Breaking: Kalibu Academy in hot soup!

Barely hours after  this investigator blew up revelations of continued torture of students and lower staff members ranging from rape, sodomy, homosexuality, sexual and physical abuse at Kalibu Academy, Malawi government says the ‘Christian run’ institution risks closure.

Reacting to the verbal, physical and homosexual misconducts done to employees and alumni of the boarding school, Minister of Information Jappie Mhango said the school will be taken responsible for any harm done to current and former students of the academy.

In a phone interview with this investigator on Thursday morning, Mhango said government will follow the investigations to establish the solutions.

He added that government policy sets standards that every student does not live in abusive and restrictive environment.

“This is a matter that is very strange, the current policy in government do not allow a teacher to molest a student or let alone beat them. This type of attitude is what keeps them out of school. If children are going to school with the mindset that they are going to be beaten, they will not go. To get children to school, every school has been instructed not to give corporal punishment. If students have done wrong, there are better ways of punishing them. This is not acceptable in the modern days. The school will be taken responsible for any harm caused to former and current students,” sounded Mhango.

While admitting that Malawian Government has not done enough to address the matter despite being aware, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati said the ministry’s coordinated efforts will aim at ending the abuse faced by Kalibu students.

Kaliati advised the private sector and those doing business in the country to follow government policy and what the constitution is saying.

She said: “They need to respect the right of every child and also follow the act of 2010 of Child Care, Protection and Justice. We want to see every child being protected and cared for. There is no care if they are brutally beaten and molested. Kalibu academy is a school that should be educating children and follow the right direction.”

Kalibu is now headed by Paisley Mavutula with orders from school founder Michael Thomas Howard who is also the main perpetrator.

Mavutula was appointed headmaster of the school, despite having no formal secondary education, college degree or any other qualifying credentials.

His appointment coincided not coincidentally with a former report on Michael Howard’s sexual abuse on Mavutula.

*If you are a victim of abuse, please contact us at: kalibuvictims@gmail.com. Views in this article are not of Malawi24 but represent those of the reporter and the people he interviewed.