Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) President, Innocent Majiya, has described the National Response Team (NRT) training which the organization conducted for its staff and other stakeholders, as important saying it will help in punctual disaster management and humanitarian response.
Majiya was speaking in Mchinji on Tuesday, during the closing of a seven day National Response Team Training for the Red Cross volunteers staff, and other stakeholders drawn from all the districts.
âAs per its mandate MRCS continues to be a key partner of the Malawi Government in responding to emergencies. It is from this background that the NRT training drilled the participants with a multi-sectoral approach to handling emergencies.”
Umodzi Park has refused to pay back a sum of 8.6 million kwacha that was paid to the Hotel in form of allowances.
Umodzi Park officials that appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of parliament today say they did nothing wrong in the deal.
They say, if there is anything wrong and suspicious then DODMA should be responsible for it.
“DoDMA has written us to say ‘refund’ our 8.6 million kwacha but how should we do so when they are owing us money amounting to K17 million. We are not refunding any money” – said Ronuel Malikita Umodzi Park General Manager.
The 6.2 Billion kwacha Auditor General’s report stated that 8.6 million kwacha was paid to Umodzi in form of airtime and fuel allowances.
A powerful parliamentary committee has today questioned why the presidential taskforce on covid-19 gave K8.6 million to Umodzi Park without any service.
This is contained in the infamous K 6.2 billion audit report.
Members of the Public Accounts Committee of parliament raised the issue today when they met officials from the Department of Disaster Affairs (Dodma).
The committee asked DODMA’s controlling officer to explain how and why this amount was paid to Umodzi Park.
According to Dyce Nkhoma, Acting Risk Management Director for DoDMA the payment was an error and DoDMA regrets what happened.
He said the K8.6 million was an over payment that was paid to Umodzi Park in form of allowances, saying “this was an error”.
IDRISS ALI NASSER
Of the 16 DODMA employees arrested thus far and detained at Maula Prison on the K6.2 billion COVIDGATE are three interns, two drivers, one public relations officer, a messenger, and an old lady; an office orderly.
They are accused of “eating” lunch for two days (K7,000) when they should have claimed K3,500 for one day only.
Meanwhile, those that looted the real money the K5 billion lost to inflated invoices and bogus provision of “goods and services” are out here flourishing.
It may be a hard thing to accept but this is true; the idea of rule of law is far ahead of us as a people. What we do best is political expediency.