Kamlepo escapes impeachment

For about two hours on Monday, outspoken Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament vice-chairperson Kamlepo Kalua faced censure from members who accused him of bringing the committee into disrepute.

At the centre of the charge was Kalua’s verbal sparring with President Peter Mutharika and other members of the Executive.

Kalua, who is Rumphi East legislator (People’s Party-PP), has been alleging that seven Cabinet ministers were named in the 2009 to 2014 forensic audit and asked the President to fire them from his Cabinet.

Kalua was not present when the committee started meeting last week, but has developed a sour relationship with his chairperson Alekeni Menyani.

A source confided to The Nation on Monday that there was an agreement last week to hear his side of the story.

A scheduled examination of the 2012 investigative audit into drug distribution delayed by two hours as the committee deliberated Kalua’s fate.

But speaking in an interview after the meeting, Menyani said the committee had instead made a gentleman’s agreement with Kalua after hearing his side of the story.

Said Menyani: “Impeachment would have been a harsh punishment and could only apply in worst case scenarios. But the committee is satisfied with the manner that he has undertaken to go through protocol processes.”

However, an indignant Kalua, who made headlines in the transition period from single to multi-party democracy in the early 1990s through daring proclamations on Channel Africa in South Africa, refused to confirm that the committee had disciplined him, insisting that no one could stop him from speaking out.

He said: “I speak on behalf of Rumphi East and I am a bonafide member of Parliament.”

Kalua insisted that he stands by his position that Cabinet ministers mentioned in the forensic audit must resign.

The President challenged Kalua to share the names of the Cabinet ministers involved in the 2009 to 2014 Cashgate but he has rebuffed the call.

Auditor General Stephenson Kamphasa has denied sharing any such information with the committee as alleged by Kalua save for 13 files which have been submitted to Anti-Corruption Bureau for investigation.