Govt Commends JTI Leaf For Launching Food Aid Initiative Targeting 3, 500 Households

Allan Chiyembekeza, Fries Vanneste
Handing ovet maize to beneficiary 

Malawi Government hails one of the leading tobacco buying company, JTI for coming up with food humanitarian response program targeting 3, 3500 households across the country. 

Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Alllan Chiyembekeza commended the JTI on Wednesday when launching the initiative at Namitete in the area of Traditional Authority Kalolo in Lilongwe.

Beneficiaries from T/A Kalolo

For a period of three months, JTI Drought Relief Program will involve distribution of food ratios to tobacco growers and their dependants even other families who are not in tobacco farming.

Allan Chiyembekeza

Allan Chiyembekeza said this is a welcome idea at this time when up to 3 million Malawians are experiencing hunger due to droughts and floods.

“Well it’s a very welcome idea, remember we have been talking that we are in a crisis, so many people need food and I don’t think Government alone can manage, this is why JTI decided to came forward to assist government on one side to assist by distributing this food to their farmers.’’ Said Chiyembekeza

An old woman, Magene Chisenga from Lemwe village got her first ration at the launch and could not hide her excitement “Am very happy to receive this food.’’

‘’This is like a dream, our eating pattern changed; we would eat today and go without food the next day so the life has been like that, for so many days I and my five grand children have been going to bed without food.” Narrates Chisenga, and continued ‘‘We never knew where we are going to get food but now I know that this night we are going to eat and I am assured that we will eat for the next three months.”

Fries Vanneste 

Speaking at the launch, Managing Director for JTI, Fries Vanneste said their humanitarian response comes after the company’s leaf technicians had made a national wide assessment of the severity of the drought and food situation in communities where JTI buy its tobacco.

“The reason to embark on this project is our contractual relationship we have with the farmers called pure IPS. IPS is not only looking after contracts with the farmer just to buy the tobacco but also looking further on the interests and their wellbeing as farmers and their families.” Said Vanneste

He mentioned that the estimated target of 3, 500 households translates to 24 thousand people beneficiaries who includes the elderly, widows, single-headed families and youths.

According to Vanneste, every month, every household will get one 50kg bag of maize, one 10kg bag of beans and 2 litres of vegetable oil. He also indicated that the project will cost about US$310, 000, involving total of 525 tons of maize and 105 tons of beans.

Up to 89,203 households are estimated to be in hunger in Lilongwe district alone, according to Lilongwe district Principal Administration Officer, Mariette Kadewere. Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report of 2015 indicated that over 2.8 million Malawians requires humanitarian response following adverse weather conditions that the country experienced in early 2015, which resulted in declining production of maize and other food crops across the country.

Committee Of Supply Kick-Starts With Objections; Two Votes Deferred

The National Assembly begins Committee of Supply today with intense questioning over the Minister of Finance justifications on increments and reductions made to some Government ministries and departments.

At the very start, the Opposition members steered a lengthy debated with the Finance Minister, Goodall Gondwe on State Residences vote allocated with Five Hundred Billion and Ten Million Kwacha (K5, 010, 599, 320), from approved provision of Five Billion Four Hundred and Fourteen million Kwacha (K5, 414, 254, 201). 

Legislatures quizzed on the allocation of K110 million in the vote for the project of the construction of State Banquet in the face of economic problems but Finance Minister said the project has been shelved.

However, Gondwe was forced to defer the vote promising the House to bring more information after other members indicated that it appears Government wants to continue with the project as there is an allocation for that project.

Another vote, Office of the President and Cabinet was deferred for more explanations after the house had spent more than 30 minutes debating on it. 

The vote allocation has seen an increment of more than K3 Billion (allocated with K9, 720, 345, 944 from approved provision of K6, 595, 724, 601). 

Salima North, Jessie Kabwila, Rumphi East, Kamlepo Kalua among other legislatures inquired for more detailed explanation why there was such increment yet Malawi is going through hard times.

Others mentioned that the allocation was suspicious as there were no breakdowns of how the funds will be used while others described the allocation as another form of theft of public money by the office.

The House is considering and passing vote by vote of the revised budgetary allocation whose sum is now K902 Billion (Nine Hundred and Two Billion, Three Hundred Million and Fifty-One Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Kwacha) from approved allocation of K929.7 billion 

Initially, the Minister announced that the revised budget will be reduced by K23 billion but now the reduction is by K20 billion. Finance Minister said K3 billion has been put back following member’s request not to reduce the provisions for Public Universities.

There are a total of 50 votes but today the house has only passed a total of 3 votes after the Leader of House, Francis Kasaila had asked the Chairperson to suspend the Committee of Supply following the disagreements in the House.

Gondwe being led into chamber (photo 2015)

The Committee of Supply began just after the Minister of Finance made his winding up speech on the Budget Review statement made two weeks ago.

Gondwe informed the House that Government proposal to reduce the budget was significant for the country to achieve a budget that which its recurrent expenditure is covered by domestic revenues.

“We propose that a start should be made now when the estimated tax is “soft” and the estimated grants whose increase is due to the depreciation of the Kwacha, are in fact even “softer”. Therefore to avoid excessive borrowing than planned, we have to cut the expenditure. 

Mr. Speaker Sir, the house and the country should pose and digest that we may no longer appeal to donors for extra budgetary support to fund unforeseen deficits, means that we have the luxury of inflating our public expenditure with less priority expenses.” Said Gondwe, further expressing wish for future budget that entail survey of ways and means of mobilising more domestic revenues and the cutting of less priority expenditures so as to avoid domestic borrowing

“The arguments that were made that reducing the budgetary expenditure will reduce public welfare is misplaced because excessive domestic borrowing will have even prolonged negative impact of on welfare of the people. As a matter of policy we will have to mitigate our reliance on borrowing from our banks and should no longer be deem banks as quasi fiscal agents.” He added

Kalindo Brings Lighter Moments In The House; Voluntarily Explains His Absence And Denounce President, Speaker Resignation Calls

There were some lighter moments at the very beginning of the Monday sitting in the National Assembly when Mulanje South legislature dramatised his two week absence and condemnation of resignation calls for Malawi President and the Speaker of the National Assembly.

LL City Mayor Commends DAPP TTC For Cross-border Education Tour Programme

Mayor Chaponders posing with DAPP students 

Students will travel by buses 

Lilongwe City Mayor, has commended DAPP Malawi Teacher Training College (DAPP TTC) for being the first teacher school in the country embarking cross-border education tour programme for its students.

His Worship, Willie Chapondera made the remarks in Lilongwe on Friday at a send off ceremony of Mzimba DAPP TTC students who are among a total of 354 first year students from four DAPP TTC’s who are on their three months education tour to some African Countries.

The first year students from all four DAPP TTC compasses are now spread across the country visiting various districts for three weeks beginning 1st March this year, and will leave the country in two weeks time for Zambia, Botswana and return through Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Chapondera

Speaking to Mzimba students who are visiting Lilongwe and other districts, His Worship Chapondera said he was pleased to note that DAPP TTC has included international field trips for the students.

"Education tours like this one are very important and must be encouraged because they assist learners come into direct contact with a different environment or even a new culture or language.” He said

He mentioned that educational trips stimulate learning beyond what textbooks can provide to the learning environment and has also encouraged the traveling students to make the most of the trip as well as carry Malawi flag wherever they go.

“It is very encouraging that DAPP is taking these students to various countries. We know that these students will gain a lot of knowledge within this three months period because they will be sharing experiences with other students as well as observing and learning about other things also" Said Chapondera later in an interview

Nozipho

Partnership Officer for DAPP Malawi, Nozipho Mguquka, said DAPP introduced this tour programe in 2013 as part of the first year students training called Crossing the Rubicon. She emphasized that these tours are very important because students are offered opportunity not only just to travel to Southern African countries but as well learn different things including on economic development, traditions, education, political systems and the basic facts about the countries.

“At DAPP Teachers Training College we appreciate the importance of educational tours and this is why we always make sure that we organize tours to other countries in order to give our students exposure.” said Mguquka

Some of the students meeting with Mayor 

Mguquka said these tours are helping in academic performance of students and that through experiences and knowledge learn from such trips some who completed their studies at DAPP have introduced various initiatives including adult literacy education to rural communities they are working as primary schools teachers.

Among others, she also indicated that the 354 students will travel by buses and will visit historical sites, learn about countries they are visiting and share experiences with other schools.

DAPP Malawi has four primary school Teacher Training Colleges; Amalika, Chilangoma, Dowa and Mzimba.

ACB Hiding K4 Billion Cashgate Document In Kalonga Case From DPP Office

Mary Kachale; DPP

The office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has asked court to compel sister institution, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to release document belonging to former Chief of Tourism Leonard Kalonga, that details the distribution of K4 billion among Cashgate beneficiaries.

Kalonga was convicted following his guilty plea on conspiracy to defraud government using forged documents and paid the money to bogus suppliers. Charges includes money laundering of K520 million where he facilitated, a baited and aided acquisition of 6 Marcopolo Scania buses of Paul Mphwiyo and Money laundering which were proceeds of serious crime between April and September 2013 with other persons to a tune of K3, 252, 225 billion.

On Monday, DPP, Mary Kachale informed court that ACB investigators are keeping the document which details distribution of K4 billion among cashgate beneficiaries which Kalonga had provided during 22nd October 2013 interrogation.

Kachale said attempts by her office to get the document from ACB yielded nothing for almost a year now.

Speaking in an interview, Kachale said since her office does not have powers to compel ACB to produce any document to her office, the court would be an appropriate institution at this time to force ACB release that document to her office.

She said her office is very keen to see the document and therefore could not wait and be silent any longer when several attempts to ask ACB to produce the document internally yielded nothing.

“If a document was found with Leonard Kalonga that had distribution of K4 billion, we are interested to know what did that document say, and to whom…”

She emphasized that her decision to ask the court to intervene was not to turn on her sister institution, but “this is justice” and they “just need the truth” 

While emphasizing that she waited long enough and could not remain silent as Director of Public Prosecution, Kachale also did admit that the defense has been asking the State why it never disclosed that document to court.

“When Kalonga was pleading guilty his lawyers did ask why the state never disclosed the document that was found in the office and the House of their client. We committed we are going to investigate and find out but those investigations have yielded nothing, that’s why I brought it up in court to say the court should assist” she said 

Kachale has also put to question the the failure of the ACB Investigators to disclose such an important document to DPP office. She further raised her perplex questions on whether if or not there is need for powers of her office on ACB investigations.

   

“You have noticed that we work very well with the prosecutors in ACB. There is power that the Director of Public Prosecution has a say in what prosecutors in the ACB do under the consent, but Investigators in the ACB are not answerable in any way to the Director of Public Prosecution. So, may be this calls into question that I always ask; who watches the watchmen, who polices the investigators?

Should the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, may be have some powers also in terms of evidence? ….It’s a difficult question I am raising now I know am raising it deliberately because it has taken us one year and there about to try to get that document but we are not getting it.”

CashGate Case: State, Defense Differs On Kalonga Sentencing Submissions Facts: Court Reserves Ruling To Wednesday

The High Court in Lilongwe has reserved its ruling to Wednesday on differences on the facts relating to sentence submissions between the State and Defense in the cashgate case of former Chief of Tourism, Leonard Kalonga.

Kalonga was convicted following his own guilty plea for defrauding government money more than K3 billion between April and September 2013.

In their submission, the defense claims that the convict had wanted to plead guilty at an earlier stage but the state (both DPP office and Anti Corruption Bureau ACB) had prevented him from doing so. But state is fighting back saying the claim is not true.

If the accused person at a very early stage pleads guilty, indicates other more offenses that were committed than were charged and cooperates with investigations, can have a lesser sentence unlike when someone plead guilty after the state has done all the work to prove someone guilty.

Now, the court has adjourned the case to Wednesday to deliver its determination whether or not the dispute is substantive enough to hear the witnesses. This followed State application of Newton Hearing for it to respond to the claims by defense as well as enable the court to have a clear factual basis for sentence.

Kachale

According to Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mary Kachale said at this stage, if the Judge decides to hear the facts in dispute which are essential for sentencing after Kalonga plea of guilty, means there would be ‘Newton Hearing’ whereby court will hear witnesses on facts that parties are disagreeing on.

Defense lawyer Emmanuel Theu told court that the Newton hearing application was unnecessary.

But Kachale said the state is prepared to have witnesses from ACB and DPP office to prove that the defense claims are not true. 

“If indeed it would transpire that it is true then let the court be the one to determine that, but we cannot allow such an allegation to just go without making attempts to dispute them.” Said Kachale

“We have been hearing too many allegations of perverting the course of justice. Now what we are saying and what I am saying as Director of Public Prosecution is that the submissions made by the defense seems to imply as if the office of the Director of Public Prosecution or the ACB were perverting the course of justice in preventing Leonard Kalonga from pleading guilty at an early stage. That’s too serious allegation to leave without disputing. 

If indeed Mr. Kalonga has the good course to do that then let Malawians know the truth through the court.”

PP Says First Half Of 2015/16 Budget Underperfomed

Jooma

The opposition People's Party (PP) says it does not agree with Finance Minister claim that the the performance of budget in the first half of 2015 to 2016 fiscal year was good.

When delivering Midyear budget statement in the National Assembly, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe informed the House that "The performance of the budget this year has been better than before except for the projected expenditure on FISP." 

He said the bulk of expenditure on FISP relates to the imports of fertilizers and in view of the escalated deep depreciation of the currency and the cost of procuring fertilizers.

However, People's Party spokesperson on finance matters in the National Assembly, Ralph Jooma said the performance of the first half of the budget was not all well.

“Am not of the same view, because the minister has already stated that he has underperformed on FISP side by K26 billion. So, that means that the Minister will have to be forced to borrow domestically in order to pay for the FISP.

If you have got arrears it doesn’t mean that you are performing well, if you haven’t spend and yet you are owing your people, is just a question of when you are going to pay them. So it’s not performing well it’s actually just a postponement of an underperformance.”