Minister of Information Gospel Kazako says he does not know the amount of money President Lazarus Chakwera and his entourage used for the trip to United States where Chakwera attended the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Kazako and three other cabinet ministers held a press briefing on Monday aimed at updating Malawians on the gains made during the trip to UNGA.
A journalist asked the ministers how much money was spent during the trip. In response Kazako asked for more time saying he could not take a figure off his head.
“We need to ask our friends from the Ministry of Finance,” said Kazako.
The journalist, however, was not satisfied with the response saying, after the president’s foreign trips, Government always claims it would release the figures after consulting Ministry of Finance but the figures are never released.
At this point, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo responded by asking for more time and she claimed that the Ministry of Finance was busy with other activities hence could not provide the figures.
“We do not want to give you false figures,” she said.
Chakwera left Malawi on September 13 and stopped in Kenya before leaving for the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). On his way back to Malawi, he stopped in United Arab Emirates where he held bilateral meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyah, President of UAE. The Malawi leader landed in Malawi on October 4.
A published report revealed that 21,000 United States dollars were being spent on allowances alone per day for Chakwera’s delegation in the US.
Follow us on Twitter:
