The Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament has voted against the appointment of Martha Chizuma as the Director General for the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Chizuma who passed interviews before being appointed by President Lazarus Chakwera, appeared before the committee today for her confirmation.
Nine PAC members gave her one out of 25 and nine other members gave her 25 out 25 but the chairperson of the committee declared that Chizuma has failed.
Meanwhile, Government Members of Parliament (MPs) in PAC have accused opposition MPs in the committee of rejecting Chizuma for political reasons.
The MPs say the hearing should be conducted again as they suspect foul play in the whole process.
Reacting to the MPs’ decision, activist Onjezani Kenani says it’s a sad day for the battle against corruption in Malawi.
“Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee has just rejected Martha Chizuma, saying she failed the interview. Nine members of the committee scored her 1 out of 25. We got wind long before her appointment was announced that there was an underground plan to torpedo her appointment. Now here we are,” said Kenani in a Facebook post.
Many Malawians on social media had welcomed the appointment of Chizuma as ACB director following her performance in fighting office abuse in her current role as Ombudsman.
Speaking after the hearing, Chizuma said she would prioritize cases involving a lot of money but would also fight corruption at community level.
“People should feel uncomfortable about engaging in corruption activities. This is the most important goal,” she told reporters.
