for their team. He said


“But what we are looking for by having this initiative is that every Civil Servant should have opportunity to engage in some physical activities, so this should not be competitive but encourage everyone to take part in physical activities while knowing that doing such is not just for fun but for prevention of diseases”


Linje has assured that Sports for Health Initiative will be a quarterly event where various messages of lifestyle related communicable and non-communicable diseases will be delivered to the public servants. He urged the general public to participate in their events so that they also hear such important health messages.


Cancer Association of Malawi joins the launch of Sports for Health Initiative to raise awareness messages of Cancer and some Medical professionals were at the event conducting free testing for Breast Cancer.


Linje says the initiative during its upcoming events, will be raising awareness massages on other non-communicable diseases like diabetes and sugar.

Sporting Activities Will Prevent You From Noncommunicable Diseases

Sports Good For Your Health- Felix Linje 

Malawians have been encouraged to take sporting activities as most important measure to prevent noncommunicable diseases like cancer and diabetes, as The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development launches “Sports for Health Initiative" this Friday. 

Sports for Health Initiative to be launched at Civo stadium in the Capital Lilongwe this Friday, 6th March from 7:30 am, is a civil service event which aim at encouraging government workers to regularly do some sporting activities.

Chairperson of Sports for Health Initiative Committee, Mr. Felix Linje made the call as he appeals for public participation at the event saying though the initiative is for the government workers, everyone is encouraged to participate the launch of this event since, apart from various sporting activities the general public will also benefit from awareness messages of various life style related communicable and non-communicable diseases including free Breast Cancer testing.

"We are encouraging the public to come to this launch of Sports for Health Initiative as well as Cancer Awareness Day” appealed Linje, “So we have Cancer Association of Malawi and other medical professionals who are going to come in to conduct some free testing of Breast Cancer apart from different sporting activities.

“The essence of this initiative is that we want people to look at sports for the prevention of other health related diseases so we are encouraging everyone to come, there is going to be fun and cancer awareness messages”

Several sporting activitis have been lineup including Football, Aerobics, Netball, Jogging and other sporting activities.

The Chief Secretary, Mr. George Mkondiwa and other senior government officials will attend the function.