By Martha Chilumpha
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) Deputy Director Fyawupi Mwafongo, DODMA Public Relations Officer Chipiliro Khamula and 14 others are expected to spend their weekend in custody after Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa reserved to Monday next week a ruling on their bail application.
They have been charged with abuse of office and theft by public servant, of which it is reported that they received but failed to explain the two day allowances of K4,215,000 for two days and K413,000 lunch allowances at Linde Motel in Dowa.
The officers include deputy director of disaster management, public relations officer, accounts officers, human resource officers among others. The staff were arrested after it was uncovered that money that was meant for Covid 19 has gone missing and the DODMA staff were failing to account .
President Lazarus Chakwera, on February 14, 2021, Called for the suspensions of heads of clusters and also made a directive that Chilima must form and lead a special taskforce to comprehensively review the three government system
It has also been reported that Chilima has already assembled a team to clean up Malawi govt system in dealing with mafia-like criminal enterprise, restructure civil service. Government has set up a 14 member taskforce led by vice president Saulos Chilima to look into civil service reforms on allowances, procurement and employment contracts.
