The board of directors of the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has resolved not to renew contracts with chief executive officer (CEO) Allexon Chiwaya and director of human resource and administration Daphter Namandwa.
According to a notice dated December 18 and signed by Escom board chairperson Chokani Mhango, the board members arrived at the decision following a meeting they had last week.
Reads a notice addressed to Escom staff members: “I write to advise that the contracts of both the chief executive officer and director of human resources and administration were not renewed by the board at its first sitting.
“The board also decided that Mr Clement Kanyama, the director of finance, will be the acting chief executive officer.”
Efforts to speak to Mhango proved futile as he did not pick up our calls while Chiwaya did not get back to Nation on Sunday as he had promised on Thursday, and he said: “Have you talked to Escom? I will get back to you.”
In August, police in Blantyre arrested Chiwaya, a day after Namandwa was also arrested, for corruption and fraud-related charges.
However, the two continued discharging their duties at the parastatal.
In a related development, the board of directors of Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) at its first meeting last week also resolved not to renew the contract with CEO Collins Magalasi upon its expiry on November 22 2020.
In an interview on Thursday, Mera board chairperson Leonard Chikadya said they have since asked Magalasi, who wrote the previous board expressing interest to renew his contract, to apply for the position as it has now been advertised.
Chikadya said they would like to have the recruitment process transparent in line with the Tonse Alliance administration’s philosophy that all recruitments must be procedural.
