ACB probes 30 AIP graft cases
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says it has opened 30 files for investigations related to sale of inputs under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) where some officers are allegedly demanding extra money from farmers.
Briefing journalists in Mzuzu on Tuesday ahead of the International Anti-Corruption Day commemoration set for today, ACB director general Martha Chizuma said the graft-busting agency focused its Anti-Corruption Awareness month from November 8 2021 to December 9 on AIP. She said it was during the awareness drive that most of the cases were exposed by farmers.
She said: “The bureau visited about 100 selling points and out of that, there were some issues that were dealt with on the spot because they just probably touched on service delivery.
“However, there are others that were really clearly corrupt acts and most of them were cases of extortion where AIP officers were demanding additional money to be paid to them to sell the farm inputs.”
Chizuma said some AIP officers were demanding between K3 000 and K10 000 from farmers, meaning farmers would be deprived of the inputs if they did not have this additional money. A 50 kilogramme bag of fertiliser under the programme is redeemed at K7 500.
Added Chizuma: “Those are cases that we will investigate and deal with. As of now, from the files that I have seen in the office, there are about 30 plus, and come from across all the AIP selling points in the country.”
Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Gracian Lungu, in an interview, confirmed receiving reports of the malpractices and said the culprits will be disciplined.
He urged local structures, including councils across the country, to help in curbing the malpractice, but reporting to relevant authorities for action.
Said Lungu: “The contracts stipulate how they have to behave on the market. We also advise the councils to sign some memorandum of understanding with the suppliers in their areas so that they should monitor all activities.”
Besides the alleged extortion, the AIP, now in its second year, is riddled with multiple problems that some beneficiaries fear could hit crop output this farming season.
The challenges exposed through a toll-free number [3056] established by the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (Csat), were also confirmed during a field tour of some centres.
Csat executive director Willy Kambwandira said last week that ranking high on the list of complaints is how AIP is riddled with challenges that are thwarting government’s efforts to provide Malawians with cheap inputs.
He said: “We continue to encourage farmers all over Malawi not to tolerate corruption as that will derail the goals of the programme. We therefore call upon all Malawians to report anyone suspected of corrupt practices in the programme. We will issue a comprehensive report on AIP monitoring when the season is closed.”
President Lazarus Chakwera launched this year’s AIP on October 16 2021 and it is expected to benefit 3.7 million smallholder farming households with an allocation of K140.2 billion.
About K124.74 billion of the amount is earmarked for fertiliser purchases, K1.26 billion for goats’ purchase and K12.25 billion for seeds.
The International Anti-Corruption Day will be commemorated under the theme ‘Integrity key to a corrupt-free Malawi’.
