
Persistent rainfall that has been pelting Karonga district since Saturday, is reported to have killed three people and injured many, Maravi Post has learned.

Persistent rainfall that has been pelting Karonga district since Saturday, is reported to have killed three people and injured many, Maravi Post has learned.

KARONGA (Maravi Post)—One of the prime cash gate suspects at Karonga district Philemon Maseko has on Tuesday been fired as Acting Director of Public Works Maravi Post has established. Continue reading Mzuni Alumnus Philimoni Maseko steals millions of kwacha at Karonga City Council; fired
KARONGA (Maravi Post)–Traditional leaders and development committees in Karonga are accusing the district council officials for mismanaging K51 million for MASAF 4 fund.
This was revealed to the media on Tuesday during the meeting organized by the Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) in Lupembe village the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Kyungu in the same district.
Speaking during the meeting, Group Village Headman Mwangolera said the officers were faking names and project distributed materials. For instance, Mwangolera said that in his area, 450 ghost names were included
in the MASAF 4 project by the council officials.
“In my area, the development committees registered 1680 people but the office of the District Commissioner added 2130 without our knowledge,” said Mwangolera.
“This means that the officers plundered about K3, 240, 000 from 450 lists of ghost names as each person was receiving K7, 200 after working for 12 days,” he disclosed.
Concurring with Mwangolera, Lupembe Area Development Committee Vincent Kayuni said “these officers were also faking records that they have distributed materials such as wheelbarrows, bags of cement among others for projects like irrigation and schools.”
He commended their Member of Parliament Frank Mwenefumbo for being transparent in managing Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Maravi Post has also found that the communities from all five Traditional Authorities in the district have petitioned the council officials to explain where the money has gone. The council is yet to issue a comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, the community has hailed the CHRR for equipping them with knowledge of tracking budget through its project funded by the National Democratic Institute. According them, they are now able to trace budget without the help of any organization.
Issues of siphoning public fund at Karonga district council have now become an order of the day but no one has been arrested.

Karonga district council top authorities on Friday suspended Director of finance, Sanderson Nyirenda, on suspicion that he has been stealing millions of kwacha, Maravi Post has learnt.
The officials made the decision during the full council meeting which was attended by Councilors, District Commissioner, traditional leaders and senior officers among others.
Presenting the report to the house, Chairperson for the district finance committee who is also the councilor for Khwawa ward, Katambika Msiska said Nyirenda stole K 3.750 million in the month of April.
“This has made our financial department to fail to pay for utility and wage bills within the period. But when we asked Nyirenda to explain to us, he gave us five days to come up with a right report but up to now, it is nowhere to be seen,” said Msiska.
Msiska also disclosed that Nyirenda was producing fake revenue tickets to steal the council money.
He said among the said money “K1.8 million was for the collected revenue while K2.650 million was meant for water and electricity bills.
However, one of the interest group representing people of disability in the district Noah Simwaka asked the council to start giving tough punishment to such perpetrators in order to end the malpractice saying “the malpractice increase because of lenient punishment given to offenders.”
Officials then agreed to take the office keys of the suspect and suspend him while they continue with their investigation as well as establishing temporary financial caretaker with the period.
Maravi Post failed to get hold of the suspended to hear his side of the story. It is also surprising to note that the council did not refer the matter to police since this is a criminal offence and chose simply to suspend him. Maravi Post is closely following the issue and will give you more updates as events unfold on the same.