The Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested five people including two chiefs in Dowa for taking other people’s national IDs and redeeming farm inputs under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
The suspects have been identified as Julius Chibwe (Group Village Headman Mtepatepa), Chinsewu Mandalasi (Village Headman Mtepatepa), Gladys MacDonald, Edita Sadya and Oswald Kalimbakatha, all from Dowa District.
ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala said the suspects allegedly took IDs belonging to AIP beneficiaries and used the IDs to buy cheaper inputs such as fertilizer
The suspects were taken to Mponela Police Station where they were granted police
They are expected to appear before court once the Bureau concludes its investigations on the matter.
Under the K180 billlion AIP, smallholder farmers buy fertilizer at a subsidised price of K15,000 per 50 kilogramme bag. However, some people connive with chiefs to trick farmers into handing over their IDs to them and they use the IDs to buy the fertilizer.
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