WaterAid advocates for increased national budgetary allocations on sanitation and hygiene

By Tione Andsen, MANA WaterAid has challenged governments in southern Africa region to seriously consider sanitation and hygiene as a priority by increasing national budgetary allocations towards this sector.   WaterAid’s regional director for southern Africa, Robert Kampala said this Wednesday during southern Africa regional senior editor’s webinar meeting on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), a service that remains a fundamental human right to the citizenry of these countries. He noted that most governments in the region are providing…

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Women job seekers turning Labour Office premises into commercial sex spots

By Leah Msuku, MANA Lilongwe District Council has ordered female job seekers that converge at the Labour Office to vacate the premises, alleging that they have turned the place into commercial sex agreement spots. Lilongwe District Commissioner, Lawford Palani said the women’s conduct of turning the place into a sex pick-up point is tarnishing the image of the Council. Addressing management team, Palani said what is happening is totally unacceptable and called upon the relevant authorities to take action…

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Government re-allocates funding for MEC’s constituency demarcation process to other needs

By Duncan Mlanjira Apparently, without consulting Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) itself, the Government had withheld its budget allocation for the demarcation of the country’s political constituencies — thinking MEC was not ready to immediately carry out the process. This was disclosed by MEC chairperson, Justice Chifundo Kachale at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on Friday during a caucus MEC had with the Board of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) — which was organised to update pertinent…

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Current laws governing Malawi elections are in need of serious reforms—MEC chair Kachale

By Duncan Mlanjira Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson, Justice Chifundo Kachale has observed that Malawi’s current laws governing elections are in need of serious reforms but at the moment the by-elections have to be carried out with the legal tools that have been amended through recent court processes. Speaking at a caucus MEC organised with the Board of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on Friday, Kachale said all the legal…

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HRDC petitions Finance Ministry to explain status of K6bln owed to defunct MSB bank

By Duncan Mlanjira Continuing with its corruption and fraud whistleblowing campaign, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has written the Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu to present a report to the nation on the status of toxic loans that “some politically connected individuals and companies owes the now defunct Malawi Savings Bank (MSB) that totals to a whopping MK6 billion. The HRDC petition, issued on September 12, informs the Minister that Government sold MSB to FDH Bank and at the…

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Sports Council targets to rehabilitate BAT Ground into a modern stadium to host local and international games

By Duncan Mlanjira Malawi National Council of Sports is working towards securing not less than MK500 million to continue rehabilitating BAT Ground into a modern stadium able to host local and international games. Sports Council acting Executive Secretary, Henry Mereka said in an interview the first phase of the project, that included construction of block wall perimeter fence, guard houses, ticket booths and associated works, have been completed and the contractor is ready to hand over the site. The first…

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Ministry of Health embarks on COVID-19 surveillance survey

By Alice Mambosasa, MANA The Public Health Institute of Malawi in the Ministry of Health is conducting a survey titled ‘Community and Facility-based COVID-19 Surveillance in selected districts in Malawi aimed at understanding prevalence and risk factors associated with pandemic in the country. Speaking during media briefing on the survey at Blantyre Health Office on Wednesday, health promotion officer, Chrissy Banda said the results of the survey will be helpful to the participants to know whether they are infected…

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Malawi doing well in cholera management as cases drop

By Martin Chiwanda, MANA Ministry of Health says management of cholera cases is on the right track as the country has so far only registered three cholera cases this year. Ministry of Health’s Cholera Focal Person, Wiseman Chimwaza disclosed the development in an interview Tuesday after he made a presentation to Nsanje District Executive Committee on the introduction of Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaign week. Chimwaza said the country is doing well in terms of managing cholera and control…

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Two weeks after a TAM TAM bus accident killed 13, one caught on a dangerous road manouvre

By Duncan Mlanjira Concerned citizenry highly condemned a reckless and dangerous road manouvre by a TAM TAM passenger bus when it was caught on camera along the M1 Road as it overtook three cars including a tanker on a steep stretch of the road — completely disregarding a continuous white line. This comes after 13 people died on the night of October 2 while others sustained different degrees of injuries when a Toyota Hiace minibus was involved in a…

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ESCOM Staff Union petitions Ministry of Labour on alleged illegal setting up of independent power market company

By Duncan Mlanjira Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Staff Union (ESU) has sent a petition to the Ministry of Labour reporting that they are in dispute with its executive management over further unbundling of the power utility by setting up of Power Market Limited (PML). Setting up of PML — in line with public reforms — ESCOM’s Single Buyer Function (SBF) has been curved out to form an independent function under the new company, PML. According to the…

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