Out of order
Deputy Speakers draw illegal rental allowances
First and Second Deputy Speakers may be facing a familiar ‘point-of-order’ query for drawing millions of kwacha in rental allowances which are way above their entitlement, Weekend Nation can reveal.
Documents we have seen indicate that First Deputy Speaker Esther Mcheka-Chilenje and Second Deputy Speaker Clement Chiwaya , who are entitled to K250 000 a month each as housing allowance for residing in their own houses, appear to be out of order by declaring to government that they live in rented houses.
The ruse enables them to take home an additional K300 000 a month since the maximum housing allowance if they are living in rented houses is K550 000.
Mcheka-Chilenje said in an interview yesterday that she is living in a rented house.
On his part, Chiwaya, confirmed owning the house he is living in, but said it had not been paid for in full.
Said Chiwaya: “I am interested in buying the house inasmuch as I am renting it from Tsogolani Estate Agents. We also agreed with Tsogolani that we should modify the house. I find it difficult to understand that you should be interested in this issue.”
But official documents seem to contradict assertions by both Chiwaya and Mcheka-Chilenje.
Records show that Mouse House Estate Agents in September 2014 claimed K3.3 million from Mcheka-Chilenje as payment for six months rent from July to December 2014 for a house on plot number 47/1/42 in Area 47, Lilongwe.
However, records at the Land Registry indicate that Mcheka-Chilenje herself owns the plot which she leased for 99 years from Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) on February 23 2002.
In Chiwaya’s case, Tsogolani Estate Agents were paid K3.3 million on August 27 2014 being six months rentals for a house in Gulliver, Area 49, Lilongwe, situated at plot number 49/1/921.
Again, records at the Land Registry show that Chiwaya himself owns the plot which he leased from MHC for 99 years on June 9 2004.
Further, both Mcheka-Chilenje and Chiwaya appear to have used the properties as collateral for bank loans.
But both Patricia Banda, who is the chief executive officer for Mouse House Estate Agents, and Nathene Kadewere of Tsogolani Estate Agents confirmed in separate interviews yesterday to renting the properties to Mcheka-Chilenje and Chiwaya respectively.
When contacted for comment, acting clerk of Parliament Renard Mapemba refused to elaborate on how much they are paying for the two Deputy Speakers and referred the matter to the spokesperson of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) Ralph Jooma, who also declined to comment on the matter.
However, the chairperson of PSC sub-committee on human resource, Vitus Dzoole Mwale, said the commission’s stand is that Deputy Dpeakers should be receiving housing allowances similar to deputy ministers, which is K250 000 a month if occupying own house.
Executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation Timothy Mtambo said the conduct of the two Deputy Speakers raises a moral issue as Parliament cannot check other arms of government when it is also abusing systems.
“If what is being alleged is true then we have a big problem because it will be difficult for them to have the moral integrity to perform checks on other branches of government.
“This is another Cashgate and we urge the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to deal with it so that Malawians in public offices should desist from abusing public funds,” Mtambo said.
He further said the development is disappointing considering that most Malawians regard Parliament as a beacon of hope in ensuring that there is integrity and control of abuse of power, positions and resource which is currently rampant in the Executive.
“Our country is struggling and limping economically. Social service delivery is in a very pathetic state, so it is very worrying when we have the people we trusted to inspire and bring integrity to the public are in the forefront perpetrating malpractices. By the end of the day, the poor citizen is the victim and the people’s rights continue to be violated heavily. This is not only unacceptable but it is also very unfair,” Mtambo said.
A Malawi, mukamagwira ntchito yaboma nanunso chitani za mwambi uwu. Kadziwadziwa n’nkhuto wafulu bola osagwidwa. All these people in government are not patriotic. Who are we to be, then?
I am seriously suspicious of the motive of this article. I have also spoken most of my friends and have reached the same conclusion. It appears there is malice aforethought; a well planned bad motive to tarnish the reputation of two honourable members of the house and deputy speakers.
1. Rebecca Chimjeka, the author of this article, is an MCP plant at Malawi Nation Newspaper. Just
consider one of her facebook posts of July 22, 2014 “In Malawi the law will always apply to those in opposition, if you support government of the day, consider yourself untouchable.” 2. Rebecca is
also a declared friend of the Speaker, Mr. Richard Msowoya. 3. Mr. Msowoya has in recent times been facing calls for him to step down or be impeached for unprecedented levels of official incompetence. 4. The next in line to take over the speaker’s position following impeachment would be one of the two deputy speakers both of whom happen to be from the South.
5. It would not strain credulity to draw inference from the 4 points for Mr. Msowoya to engage dear
friend, Rebecca Chimjeka, in his bid to secure his Speaker position using any dirty trick available in the book, including using Rebecca as a hammer. 6. Even more worrisome is the fact that Rebecca asked everyone about this issue except her ‘dear friend with benefits’, Richard Msowoya.
7. But why not ask him when in fact the two offices at issue are directly under his own? It is because Msowoya himself is drawing more money than the two deputies: MK800,000 every month for housing allowance! And this article dared not to mention this much amount of money. Rebecca please at least be fair, if not be unbiased.
Whether there is a bad or good motive behind this story is non of my concern. The questions any morally upright citizen should be asking are; Is this really happening? Why do our systems fail to trace such malpractices at an early stage?
As a patriotic tax payer I am saddened by the conduct of these two honourable people, and the conduct of many more other Malawians who abuse their power. This abuse should not be tolerated as we continue to suffer due to financial misuse!
I agree that we must ask if these things are indeed happening. However, when the tendency of MCP reporters at Nations newspaper is to smear other well-meaning politicians for conduct Richard Msowoya is also doing in the same office – by being paid MK800,000 for housing allowance – and reporter Rebecca Chimjeka conveniently ignores it, and ignores the cell-phone scandal – we are entitled to raise issues about bias, malice, and outright ill-will to smear hard working Deputies. The smear campaign must stop, the Speaker must do his job and leave his deputies alone because the deputies are serving the interests of the nation. All he can do is to simply do his job; if he does not know, he can ask veterans like Chimunthu Banda and Louis Chimango!
Stop attacking the deputies check what their conditions of services are stating .Its not possible that both deputies can do similar mistakes if this was not in there conditions of services why did the writer not mention the K800,000 which Richard Msowoya ie receiving each month in the same name of house allawance .Parliament must build houses for all the speaker and deputies so that fault finding should stop.How will Rechard Msowoya eplain the two mobile phones he bought using Government money when he is untitled for one .Zibwenzu za Msowoya zasoes Nkhani knonseki ku nyengelela uhulewo
How much is the speaker entitled to? Can someone shed light on this? if he is also drawing in excess of his entitlement, he has to be stopped. Someone has to stop him, please.
There is something wrong with leadership in Malawi. Is this not mini-cashgate?