LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Busted! Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera’s son-in-law Sean Kampondeni has refused to occupy some houses for the president’s relatives inside Kamuzu Palace, clinging for the comfort of the main presidential Kamuzu Palace.
Kampondeni who is also State House Director of Communications and Chakwera’s Executive Assistant is staying in the main house at Kamuzu Palace while Chakwera’s biological first born son, Nick has accepted to stay outside the main house, in an area reserved for the incumbent president’s grown up children and other close relations known as B2 apartments.
“He (Kampondeni) is refusing to stay outside the main house, he is saying his job is delicate so he needs to stay in the main house with his father-in-law, the President,” said an insider at Kamuzu Palace.
“But the President’s own biological son, Nick has accepted and is living in B2 together with his wife and kids, it is very surprising that Kampondeni wants to have the same comfort as his father-in-law when he is not President, really surprising and embarrassing,” added the source.
Kampondeni: I’m not going anywhere
Kampondeni married Chakwera’s daughter and before Chakwera became President, Kampondeni was staying on his own with his wife in the suburbs of Area 47 in Lilongwe.
Insiders said the move by Kampondeni is a sign that he wants to yield more power by being close to the President.
Others fear that Chakwera is slowly being manipulated by Kampondeni who is widely known as ‘Mkawini’ in other political circles.
Some social commentators fault Chakwera life style of nepotism whereby relatives and friends are always trusted with strategic position at State House dubbled as a “Family Man”.
Till now Chakwera has not said anything on his son-in-law involvement on MK69 million Crossroads hotel saga.
President Muthalika presents a gift to MCC vice president Jean Hauch President Muthalika presents a gift to MCC vice president Jean Hauch Pic by Roy Nkosi Lilongwe, March 01, 2019. A delegation of the Millennium Chall
Lilongwe, March 03, 2019. A delegation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is in the country to launch the beginning of the second compact development for Malawi and start the implementation process which would see Malawi benefiting in a sector of its choice.
The second compact comes after a successful implementation and completion of the first compact which focused on the energy sector.
This was revealed on Thursday when the MCC team had an audience with President Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
MCC Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Jeanne M Hauch said there is great commitment for Malawi to move forward in the compact hence the launch.
She observed that Malawi performed well in the first compact hence the need for the second compact so that the country progresses in its economic growth agenda saying there is great potential for Malawi’s economic growth.
“Not many countries receive the second compact. Malawi performed well in the first compact. As such we will continue assisting Malawi in order for it to achieve its potential in the development agenda,” she said.
President Mutharika was grateful for the second compact while at the same time describing the first compact as a success which has brought a bigger change as most people are able to do business even in the village due to access to electrical power.
He said in the second compact his government is considering best areas that would have a positive impact on Malawians.
“The first compact invested in a critical area that served a greater good,” he said.
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe said a panel of nine has been chosen to discuss and propose projects to be undertaken in the second compact.
He said this panel would discuss with the MCC technical team of the possible projects.
“We are confident that the panel will deliver and come up with very good projects for implementation,” said Gondwe.
MCC approved second Malawi compact in December 2018 after the successful completion of the $350.7 million energy compact.
The first compact for Malawi was designed to increase individual and business incomes and reduce poverty by improving the availability, reliability and quality of the power supply, expanding access to power, reducing the cost of doing business and revitalizing Malawi’s power sector.
State Dinner in Honour of His Excellency Geert Bourgeois, Minister-President of Flanders Government.
President Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika has invited the Government of Flanders to invest in the country’s various economic sectors in supplementing the current support in the agriculture sector.
The first citizen made the call at Kamuzu Palace Friday when he hosted President-Minister of Flanders Geert Bourgeois to a dinner ahead of the latter’s two days tour to the agriculture projects his government is supporting in Kasungu and Mzimba districts.
Lt General Louis Fisher of the Republic of Botswana presents letters of credence to President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace- pic by Lisa Kadango Vintulla
Sri Lanka’s envoy to Malawi, Weera Wardena Sunil Dharmasena De Silva, ?on Friday afternoon? said the common historical backgrounds that his nation shares with Malawi, puts the two nations in a better position to learn from each other, and help one another develop sound economic bases.
President mutharika’s speech during the meeting with the World Bank’s vice President for Africa, Mr. Makhtar Diop at Kamuzu Palace
Pres. Peter Mutharika greets Mr Diop at the meeting
• Mr. Makhtar Diop, World Bank’s Vice President For Africa, and your delegation
• Hon. Goodall Gondwe, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development
• All Cabinet Ministers here present
• Ms. Bella Bird, World Bank Country Director for Malawi, Tanzania, Burundi and Somalia
• Ms. Laura Kullenberg, Country Manager for the World Bank in Malawi
• Senior Government Officials
• Members of the Press
• Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased to welcome you to Malawi, especially to Kamuzu Palace.
It is indeed my great pleasure to host you, Mr Vice President and your delegation.
Your coming is important to us as a country.
The World Bank is an institution that plays a critical role in our Development process.
Through various projects and programmes cutting across key social and economic sectors, the Bank has continued to play a very significant role in the socio-economic development of this country.
We are, therefore, grateful that you took time to visit this country to hear from us and to appreciate our circumstances.
As you already know, Mr Vice President, Malawi has gone through two years of bad weather and poor agricultural output.
This has caused hunger for our people, and a slowdown in economic growth.
An estimated 6.7 million Malawians have been receiving humanitarian food aid since July last year.
We are thankful that the World Bank has been very supportive throughout our times of need.
Your response to our situation has always been timely and significant.
In response to the crop failure in the 2015/16 agriculture season, the Bank has committed US$104 million under the Malawi Drought Recovery and Resilience Programme.
This includes US$50 million for the purchase and distribution of maize to the many affected households.
The Bank has further committed some US$70 million additional financing under the MASAF IV project. The resources will be used for the social cash transfer and public works programmes.
This will enable another section of the affected population to access food through the markets.
The contribution of the Bank to the Social Cash Transfer Programme, together with that of other development partners, enables Malawi to achieve 100% coverage of the country.
I am further grateful, Mr President, that this year’s support is being provided against the backdrop of other life-saving interventions recently provided by the Bank.
In 2015, the Bank provided US$80 million under the Malawi Floods Emergency Recovery Project, which included some US$15 million for maize purchases for humanitarian response.
I wish to assure you that, currently, the main focus of my Government is to break this cycle of food insecurity.
While it is a known fact that Malawi is vulnerable to climatic shocks, the country possesses great potential to break this cycle.
To this extent, the Government has devised the National Resilience Plan to systematically break the cycle.
Key in this plan is the promotion of large-scale irrigation farming to mitigate against climate change, particularly drought episodes.
In this regards, my Government strongly believes that the Shire Valley Transformation Project, which the Bank is supporting, will be one of the signature projects.
My Government has recently launched a National Agricultural Policy and a National Irrigation Policy in pursuit of the same goal.
Our next step is to align agricultural production with marketing and trade policies, in order to promote private sector investments in the agricultural sector.
You will be pleased to note, Mr Vice President, that this reform process is already well underway.
In particular, my Government is committed to reform the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC), in order to make it responsive to these objectives.
In addition, my Government is very committed to deepen public sector reforms.
We been implementing a Public Sector Reforms Programme aimed at promoting efficiency, effectiveness and professionalism in the public service.
The fruits of these efforts can be seen in quite a number of areas.
We are also strengthening the planning process through the establishment of a National Planning Commission and the formulation of a new medium term development strategy.
As you will appreciate, Mr Vice President, it is imperative that the Government should have the necessary financial support in this endeavour.
Therefore, it is my appeal to the Bank to consider approving the US$80 million general budget support under the Malawi Resilience Development Policy Operation.
I am aware that substantial progress has been made in achieving the agreed prior actions, which shows my Government’s commitment to reform in the areas of agriculture, trade and public finance management, among others others.
We realize that the reform task before us is enormous.
In some cases, it requires substantial investments. In other instances, it requires tough decisions.
This, however, is a path that my Government has chosen to walk, in the interest of the country.
I am pleased to note that the Bank has committed to walk with us.
Your commitment of a grant of US$15 million to the Public Sector Reforms programme is enough testimony.
On public finance management, you may wish to note that my Government has prioritized enhancement of IFMIS functionality and compliance with the Public Finance Management Act.
We are committed, now more than ever before, to entrench a culture of adherence to our rules and regulations, so that the plunder of public resoures called Cash gate should never happen again in this country.
Cashgate was a regrettable occurrence; one which must be prevented from ever happening again at all cost.
I am aware, Mr Vice President, that the International Development Association (IDA) 17 comes to an end in June 2017, and that the Bank is currently mobilizing for IDA 18. It is our expectation that Malawi will be allocated a substantial amount of resources, in keeping with our level of needs.
Furthermore, I hope that such money will be allocated to address our constraints to sustainable growth. The country requires catalytic interventions for socio-economic development, including heavy investments in utilities and other infrastructure, in addition to climate change mitigation and adaptation investments.
One of the main challenges that the country is facing is low power generation. As a country, we never seriously invested enough to expand the energy sector over the last fifty years.
We need more resources to invest in energy projects.
Finally, I thank the World Bank for all the support that it is providing to Malawi through grants and soft loans. Such support is making a positive contribution to the socio-economic development of this country.
Once again, I thank you for being such a trusted supportive partner for Malawi.
At a time when socio-economics are on a free-fall because of the promised but yet-to-be-seen business unusual type of governance from President Peter Mutharika and the Democratic People’s Party (DPP); every patriotic citizen expected that Rev Dr Lazarus Chakwera and his Malawi Congress Party (MCP), would step up and lead from behind. Continue reading Z Allan Ntata’s Uncommon Sense: MCP’s undoing exposes leadership vacuum→
Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Malawi, Suresh Kumar Menon Presenting Credintials to President Peter Mutharika
Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Malawi, Suresh Kumar Menon Tuesday said his major task while in the country would be to enhance the areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Agro processing.
While presenting letters of credence to President Prof Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, Menon said Malawi and India have for many years maintained bilateral relations and that it was important for these two countries to further cement their friendship.
“I discussed with the President that during my tenure of office, I will make sure that we help Malawi in building its capacity, strengthen the agro processing business as well as the ICT sectors,” Menon said
Furthermore, the Indian High Commissioner expressed interest to boost trade between the two countries but with emphasis on giving Malawi an opportunity to export its products to a tune of about 60 to 70 Million Dollars.
“Trade is the integral part of our bilateral relationship. So far, our trade is in the excess of 270 Million Dollars and for equal balance of trade, Malawi will have more agro export to India,” the ambassador explained.
India has also pledged to improve Malawi’s irrigation system.
Issa Njaunju was gruesomely murdered. His body was found buried somewhere in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, few kilometres from Kamuzu Palace, the official residence of Malawi President where the current tenant is Pres Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
Advisory:
Wise One from the East, like you, has unanswered questions about the gruesome murder of Issa Njauju who at the time of his death was Malawi Anti–Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director of Corporate Affairs.
Wise One from the East, like you, has it on good authority that under the current regime, the murderers of Issa Njauju will never be apprehended.
Wise One from the East’s own investigations are yet to bear fruit. But thanks to providence, an anonymous source has sent the information below, which Wise One from the East has not investigated but has only triangulated with independent media reports. I have not made any factual edits, only grammatical edits.
Use your own conscience to assess the whistleblower’s revelations.
To Issa Njauju, please do rest peace!
Issa Njaunju was gruesomely murdered.
But IF the people that killed you Issa are not resting in their quest to defeat justice, why should people like the Whistleblower who has written item below rest? Why should you fellow Malawians, rest?
And indeed, why should Wise One from the East, rest?
INTRODUCTION:
Issa Njaunju was gruesomely murdered. His body was found buried somewhere in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, few kilometres from Kamuzu Palace, the official residence of Malawi President where the current tenant is Pres Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
His car was found at Mtandire, a high density area in Area 49 but in ashes.
Malawi mobile operators, using their hightech, located the phone of Issa Njaunju in or around Falls Estate.
It is over a year now, Njaunju is gone and the assailants of his gruesome murder remain scot-free and they are out there living a lavishing life while his relatives and children are not sure if someday, truth will come out of what exactly killed their father, husband, son and relative.
Today, Malawians and all those keen to know exactly what happened with Njaunju will have all the answers and know the truth of what really happened.
FACT BOX:
As per the Daily Times: Njauju went missing on July 2, 2015 before his body was discovered two days later behind Presidential Villas in Lilongwe. The body had bullet wounds on the neck and stomach, according to post-mortem results.
His official vehicle, a Toyota Hilux double cabin, was later found burnt along Ntandile Road within the city. THE ALLEGED MOTIVE:
Investigations which this Whistleblower has carried out over a period of one year now has established that Anti- Corruption Bureau received over 20 letters from different sources on how this State House staffer and President Mutharika long time private bodyguard, Norman Paulos Chisale who had been at State House for less than a year and by the time of Njaunju murder, had accumulated a lot of wealth.
The dossier among other things, wanted Mutharika to know that Norman Paulos Chisale owned, from inexplicable sources and means, among other things, the following assets: a Hummer H3 silver , a Toyota fortuner 2014 model black , aToyota V8 meltalic greyish, a Red coupe, Toyota quantum minibuses (5), White Mercedes Benz C 200, Toyota D4D (5), White Ford Ranger Sport, Trucks (4), Passenger buses (3), Nissan Tilda lation (2), Toyota collora (previously owned by Mutharika Chef), Audi A6L, a mansion in BCA, a plot in Area 6, a mansion in Area 3 plus a lodge in Mangochi.
Investigations revealed that, Paulos Norman Chisale who works as Director of Security for Mutharika, by the time Njaunju was murdered was a P3 (Assistant Director) and his salary was less than MK 600,000 per month.
The cars alone which Paulos Chisale bought between 2014 to 2015 ,before Njaunju was killed can be valued at over MK 320 million, when the annual net salary of Chisale was less than MK 10 million at the same period .
Even including the foreign travels which Mutharika had at that particular time, Norman Paulos Chisale could not afford to buy those 25 state-of-the-art cars he owns.
The dossier also had information which implicated Mutharika’s body guard in a questionable procurement of a second hand presidential motor home, which was bought twice its actual price from South Africa.
dossier ended in the hands of security officer, Superintendent Dingani Njolomole –former Director of operations for Mulanje Police Station.
Dossier landed in wrong hands?
This whistleblower has overwhelming evidence that the dossier from ACB did not reach President Mutharika. The dossier ended in the hands of security officer, Superintendent Dingani Njolomole –former Director of operations for Mulanje Police Station.
Supt Dingani Njolomole is reported to be loyal to Norman Paulos Chisale at State House and was incharge of waiting room, which examines confidential documents before President Mutharika sees them.
The dossier from ACB instead of landing in Mutharika’s land, ended in the hands of Paulos Norman Chisale who was the culprit.
THE THEORY OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY:
After realizing what kind of trouble Norman Paulos Chisale was in, he engaged his accomplices at ACB and Malawi Police service to go after who was behind the dossier which sent to Mutharika.
Mutharika security man Chisale was told that it must have been Lucas Kondowe who heads ACB and is in the position to speak to Mutharika than other officers.
A man-hunt for Kondowe was launched by Chisale boys who were led by his inlaw at Malawi Police, who was later arrested in connection to the murder of Njaunju but released.
Unfortunately, those who were sent for the operation did not know both Njaunju and Kondowe and all they had to use as their lead was only the officer car which Njaunju was driving on that particular day.
Their mission was carried out, as far as they thought, with “success” believing they had killed Kondowe when in fact, they had killed the wrong person.
Njaunju died just like that.
EVENTS AFTER NJAUJU WAS MURDERED:
1. One Million Kwacha Reward was offered, allegedly instigated by Chisale, for information leading to the arrest of Njauju’s killers:
Just after Issa Njaunju was murdered and his body discovered, an offer of MK 1 million was made that those with information, which could lead to the arrest of Njaunju murder would get.
The idea was reportedly instigated by Chisale who is Mutharika personal body guard. Why? To trap Those who knew the truth about Njaunju’s murder.
If anyone came up with information which was accurate and could lead in tracing Chisale who in this case is behind the murder of Njaunju, they were to be killed right away.
2.Njaunju’s phone recovered:
An in-law to mafia Norman Chisale, i.e. a brother to Chisale’s wife, was arrested. It transpired that the phone which Njaunju was using before his death was sold to a Frank John and that the seller was Chisale’ s inlaw, a police officer based in Lilongwe.
To attract attention, this police officer was bragging at a drinking joint that he knew who was behind the killing of Njaunju. Some people tipped the police and hence the arrest. Only to be released later by the police which Chisale controls through his friend, Duncan Mwapasa- the Deputy IG administration.
3. Police Investigations – round one:
The police carried out its investigations and they know that Chisale is the man who killed Njaunju because of the ACB dossier.
Chisale cannot be touched because the police officers are afraid that they may lose life if the act on him for two reasons:
a) Chisale is a powerful man who works with the state president as his Director of security and managing all the accounts of the president, he is taken as someone with authority.
b) Deputy Commissioner of Police Duncan Mwapasa and Chisale are friends. There is no way Mwapasa can allow Chisale to be arrested because they are like brothers.
4. Politics around the Investigations – Wise One from the East addition
Other than the Mwanza murders, the unsolved death of Dr Kalonga Stambuli, and the botched enquiry on Robert Chasowa’s murder; I cannot recall any other highly publicised murders whose investigations have taken so long without bearing fruit.
My sources (not this whistleblower) have it that the powers that be are not keen to see Issa Njauju’s murder solved.
Evidence to this effect is that when the initial team that was investigating the murder, got too close to the truth; the case was taken off its hands and the team dissolved for no apparent reason.
Another team was constituted and this team, knowing that there will be no reward for solving this murder, only victimisation, is not motivated to pursue the many leads uncovered by the initial team.
Coming to the leadership, in high and low places in government, no-one wants to remember Issa Njauju.
December 17, 2015 Malawi joined the international community commemorating the International Anti-Corruption day, which falls on 9 December. No high level speaker made mention of Issa Njauju’s murder in the very same year.
WE ARE ALL ANSWERABLE TO GOD!
I hereby challenge President Arthur Peter Mutharika, Hon Tembenu – the Minister of Justice, and the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) among other dignitaries, to deny the fact that they had expressly instructed their speech-writers to delete all and any references to Issa Njauju’s murder.
Why, I ask, were you afraid to pay tribute to a clear victim of corruption?
No answers required, send them to the Almighty and Omniscient God above. It will be Him judging you, not Malawians!
LINGERING QUESTIONS:
Will Njauju ever be avenged under the current regime? Do we need Scotland Yard to come and investigate? And if the Yard did investigate, would President Mutharika allow the people who put him in power be prosecuted? And with straightforward cases like the MK1.7 billion cases being frustrated by the Executive, would those prosecuting Njauju’s murderers not end up being the ones persecuted?
EPILOGUE:
I don’t know about you colleagues, I am getting the impression your hearts are made of stones. But speaking for myself, I cannot not rest because not matter how many times I tell Issa Njauju to “rest in peace”, he is not resting in peace.
President Mutharika shakes hands with US Ambassador Virginia Palmer before other delegates
State President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika on Thursday hosted a high-level meeting with Malawi’s donors where they discussed ways how they should implement the country’s food insecurity response plan.