Malawi First Lady Gertrude Mutharika returns back home from controversial MK60 million’s UK trip

By Nenenji Mlangeni

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-President Peter Mutharika’s wife. Gertrude Mutharika and her 12 member entourage  on Wednesday jetted back to Malawi through Kamuzu International Airport  in Lilongwe  from a  controversial ‘private’ trip to the United Kingdom which cost the taxpayer a whopping MK60 million.

The First Lady Mutharika and her 12 aides arrived through a South African airways flight at 2.30pm and were hurriedly taken from the Airport to Kamuzu Palace by a heavy police escort and drove at high speed.

Mrs. Mutharika missed the burial ceremony of the late Paramount Chief Ngolongoliwa who was being buried on the same day that she was arriving from the merry making trip where her son, Tadikila Mabfuza graduated at Greewich University in London on Friday.

Ngolongoliwa, a close friend to Mrs. Mutharika’s husband, died on Sunday night in Blantyre.

Mrs. Mutharika’s trip courted controversy after revelations that she would blow up K30 million of tax payers money on supposedly a ‘private’ trip.

Vice President Everton Chimulirenji’s wife, Judith decided to follow Mrs. Mutharika in the UK carrying 10 people in her entourage, blotting the figure to a whopping K60 million.

UK newspapers had a field day on Mrs. Mutharika’s ‘extravagant life style’ while in the UK saying she was staying at one of the most expensive hotels, the Dorchester where a suite goes up to 900 Pounds Sterling, an equivalent of almost K1.2 million a night.

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) which is organizing street protests to force beleaguered Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Jane Ansah to resign also said they will include the issue of Mrs. Mutharika’s abuse of state resources as one of the agendas so that she pays back the money.

The demonstrations, dubbed ‘One Million’ march have been slated for 6 August 2019 where it is expected that one million people from each region, south, centre and north will take part in the peaceful demonstrations.

Maravi Post Reporter

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