Ombudsman probes eight parastatals
The office of the Ombudsman is investigating eight public companies for alleged abuse of office and other unprofessional conduct committed during the Peter Mutharika administration.
The investigations, which are part of the several high-profile cases being probed by the office, were instituted last September following complaints from the public.
Ombudsman Martha Chizuma told privately owned Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) during Tiuzeni Zoona programme yesterday that the investigations have almost been concluded.
However, she did not disclose the identities of the eight parastatals to ZBS, but in an interview later, she told The Nation the statutory bodies under probe are Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority, Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority and Central Medical Stores Trust.
Others are Blantyre Water Board, Malawi Posts Corporation, Lilongwe Handling Company Tobacco Commission and National Economic Empowerment Fund.
“We have been investigating them simultaneously and we expect to start releasing the reports on our findings sequentially during the last week of January,” explained Chizuma.
The public protector said the investigations into the said parastatals have taken up the larger proportion of her staff’s working time duringthe past few months.
She said her office was appreciative of the citizens for opening up to demand transparency and accountability from the public entities which were expected to add value to the country, but instead they have turned into cash cows for the privileged few, resulting in incurring huge losses.
“ The current environment, the space and how things have changed politically following the transition of government have motivated the people.
“We did not just commence these investigations , but people have been lodging complaints to us. Our office has been receiving several complaints some of them from anonymous people by giving full details of what exactly transpired and who did what,” explained Chizuma.
She added: “That is what has also stimulated us to launch these investigations so that Malawians know exactly what has been happening in these parastatals.”
Political scientist George Phiri of University of Livingstonia welcomed the Ombudsman’s probe, arguing as one of the State governance institutions, it was critical that it helps in bringing sanity in the public service.
“Their findings will be very crucial to the nation as long as those perpetrating abuse of public offices are taken to court for justice because we don’t need such officers who drain the country’s resources for selfish interests and still remain in office,” he said.
Two weeks ago the Ombudsman also released a report on findings of investigations into mass promotion of teachers in which her office uncovered that some dead teachers’ names made the list of those who were purportedly promoted by the ministries of Education and Local Government.
About 20 000 primary and secondary school teachers were promoted by the Democratic Progressive Party administration in April 2019, just a month before the May 2019 Tripartite Elections. The Ombudsman also uncovered that some of the teachers promoted themselves.
The office of the Ombudsman has earned praise from all sectors for successfully investigating contentious cases which include the Tractorgate that resulted in the courts convicting two senior principal secretaries while serving the DPP administration
