LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Two cabinet ministers have spent most, and in one case more than, their revised travel allocations barely months after taking office, raising questions about spending discipline at a time government is preaching austerity.
Information gathered shows that the Office of the Minister responsible for Local Government had been allocated about MK185 million in the revised mid-year budget.
However, by 25 January 2026, expenditure had reportedly reached approximately MK207 million, exceeding the allocation.
Minister Ben Phiri has in recent weeks conducted familiarisation tours to nearly all district councils, with sources indicating that only Likoma had not yet been visited before a travel moratorium was announced.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, headed by Jappie Mhango, had an allocation of around K187 million.
Reports indicate that about 93 percent of that amount has already been spent.
The minister has been touring road projects across the country, inspecting works and meeting contractors over progress.
Most of the expenditure is understood to have gone toward fuel, allowances and accommodation.
This is one of the reasons the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has introduced a measure limiting ministers to one trip per month, in what authorities described as an effort to contain public spending.
The directive followed repeated calls for prudence after President Arthur Peter Mutharika announced an austerity approach aimed at stabilising government finances.
With citizens facing rising costs of living, the rapid depletion of travel budgets is likely to intensify debate about how public resources are being used.