Malawi to own properties abroad
Malawi Government will intensify the programme of doing away with the bill for renting accommodation for its missions and diplomats by building or buying property in all its embassies.
President Peter Mutharika said in New York on Saturday that rentals, not only in foreign missions, were a drain on public resources and the practice should be gradually stopped.
“Rentals are a waste of public money. We have to own our property. That is what many governments, including those in the First World, are doing,” he said.
Mutharika said so far, government has bought property that houses the Malawi chancery and the country’s Ambassador in the United States of America capital, Washington DC.
He disclosed that the building accommodating the chancery in London had also been bought, while the process was underway to buy a home for the High Commissioner.
The missions at the African Union (AU) and Kenya are respectively already accommodated in Malawi’s own properties, the President said.
“In the near future, we need to have all our missions in our own property and save the money we spend on rent,” he said.
Mutharika said this when he addressed Malawians living in the Tri-State Area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in New York on Saturday.
—Munthali is reporting from the UN in New York, US
Kwacha House in London is the only property Malawi has in London, and was until recently the residence of the High Commissioner, but now it has been turned into a Chancery. In Pretoria, all houses are rented, but the Chancery is Malawi owned. There is also an empty house on the premises. In Dar es Salaam, Malawi rents third floor of a Zambian owned building as Chancery.
Very sound decision. Not only own them but make sure they are maintained and kept up to standard so that if ever we were to sell them we would get our money back!