Over 200 monitors hired by UTM during the 21st May, 2019 tripartite polls in Chitipa district are demanding the party to pay them their allowances.
According to information from some monitors who opted for anonymity, the party has not yet paid them their allowances despite several enquiries at both district and regional levels.
“We had to sacrifice our personal duties in our homes to serve the party. We were promised to be given allowances (undisclosed amount) to carter for food during the poling day. Surprisingly none got it the whole district,” lamented one of the monitors.
As a result of the unsettled allowances, the monitors have revealed that they all refused to monitor the first phase of voters’ registration exercise ahead of 2nd July Fresh presidential polls and agreed not take any future offer.
However, district governor for UTM Fidelis Kambalame said if the concerns are genuine the best way for the monitors is to channel their grievances through structures.
“It is important to note that as monitors they have a structures that are answerable if there are issues to be addressed by the party, the best is to follow basic protocol,” Kambalame advised.
But Regional governor for the North Leonard Njikho confirmed the grievances to be genuine saying the party has not yet paid monitors in specific centres not the whole district.
Njikho revealed that monitors from central, east and north constituencies are the ones heavily affected, saying this happened because there were misunderstandings between the monitors and the team that travelled from Lilongwe to the district to sort the dues.
The governor (Njikho) has since assured the monitors that money is ready and will be given to monitors soon once all logistical arrangements are done.
UTM’s presidential torchbearer Saulos Chilima who appeared on the ballot paper during 21 May, 2019 tripartite elections will not appear on the ballot during this fresh presidential election following the UTM-MCP Tonse alliance.
