Malawi electoral commission tussles inaccuracy of its staffs

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has disclosed that last series phase of Voters Registration conducted in the southern region has been costly due to copious mistakes by the staff.

Commissioner Rev Mezuwa Banda made the revelation during the training workshop of Registration Supervisors, Constituency Returning Officers and District Election Officers of Chitipa district in the northern city of Mzuzu.

The training has come in preparations of the next series of voter’s registration which will include Chitipa district in the north and some districts in the central region.

“To error is in human and whenever you have a process of such magnitude you have other people committing single mistakes which are costly, you don’t need to have a single mistake at all in the process everything just need to be perfect this is why whenever we find a single mistake we go back to the base so it is costly to correct the mistakes,” he said.

He attributed mistakes like misspelling of names, wrong signatures and voting centers as major mistakes which the body is stumbling upon, a development he said is costly correcting such mistakes during the voters’ registration.

The Commissioner then appealed to the participants to take the training seriously in order to diminish such blunders which the Commission is encountering that might lead the elections not to be free, fair and credible.

Chitipa district voters’ registration will be done earlier than stated January due to the appeal of concerned citizens in the district.

“Originally Chitipa district was going to be dealt with in January but then after most of stakeholders expressed concerns that January will be rainy season and roads are impassable and people are too busy in fields it will be difficult to handle Chitipa.

“So the commission decided to reschedule the phase and bring Chitipa alongside some district in central region so it will be covered earlier, later on we will cover remaining part of the Northern region simultaneously with the Central region.” Said the Commissioner Mezuwa Banda.

He added that shortly the Commission will announce to when the phase will start.

DRUGS AT RISK IN CMS

Frank Kauteka Tembo

Drugs at Mzuzu Central Medical Stores (CMS) are at risk of pilfering as security cameras in the warehouses stopped functioning in amidst August this year.

Voice of Kanyawazi visit at the CMS warehouses found that the region has many essential drugs including those of Family planning but without CCTV cameras that helps in monitoring the drugs.

The development has put some drugs at risk of theft by some Central Medical Store Staffs as no cameras can monitor them as they are working in the warehouses.

Northern Region Medical Stores Pharmacist In-Charge Innocent Mbowela confirmed the catastrophe in an interview with Voice of Kanyawazi.

“Our Central Medical Stores currently is in the process of improving all the warehouses from Blantyre, Lilongwe and here in the North.

“Right now medical stores has started identifying different constructors or suppliers who are improving the warehouses and the issue of security is one of them that is handled at headquarters level and the contractors have already come to have the facility and they have done their assessment and the CCTV cameras will be shortly in place and the issue of security will no longer be a problem,’ he said.

However, Mbowela said despite the CCTV cameras, the trust engaged the police and Group 4 Security (G4S) Company that works hand in hand in securing the drugs as well as the place.

“The people should have the expectation that the commodities which they want will be reaching them in good time, safe and in right quantities.

“And regarding the issues of our facility the management at the higher level is sorting out and has put in place various mechanisms so that our security is in good form.

“All security at this facility is outsourced; we [CMS] have got the Police and G4S Company that are providing security at the facility hence the issues of security is just fine,” he said.

SUGAR FORTIFIED WITH VITAMIN A, CAMA ADVOCATE CONSUMERS TO PURCHASING FORTIFIED FOODS

Frank Kauteka Tembo

Consumer Association of Malawi (CAMA) has called upon consumers to buy food products that are fortified following the government’s initiative of fortifying sugar with vitamin A to address the malnutrition boom in the country. 

Speaking with Voice of Kanyawazi Northern Region CAMA Coordinator said government’s initiative of fortifying sugar will relieve a lot of economic vulnerable Malawians from malnutrition.

“In the first place let me congratulate government for the idea of fortifying sugar with Vitamin A which was introduced last year with the aim of improving the health of the vulnerable.

“This is just a start because very soon it will be a law that every food products that are consumed at large by people with different economic status should be fortified with various vitamins so that a common man should have access to these nutritious minerals within a single product,” he said. 

Gondwe made an appeal to consumers to purchase food items that are fortified so that they acquire various vitamins in single product that would be accessed in various food items.

“Every food that is fortified has a fortification logo and lists of food contents that are in the food product as such, every consumer should choose whether to purchase food item that is nutritious for his or her body and family or choose food products that will give little nutrients.

“Let me warn all institutions that cheats consumers that their food items are fortified while in actual sense there are no listed food contents in the product as indicated, that it is illegal and CAMA will be a watchdog to ensure that consumers access right products,” he said.

He said the malpractice will attract the fines amounting five hundred thousand kwacha because it is against the law.

CAMA further asks the media and all citizens to protect fortified sugar from being smuggled by neighboring countries arguing that government is pumping in a lot of money so that the health of most economic vulnerable Malawians should be improved.

“Meanwhile, we are negotiating with Illovo Sugar Company to come up with small units of packets of sugar that is fortified so that the vulnerable should access the vitamins in line government’s will.” Gondwe added.

Sugar was chosen by government to be fortified as it is used by many common Malawians who may not afford accessing many food products that have a lot of vitamins.

With this initiative a lot of companies have expressed willingness of fortifying their food products so that they take part in improving the health capacity of the country.

CAMA FRIGHTENS TO HOLD DEMO ON 17th SEPT AGAINST MBC’S DELINQUENCY

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

Consumers Association of Malawi has threatened to hold National wide demonstrations on 17 September this year due to gross misconduct of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) which is biased towards the rulling People’s Party.

Consumer Association of Malawi Regional Coordinator Isaac Gondwe confirmed the development in an interview with Voice of Kanyawazi during the weekend.

“It is very true that we want to conduct demonstrations on 17^th of September, the reason being we would like all Malawians to realize that MBC is being grossly abused by the state.

“MBC belongs to the people of Malawi we think MBC must change the way it operates it must actually truly be representing Malawians in the way it conducts itself in terms of programming as well as beaming party functions there is too much of ruling party kind of stories as opposed to all other people including  the opposition parties.

“We [CAMA] think being the radio which belongs to the people of Malawi ‘the tax payer’ MBC must change the way it operates so we are asking all Malawians to go on streets and demonstrate that MBC must change the way it conducts,” he said.

Gondwe added that the development may affect the electoral process as the general public have for along time been fed with biased information.

He further said the biasness started way back especially during the one party era and nothing has since been done to address the problem despite many people speaking against the malpractice.

On other hand, Minister of Information and Civic Education Moses Kunkuyu denied commenting on the matter saying he has not received any communication.