Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Reyneck Matemba has said he is impressed with the work Youth and Society (YAS) director Charles Kajoloweka is doing in his fight to contain graft in Malawi.
Matemba said the remarks during a debate which the Malawi Law Society (MLS) organised in Mzuzu on Friday under the theme ‘Fraud and Corruption: Strategies for effective preventive measures’.
“But we disagree with his approach. Of course we need to end impunity; that’s why we are fighting the same cause,” Matemba said.
He did not elaborate.
Apart from Matemba, other panellists included Malawi Police Services Head of Fiscal Department Assistant Commissioner Gerald Chiwanda, Judge Ligowe of Mzuzu High Court and Brigadier General Professor Dan Kuwali.
Mzuzu-based rights activist Kajoloweka noted that Malawi was rewarding those that facilitate fraud and corruption, saying nepotism is spearheading this evil.
Kajoloweka also demanded an explanation of why the bureau was not pinning down some government agencies involved in corruption.
“Why we are struggling at this stage, [the sad fact] is that we have avoided highly corrupt institutions and have become untouchables,” said Kajoloweka.
Matemba said numerous corruption cases the bureau receives from government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) confirm the gravity of the matter, explaining that the problem is a result of moral decay, greed, lack of integrity, and ethical standards which have gone down.
“As a country we are not doing well. There is a lot we can do; for instance, we need to revise the country’s anti-corruption strategy, among other things. Do not leave this fight to the bureau,” Matemba pleaded.
“All government ministries, departments and agencies are rotten. There is at no single one with whom we are not having problems with on issues of corruption.
“I will repeat what I said; it is all government ministries, departments and agencies where we are getting reports of corruption. Others are worse, especially those that directly deal with the citizens, the public, like service providers. Those are the ones that are most highlighted, but all of them have issues.”
While Malawi Law Society northern region head Victor Gondwe noted that Malawi was in a sorry state on corruption.
“We are all contributing either by acts of commission or omission. We have institutionalised and politicised graft and accepted it as a way of life,” he said.
International law expert Professor Dan Kuwali, Brigadier General in the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), who was a panellist during the debate, also said the country needs to embrace a culture of ‘commend and condemn’ as part of a mindset change in fighting fraud and corruption.
