By Synd Kalimbuka
Workers at Leonard Kamungu Anglican Theological College in Zomba have not been receiving their monthly salaries for close to nine months now as Anglican Dioceses are failing to contribute money to the college.
According to concerned workers who spoke on condition of anonymity, the situation is becoming worse as the college has been promising to sort out their salary arrears for long time but nothing is happening.
“We are living in a very difficult live because our expectations are not meant every month as we are struggling to get daily bread,” lamented one of them.
He said the college sometimes just pay them K10, 000 or K12, 000 to support their families as if they do piece works.
They propose to close the college because the situation is becoming worse and if the institution continues to run in the current situation, it will be a disaster.
The highest paid person receives K120, 000 per month while the lowest receives K40, 000.
Concerned workers are from cafeteria, cleaners, ground labours, senior faculty members, and priests working at the college.
The reports Malawi24 has found show that the college has not been stable financially for over 6 years now because it doesn’t have other sources of income apart from commitments by dioceses to allocate a certain amount of money based on number of students the diocese send to the college.
Anglican Council of Malawi is also facing similar challenges which is also forcing some workers in academic department to leave and search for other jobs.
Principal for the college Fr Charles Chiutula said he cannot comment on the matter without authorization from his bosses and referred our reporter to Chairperson for Anglican Council of Malawi Bishop Fanuel Magangani.
Bishop Magangani told us that he cannot give any information on the matter because he cannot see his reward after saying what is really on the ground based on what concerned workers have shared already.
“I will not comment on this matter because I don’t see any trophy after my comments as some will take advantage laughing at us,” said Bishop Magangani.
Magangani added he has a right to remain quiet, without giving any comment on the matter. Some senior officials at the college told us that the college requires millions of kwachas to normalise the situation.
Workers are sometimes forced by the college to sign unpaid leave letters, a situation which the Labour office condemned.
Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the financial situation in churches as collection dropped by almost 59% since the onset of the pandemic.
Leonard Kamungu Theological college was officially opened by the late Rev. Dr. Benard Malango Archbishop of the Church of Province of Central African in 2006.
Meanwhile, the concerned workers have made a proposal to the authorities to close the college before things go out of hand.
