Sustainable Agricultural Production Programme Procures 22 Field Vehicles

Kumwembe handing over
the keys

Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme has procured 22 motor vehicles for its six site projects in order to ease mobility of Agricultural Officers to farmers.

This programme which is supported by IFAD, concentrates on enhancing agricultural productivity and improving rural food security through simple, affordable technologies, to help smallholder farmers bridge the wide gap between actual and possible food-crop yields in Malawi.

Under this project IFAD is pumping in US $51.1 million where  half as grant and half as Loan and that Malawi government is also putting in US $4.2 million and beneficiaries are also putting in US $ 1.2 million.

Principal Secretary II for Ministry of Agriculture Bright Kumwembe says the vehicles costs them a Billion Kwacha and has since advised Agricultural Development Division offices receiving the vehicles to take care of them, warning that drivers and any officers found misusing these vehicles shall face consequence.

“These vehicles are 22 in number and have cost us K1 billion. They are going to our six projects site, currently we have received 8 vehicles and the other vehicles will be receives in the coming two weeks” said Kumwembe

“We thought it wise that we give out these vehicles so that they start working in the field than waiting for the whole contingent of vehicles to be here.”

Speaking of importance of taking care of these new vehicles, Kumwembe said “The Ministry under our Agriculture Sector Wide Approach we have come up with the fleet management system which is going to help us monitor the vehicles in terms of service usage and abuse, so we are sure that the system is going to help us protect the investment that we have now as well as investments that we have had before this investment.”

As you might be aware, he added "government spends a lot of money to procure vehicles and manage them but often times we find that because of negligence we lose these vehicles. Now government is trying as much as possible to make sure that people who are negligent will have to meet the cost of their negligence.”

Salima Police Arrests 41 Children In 'Go Back To School' Campaign

Police in Salima together with Education, Social Welfare and Labour are in a campain 'Go Back to School' a campaign which involves sweeping exercise during night hours and stopping child labour.

Salima Police Public Relations Officer Sub Inspector Gift Chitowe says the joint force on this exercise aim at enrolling back some children who dropped out of school and to stop the malpractice of employing children to work in different parts of Salima particularly selling merchandise along the roads during late hours which is becoming a new attractive enterprise of young people in the district. 

Sub Inspector Chitowe says in the night hours of 22nd April police have already netted 41 school aged children found loitering and vending in some of the trading centres in the district and that parents and employers of these children have been cautioned to stop the malpractice forthwith or the law will take its course.

He further warned that if such parents and employers or any would be perpetrator of such malpractice is found guilty shall face eight year jail sentenced.

"We really want to end the problem in our district having seen the statistics of our registered offenses. It has been observed that most of the offenses like indecent assult of children and defilement cases which are very rampant  are a result of current trend where school aged children are found selling merchandise along streets during night hours, so this is making it simple for people using drugs and alcohol to take advantage of the situation to assault these children."

"This is a main reason why at the district council level, us police together with other departments of education, social welfare and labour to embark on stopping these children from being found along streets at night and get them back to school.” he explained

“So, currently we have arrested 41 children whom we have invited their parents and their employers. We cautioned them that nenever again send children to work at night hours and that every children must be at school else shall face the law and risks eight year jail term.”

"It is our hope that the current situation in Salima is ruining future of children, so we cannot wait and look as these children future is being spoiled. So we feel that time is now especially for the school dropout kids, that they can go back to school to make their future." Said Sub Inspector Chitowe

Ntchisi Police, Communities Join Forces in Protecting Albino

Police in Ntchisi have assured people in the district that it is geared to deal with all suspects who are trafficking and mistreating albinos.

According to Ntchisi Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Gladson M'bumpha, police in the district had on Thursday conducted Community Policing meeting at Traditional Authority Chilooko Headquarters where Officer Incharge for Ntchisi Police, Assistant Commissioner Chaupi Chiona appealed to the general public to report to police all suspected persons doing albino selling business.

"During the meeting,  weak and dead community policing forums were revamped to ensure that the area have total security." Said Sgt Gladson M'bumpha

Sgt M'bumpha also mentioned that during the meeting, Police distributed reflectors to community policing forums and members as one way of thanking them for the good work of working hand in hand with the police in reducing crime.

The Ntchisi Police PRO further said Traditional Authority Chilooko expressed gratitude for the restructuring of the community policing forums and further appealed to his subjects to help police tighten security and protect people with albinism.

The meeting attracted Senior Group headmen, Village headmen and community policing forums and members from the area of Traditional

Authority Chilooko in the district.

Man Gets 8 year Jail Sentence for Possessing Marijuana

Kasungu  First Grade Magistrate Court on Friday  has sentenced Symon Phiri age 46 to serve 8 years imprisonment for being found in possession  of cannabis sativa popularly known as Marijuana or Indian Hemp.

Symon was arrested on 18th April this year after Police got a tip from members of the public that he was keeping  cannabis  in his house said Inspector Edwin Kaunda Kasungu Police Public Relations Officer.

Inspector Kaunda said the man was found with 34 bags of the drug each weighing 50kg.

He pleaded  guilty to charge of being found in possession of cannabis sativa which is contrary to regulation 4(a) of Dangerous drug regulation as read with section 19(1) [subsection 1], of Dangerous Drug Act. 

Police prosecutors also tendered to court the said bags of cannabis sativa before sentencing.

In his submission the state prosecutor Assistant Superintendent Alphas Banda asked the court to give the convict a stiffer punishment because the offence he committed is serious and that the drug is one of the cause of insanity among the youths in the country. 

His worship Damiano agreed with state prosecutor and  gave the convict eight year jail term. 

Symon Phiri comes from Mekembambo village of Sub T/A Chisinga in Kasungu district.

18yr Old 'Malawi Vice President' Impersonator Ends Up In Police Custody

A silly planned idea has ended up young man in Lilongwe trip himself up into police custody, he pretended to be Malawi's Vice President 'Saulos Klaus Chilima'. He called police officer and order a release of his father from police cell.

The young man aged 18 who resides in Area 25, has since been arrested says Kanengo Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Esther Mkwanda.

Sgt Mkwanda has identified the impersonator as Frederick Chiwere of Chiwere village from T/A Chiwere in Dowa district and says police have charged him with offense of Giving false information.

According to Kanengo Police PRO, Frederick father, Mr. Munde Chiwere, was arrested on Wednesday for receiving stolen properties which were found in his house and is in police custody. But later that evening Kanengo Police Station Officer got a  call from a person claiming to be the 'Vice President of Malawi (Mr. Saulosi Chilima).'

Sgt Mkwanda said the 'Vice President' told the police officer that Mr. Matewere being detained in their custody was his uncle.

"He claimed Mr. Munde Chiwere is his uncle and ordered an immediate release of him in our custody"

"We began to investigate on this suspicious call and try to identify the caller. So our investigations revealed that the caller was only impersonating the Vice President and we manage to arrested him but to find that he was a son to our suspect Mr. Matewere." Explains Kanengo Police PRO

Then Sergeant Mkwanda said the young man, Frederick Matewere who is currently in custody, is to appear before Mkukula Magistrate Court this Friday 24 April 2015 where he will be answering charges of giving false information to a person employed by public service, an offence which is contrary to section 122 of the penal code and attracts a sentence of five years imprisonment.

"He has accepted to have committed the offense and was unable to say reasons for making the lie" said Sgt Mkwanda

Malawi Confirm Third Death in South Africa's Xenophobia Violence

 One more Malawian confirmed dead in South Africa's Xenophobic violence bringing total number of Malawian casualties in the ongoing bloody attacks against foreign African nationals to three (3).

Malawi Government in a statement confirms the death of the man Charles Toni aged 24 years and he hails from Chipole Village, Traditional Authority Maganga in Salima District. 

Kondwani Nankhumwa 

Information, Tourism and Culture Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa says the deceased was stabbed to death in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa on 22nd April, 2015 and was laid to rest on 23rd April, 2015.

The Malawi Government Spokesperson further says the Government of Malawi through its High Commission office in South Africa, is still trying to establish the facts surrounding the death of another Malawian reportedly run over by a moving train in South Africa.

Nankhumwa says the circumstances surrounding his death will be made available as soon government establishes more facts on the matter.

The Government of Malawi continues to repatriate Malawians who have been affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa as eight (8) more buses will arrive this Friday, 24th April, 2015 with 532 returnees.

However, the Information Minister says the buses were initially carrying 509 returnees from Durban but when they got to Beit Bridge in South Africa they came across and picked up 23 Malawians who were stranded there without proper travel documents.

EU Projects In Malawi Making Positive Impact To Communities

• Five EU Member States Diplomats says are Impressed with Projects in Malawi

• The Ambassadors visited several projects before meeting CSOs, Private Sector and Legislatures 

The European Union (EU) Diplomats says EU is making positive impact to lives of Malawians through its funded projects being implemented in some parts of the country.

Five EU Member States Diplomats were in Malawi to assess its development projects including appreciate political situation and meet government officials, members of parliament, private sector and civil society.

After four day visits to EU projects sites, five senior resident and non-resident EU Member States Ambassadors of Finland, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Belgium have all expressed satisfaction of how EU projects are positively playing a key role in Malawi communities. 

At a press conference in the capital, Lilongwe, Head of EU delegation to the Republic of Malawi, Ambassador Marchel Gerrmann said the visit was very important for member states and ambassadors from five countries whom he described as ‘shareholders of EU’ to see firsthand and share quite a number of good results of EU projects in Malawi.

“They need to be convinced of what we are doing is a right thing, that we are really helping alleviate poverty of Malawians and support the government in doing that” said ambassador Gerrmann

Finland Ambassador to Lusaka, Timo Olkkonen also accredited to Malawi and Zimbabwe says the EU money in Malawi is being channeled for the good use after observing that every project being implemented is bringing positive impact among lives of Malawians.

“What we have seen here is that the EU money in my opinion is targeted to the right sectors and strategically important sectors like agriculture, forestry, human rights and democratic processes” said ambassador Olkkonen whose remark were echoed by Italian ambassador to Lusaka, Pier Mario Darco.

“What we saw on the activities taking place in Malawi, am quite confident also that we are reaching results with that funding. So, at least for me this was a very positive experience and in the sense that the European tax payers money are put in the good use” 

But the Finish Ambassador has pointed out rapid population growth as one critical issue that Malawi has to address a point which Spain Acting Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Komena Tarmori agrees and also mentioned that the government is ready to support Malawi in several investments areas.

On her part, the Irish Ambassador to Malawi, Ms. Aine Hearns said the field visits to the EU projects has been enlightening moment and was happy to note that the annual 500 km rural road rehabilitation projects are economically empowering communities in transportation of their farm produce to markets as well as assisting women to easily access to hospitals since the roads are passable by ambulances.

And the Belgium ambassador to Dar Es Salaam, Koen Adam who also said he is impressed with development projects in Malawi, promised that Belgium is committed to continue assisting Malawi in agriculture.

The delegation has further expressed satisfaction in projects on civic education, Agriculture Sector Wide Approach project which is supporting in food security, rehabilitation of Kanengo grain silo upgrade a project which with EU intervention the ambassadors says there is much more efficient usage of the storage of grain, and on sustainable management of forests.

The delegation also hails Malawi civil society organizations for being active and in good terms with government.