EXCLUSIVE: MK26 Million water project fund missing

Malawians from Muonekera in Mdeka Blantyre, have requested Director of Public Relations and Marketing at Water Mission International (WMI) Julie Johnson to send a team of Auditors to hold an immediate, impartial inquiry into the missing MK 26 Million that has become untraceable, Malawi24 has investigated.

The project started in 2013 but the actual implementation started in December 2014 and now with ten months down the line without any thing to point.

The MK26 million fund was meant to construct solar panels and water tank for the area.

Residents who spoke with this publication revealed that officials who were running the project in Malawi have embezzled the money.

They further stated that despite the project having stalled some part of the job was done voluntarily by the community, including digging of water way pipe lines.

Investigations by Malawi24 have shown that the community also wrote WIM Country Managing Director Nixon Mastano Sinyiza requesting him to investigate the matter.

But Mastano Sinyiza has since failed to act.

In his email response to the community, Mastano Sinyiza requested for more time and that it was his prayer highlights in WIM to the soliciting prayer.

According to one of the committee member who spoke with this publication, said villagers were were also commanded to contribute to 14.5 tones of stones and 13.5 tones of quarry stone used to construct a tower.

But community members managed to raise up to 1.5 tones of stones.

He said despite community did part of the project voluntarily, there were funds meant for it. In some part of the country like Zomba where the same project is taking place, community members were paid for the services.

He explained on condition of anonymity, “There is no hope now that the project will be completed. They could bring the materials and get them again the next day. When we question them they say it’s for the other project either in Nsanje, Chikhawa or Zomba.”

Meanwhile efforts to get hold of Mastano Sinyiza proved futile as both of his lines were off.

The nonprofit Christian organization provides sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions for people in developing and disaster areas.

The organizations have so far provided safe water close to 2.4 million people across the globe. It has served in 49 countries including Malawi, Kenya and Uganda.

But as we went to the press WMI Director of Public Relations and Marketing Julie Johnson was yet to respond to the questionnaire.