In a bid to prevent politicians from reclaiming donated assets after elections, some Malawians and a political commentator are calling for all donations to be registered as government property.
This comes after Vitumbiko Mumba, Executive Committee Member of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), donated two ambulances to Euthini rural hospital and Mbalachanda health center in Mzimba South.
Mumba’s donation also included K1 million each to the two health facilities for constructing shelters for the vehicles, as well as a commitment to cover fuel costs. However, social media users are urging politicians to register such donations under the Malawi Government’s name to safeguard them during political transitions.
“We don’t want to see them claiming back these donations after the elections,” commented Esimie Banda Banda on Facebook. Paul Tsamba Phiri echoed similar sentiments, stating, “These donations need to be in the government name; otherwise, they may be taken back during political loss.”
In an interview, Wonderful Mkhutche, a political commentator, emphasized the importance of registering donated vehicles in the government’s name to ensure the donations are genuine and not used as a means to garner votes.
“Yes, the vehicles have to be registered in the name of the government for the donation to be sincere. We do not want politicians using people’s health problems to look for votes,” said Mkhutche. “This will make sure the donation was given to help the people and not for the votes. The donation will also be recorded as a government property.”
The Commentator added that if such donations remain in the politician’s name, it means at any given time, the donation can be withdrawn, leaving people stranded. “We do not need to play around with people’s lives in this manner,” he added.
This trend of donations by politicians is common in Malawi, especially with the country heading towards elections. The calls for transparency and accountability in governance have been growing, with many citizens seeking to ensure that donations benefit the public rather than individual politicians.
