Goats that are for breeding are within prices of K15,000 to a maximum of K20,000
* Contracts have been awarded to highest bidders leaving out those who pegged lower prices
* The best was to use the Councils to buy direct from the farmers in the designated areas of delivery
* The project is under post-Cyclone Idai and Kenneth Emergency Recovery and Resilience project
By Duncan Mlanjira
Member of Parliament for Nsanje Lalanje, who is shadow Minister of Trade for opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has raised concerns that suppliers of goats to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) — under post-Cyclone Idai and Kenneth Emergency Recovery and Resilience project — are inflating prices.
MP Ganda (2nd right)
As a resident of the Lower Shire who is cognizance of goat prices, Ganda says goats that are for breeding are within K15,000 to a maximum of K20,000 but “DoDMA has awarded contracts to highest bidders leaving out those who pegged their prices between K28,000 and K32,000 when transport is included”.
“As a Shadow Minister of Trade, I find this unreasonable, corrupt and an insult to Malawians,” says Ganda in a statement issued from Parliament in Lilongwe on Thursday, September 23.
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“Our President has been asking Malawians to respect his government. What has happened here is the same as the President says ‘Kuwatengera aMalawi kumtoso’.
“If DoDMA wanted prudence in the procurement of these goats, the best was to use the Councils to buy direct from the farmers in the designated areas of delivery.
“This could have reduced the cost fairly and it would have empowered the local farmers unlike what is happening here where the two companies that are being earmarked to be given the contracts, will go and buy from farmers poorly with as little as K10,000 yet the same goat is attracting K41,000 from Government.
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“This is total theft of poor Malawians’ tax money and I call upon the Minister of Finance to intervene and halt this deal.”
She also questioned why companies that is in the transport industry — AWS Trucking and ASIP & A Investment — are now supplying goats.
She reveals that she has been reliably informed that there were 73 bidders, out of which 53 qualified and these were asked to provide bid security of K10 million each in the project contract No. DODMA/GDS/2019/15.
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She said of the bidders had placed their prices between K28,000 and K32,000 but “what is surprising is for DoDMA to leave out cheaper bidders and opt for highest bidders”.
“Why is DoDMA not engaging local suppliers in the designated areas? “For example, Phalombe suppliers should supply in their districts because that would make the prices very affordable or why not decentralise by using the Councils.
“Buying direct from the farmers is much better to empower them economically and to spur economic activities because many farmers will sell them in view of the attractive pricing.
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“Why should a company that deals in trucking be involved in procurement of goats? It is the same as construction company being involved in supplying maize. Where is the logic?
“This is an insult to patriotic Malawians and it shows that some people are selfish and have no mercy for the suffering Malawians.”
Ganda discloses that AWS Trucking has been allocated K836,932,500, ASIP & A Investments K462 million — a total amount of K1.2 billion.
Poor goat farmers should have been targeted
She indicates that if the tender had been fairly managed, it should have benefited all the qualified 52 suppliers or it should have directly benefitted the livestock farmers more.
“Yet only two families, if not one as we speak, is destined to cash home a whooping K1.2 billion. This is totally unreasonable and it is ‘Mbuzigate’,” she said.
Cyclone Idai devastated Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe leaving 1,300 people killed in March 2019 and was classified as one of the 10 disasters that changed the world.
Disaster Cyclone Idai caused in Mozambique
In Malawi alone, the heavy rains and flooding that was linked to the Cyclone Idai killed 60 people, displaced nearly 87,000 people and affected around 870,000 persons.
According to direct relief.org, the cyclone, rated as Category 3 storm necessitated life-saving humanitarian interventions in 15 affected districts in all three countries.
It destroyed infrastructure including health facilities while agricultural land was flooded with salty water.
Thus the intervention by DoDMA under post-Cyclone Idai and Kenneth Emergency Recovery and Resilience project.
