The awarding of Malawi Defence Force (MDF) contracts to two companies continue to raise eyebrows on social media.
AKI Investment owned by Muneer Ismail and J Browns Investment owned by politician Rachel Zulu are alleged to have been awarded contracts by the MDF. It is alleged the companies did not emerging successful during the bidding process.
There were 10 companies in total and after evaluation some companies became successful.
However, it is alleged that MDF dropped the successful bidders and asked the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) to approve the two companies in question.
It is further alleged AKI Investment has inside help from MDF and that person is the one who has forced PPDA to award the contracts to these two companies.
AKI Investment owner, Mr Muneer Ismail, has strong affiliations to the Democratic Progressive Party. It is believed that he was funding the party during the time it was in power between 2014 and 2020.
The allegations have been made in a report compiled and published by the Observer. However, Malawi24 could not independently verify the strong allegations in the report (reposted in verbatim below).
There are no comments from the two companies or government several hours after the reports were shared by tabloid outlets. Malawi’s Anti-corruption body has neither commented on the matter.
Here is the report in full.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE MDF/PPDA FRAUDULENT CONTACT AWARD.
Fresh revelations have reached my desk indicating that AKI Investments has been supplying Military Uniforms and other essential to Malawi Defence Force for the past three years without any effort to bid.
Aki Investment is owned by Mr Muneer Ismail.An Asian with strong affiliations to the former regime,it is speculated that he is their trusted and reliable funder. A DPP’S staunch supporter and beneficiary.
This is what happened:
The bid opening prices for AKI and J brown and maybe others. Below is the official bid opening pricing. And then see the document MDF submitted to PPDA for a no objection.The prices were changed. Why?
Thereafter,
PPDA rejected this because the bidder/suppliers that changed the prices Illegally forgot to change individual pricing and only changed the final pricing
PPDA Acknowledged and has this evidence.
The same PPDA declined to award any contract to AKI Investments as they have been monopolizing the MDF’S contracts for three consecutive years.
The Director General Irene Mlewa signed and sealed the letter and she highlighted ; “Reason of refusal is the supplier Has been having continued running contracts for the past three years. This we feel that it is very likely that value of money is not being realized on this procurement as no evidence has been provided to indicate that this requirement has been subjected to any competition for the past three years”.(see attached image).
It is alleged AKI Investment has inside help from MDF and that person is the one who has forced PPDA to award the contracts to these two companies leaving behind other successful evaluated bidders who were priorly selected,announced and communicated to(see attached image).
They were 10 companies in total but now they’re only three companies selected:
1) AKI Investment owned by Muneer Ismail
2) J Browns Investment owned by Hon R. Zulu
This is very retrogressive and anti-development.
May the relevant authorities take keen interest to further investigate this matter.
