Sean Kamponde: Chakwera’s Son-in-law failing Malawi State House PR
By Nenenji Mlangeni
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-This is childish and amateurish! State House communications team has again embarrassed the presidency with some more careless comments on the expected new cabinet by President Lazarus Chakwera.
First, without any pressure from anyone, Presidential Press Secretary Brian Banda told the Monday State House weekly briefing two weeks ago that President Chakwera was going to announce his new cabinet ‘within the next 48 hours’.
Then after 48 hours, there was no cabinet. Shame.
“The President is reviewing some recommendations on the new cabinet which have just been delivered by the Vice President,” said Banda, pushing the blame on the Vice President Saulos Chilima as the one delaying the release of the cabinet.
For the record, the Constitution empowers only the PRESIDENT to hire and fire cabinet without even giving reasons.
Again without any pressure from anyone, the State House communications team was at it again on Monday saying President Chakwera was working on a new cabinet with Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Zangazanga Chikhosi!
Now now, from delayed reports from Vice President now to discussing cabinet appointments with a mere SPC?
In case you may have missed this earlier, the Constitution gives mandate to the PRESIDENT to hire and fire cabinet ministers (sections 94 and 95).
State House Director of Communications Sean Kampondeni disclosed on Monday during state house press briefing in Lilongwe that ‘The president is meeting with the secretary to the president and the cabinet on the cabinet matter’ and that ‘The President is not making any comment on the cabinet until he is ready to address the nation on the same.’
In the same breath, Banda said the constitution gives power to the President to fire and hire ministers at will.
“Now why are these boys making all these statements about the President waiting for recommendations from Vice President on the new cabinet and meeting SPC on the new cabinet?
“Are these boys consulting the President before making these statements or they just wake up and say these things? This is childish, amateurish and totally embarrassing coming from a communications team at State House,” said a communications guru at Capital Hill.
This publication cannot agree more with the observations by the communications guru.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-State House on Monday, March 15, 2021 refuted social media reports that President Lazarus Chakwera has lost his hair since receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
Director of Communications at State House Sean Kampondeni who is Chakwera’s son-in-law told the weekly press briefing that he has seen reports on social media that President Chakwera has lost hair since receiving the vaccine on Thursday last week.
“I checked in with the president this morning, he is fine. He is in robust and good health.
“There were rumours on social media that the president, since he received the vaccine, has lost his hair. But I can assure you that the president’s hair remains intact,” said Kampondeni.
Presidential Press Secretary Brian Banda also addressed concerns about the safety of the vaccine in his response to questions from journalists during the press briefing.
Banda said the vaccine was approved by scientists to be the right vaccine for Malawi and what is on the top agenda of the Chakwera administration is to make sure that people of Malawi are protected.
“Let us look at saving lives and not the politics of vaccines,” said Banda.
He urged people to receive the vaccine, saying President Chakwera would not have received the AstraZeneca vaccine if the reports about the vaccine were true.
“President Chakwera loves this country and he cannot bring here things that are going to destroy this country,” said Banda.
Malawi received 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month and the vaccination programme was rolled out last week.
There have been concerns over the safety of the vaccine amid reports that some countries have suspended it after people reported having blood clots after getting the jab.
But Malawi authorities have defended the vaccines arguing that it has scientifically proven.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-In a typical of scenario of blatant and shameless theft of public funds, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera’s State House has captured Crossroads Hotel in the capital Lilongwe as a conduit to steal money from the public purse into private hands, this publication has established with all back-up documents.
This publication understands that the move which commenced on July 5, 2020 has seen State House paying a whopping US$ 300 an equivalent of MK240, 000 per night when the accepted value is MK75, 000 per night.
State House has booked of such dubious rooms meaning taxpayers are parting away with US$1,200 or MK960, 000 per night. On the other hand the master minder of the scam posing as security covert Miguel Elias also known as Kiza Aziz Elias is allegedly hosting a team of security experts from Israel who are in the country to train Malawi Police Service (MPs) Malawi Defense Force, National Intelligence (NIS) and President Lazarus Chakwera’s private security some finer details of close Very Important Persons (VIP) close protecting to defend the new president.
But verified information shows the whole thing is a hoax as it is a money-spinning venture for State House Chief of Staff Prince Kapondangaga and Director of Finance (DOF) Gedion Kalumbu who have connived with Kiza Aziz Elias to externalize forex using the hotel hence the decision to charge the rooms in dollars and hike the price by over 300 percent to make quick money.
State House has so far spent MK65 million kwacha in the shameful amateurish act.
Other costs Malawians taxpayers are paying include, MK 5.5 million kwacha every week as car rentals and per diems. MK 6.2 million weekly in accommodation which for obvious reasons is paid cash and in dollars.
This publication can confidently reveal that Kiza Elias bought himself a Range Rover registration number BW 9991 at a cool MK25 million kwacha from Holesi Kamoto, a transaction that was sealed on August 20, 2020 using the proceeds from mini cash gate.
Is Crossroads Hotel a conduit or an accomplice to steal taxpayers money?
Malawians that are aware of this shocking development at State House less than five months in office cannot help but ask themselves why using Crossroads of all the Hotels is he a buying favours from President Lazarus Chakwera?
Is he part of the beneficiary in the loot? Is the money substantial enough to destroy a refutation Crossroads has belt over the years?
As you are trying to find answers to those mindboggling questions, here are the invoices month as kwacha room at State House generated with State House as a issuance of the purchase order dated August 13 2020 whose guest is only identified as Mr. Zorra whose address is Chitundu Distributors Box 1766 Blantyre.
It is under invoice number 49768 clearly showing State House is paying for a week accommodation at US$300 per night.
You may note the transactions are split into weeks and are paid on an individual basis.
Malawians have all the reason to get worried as since the four arrived in the country it is not clear as to when they will leave Crossroads as Kizza Elias has now bought a boat ready to spend good time at our beautiful lake.
There was no immediate reaction from State House Spokesperson Brian Banda on alleged fraud.
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi State House is disputing social media reports that President Peter Mutharika is critically ill.
On Saturday, April 25, 2020, Malawi social media was awash with reports that President Mutharika is reported to be suffering from High Blood Pressure after intelligence officers briefed him on a leaked plan for a coup.
Sources within State house source disclosed that the president has been advised by his doctors to take a long bed rest in fear of a complete incapacitation.
But presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani said Mutharika is fit and well at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre
Kalilani however blamed the opposition for fueling the rumours on social media that the Malawi leader has been poorly lately.
He therefore branded them as “sadistic.”
But on Saturday, President Mutharika failed to address the nation in wishing Muslims on their first day of Ramadan, instead Kalirani gave a radio interview to Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) that his boss was with them (Muslim) during the period.
This further continues to ignite debate of whether President Mutharika is indeed sick or well.
Mutharika in a fit state to run the country says presidential spokesperson Kalirani amid rumours of his health
A state house source disclosed that the president has been advised by his doctors to take a long bed rest in fear of a complete incapacitation.
However, with heavy doses of medications, members of Mutharika’s inner circle are desperately forcing the president to continue showing his face on national television.
The members are panicking and plotting to block Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima from ascending to power in the event of the worst case scenario.
The 80 year old president has been battling several health issues that have made him reduce public appearances.
In 2016, Mutharika suffered a stroke while on an official visit to the United States of America.
He remained in America for over a month after giving a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25.
On his return to Malawi, the right handed president, used his left hand to wave to a crowd of supporters and to shake hands with officials. His right hand was visibly immobile and reddish.
The president has not retained normal hand movement since that time. Recently, his health has deteriorated with visible loss of weight and increasing incoherent speeches.
At his last political rally at Njamba in Blantyre on March 8th this year, he was noticeably out of sorts, sometimes uttering incomplete sentences and uncharacteristic struggle to transition from one topic to another.
This month, Mutharika has only appeared two times on TV with recorded speeches lasting less than 10 minutes.
The president was last seen in public about two weeks ago when he addressed the nation on Covid 19.
Since then, he has been speaking through his press secretary Mgeme Kalilani.
With the Vice President sidelined, Malawi is leaderless in the fight against the corona virus pandemic.
The latest illness is a result of continuous threats of a coup by some disgruntled Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers, who among many issues, are not happy with Mutharika’s political interference in the army.
Mutharika has made many changes to the army structure and personnel in his search for tribal allies and blindly loyal senior army officers.
Last year, Mutharika, in his capacity as Commander-In-Chief appointed Tri-Service commanders and deputy commanders of the MDF in line with Section 4 of the Defence Force Act (2018).
The new act divides MDF into Landed Forces, Airforce and Maritime Force.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Opposition UTM party senior member Dr Jessie Kabwila on Tuesday disputed rumors that she went to State House and that she was then beaten by supporters of UTM.
On Monday reports awash social media platforms that Kabwila was given money after her alleged State House visit to bring confusion and disunity in the just sealed Malawi Congress Party (MCP), UTM alliance.
The reports continued that some people within the coalition were informed and waited for her at City Center in the capital Lilongwe where they had beaten her.
Refuting the rumor, the former Malawi Congress party (MCP) lawmaker said the story being said about her are untrue and unfounded.
Kabwila said was not beaten adding that she is at her home village here she is visiting her parents.
“Please disregard the lies bring peddled about me. I’m home with my parents right now. Neither went to state house nor was beaten,” Kabwila said.
Kabwila further shared some pictures of her and her father to confirm that she has not been beaten.
Kabwila lost her Salima North-West parliamentary seat controversially to MCP lawmaker Enoch Phale during May 21, 2019 general elections.
State House would like to put on record the facts and truth of the convoy of the Head of State against the misinformed editorial in The Daily Times of Friday, 27 January 2016.
Malawi state house hits at The Daily Times over ‘austerity’ story
This editorial is craftily tailored to blindfold the public into believing that “the number of vehicles on the President’s motorcade” is so long that Government’s austerity measures are not working.
Contrary to the calculated absence of truth in the editorial, Malawians deserve to know the facts of the convoy of their Head of State.
Strictly speaking, the President’s convoy cannot be described as “20 plus” by any media institution that cares about truth.
The President’s current convoy is often 12 vehicles.
The standard convoy constitutes the President’s vehicle and its backup vehicle.
There has to be a mobile clinic with medical equipment and nurses, a doctor’s vehicle, one vehicle for mechanics and the rest are security vehicles.
However, the yellow journalism of Times tried to magnify this modest dozen-car convoy for an entire Head of State into hyperbolic imaginations simply to create hate in the hearts of loving Malawians.
We kindly advise that Malawians are not interested in the campaign of hate and lies which Times is waging for its political masters and mistresses.
A media house of its professional integrity should have cared to know that the President’s convoy is not a new fleet.
Three quarters of the vehicles were bought in the Bingu wa Mutharika times and were used by former President Joyce Banda as well.
In fact, one of the vehicles, the Land Rover platform, comes all the way from Kamuzu Banda’s motorcade.
But we understand that the yellow press at Times is only interested in creating anti-Government negative opinion more than facts and truth.
It also beats reason and logic how Times is calculating “minister’s and other officials’ vehicles” into the President’s convoy.
Malawians fully well understand that ministers’ and other officials’ vehicles that often travel in advance of the convoy cannot be suggested to be part of “the President’s motorcade”.
In any case, Times should wake up from its ignorance and realize that there shall never be a time when a Head of State can attend a national function alone.
Times is also jumping into empty propaganda by claiming that Cabinet Ministers have three vehicles when every Malawian knows that each Minister has one Toyota Prado in the current Government.
More than any other Government, our Cabinet Ministers have patriotically made personal sacrifices and walked the talk of austerity measures in the process of healing our economy.
We wish Times had the professional integrity of verifying the veracity of its editorial content.
Of course, everybody understands that what Times is doing is more of politics than journalism.
We also understand that the agenda and ulterior motive of Times is to create a perception that President Mutharika’s Government is more extravagant and corrupt than any other government as a political strategy for building a holier image of their political masters and mistresses.
We do appreciate that the Managing Director of Times is nursing presidential ambitions.
We also understand that
Times Group is sinking with debts to the point of failing to remit taxes and pensions of its employees.
What nobody accepts is that the managers and editors of the technically bankrupt Times must blame its problems on Government.
The whole corporate world in this country knows that Times is walking in the feet of two companies that collapsed under the same management that is failing Times Group today.
Let us separate business failures from media professionalism and politics.
In the final analysis, we believe Malawians deserve truth and that the political media strategy being pursued by Times must never be peddled by feeding the public with fabrications.
If Times wants to continue playing politics more than practicing journalism, let it be politics based on truth.
Indeed, we want to thank all Malawians who appreciate that President Peter Mutharika has gone out of his way to run this country on austerity measures in recovering the country from the shocking economic wreckage of Cashgate.
Whereas Times is trying to blow out the dozen-car convoy, most sober-minded Malawians look at the bigger picture.
We appreciate that unlike his predecessors, the President has for two good years avoided aeroplanes and helicopters in travelling across the country.
These are part of Mutharika’s austerity measures to save the ailing
economy.
Most Malawians appreciate that Government’s austerity measures have worked in surviving the economy from a K536 billion deficit inherited in 2014, and through two years of natural disasters without donor budgetary support.
There has never been a Government driven by austerity measures more than that of President Peter Mutharika.
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