…..critics demand answers
In October of last year, Luthando Holdings donated motorcycles to the Shaping Our Future Foundation (SOFF), an organisation led by First Lady Monica Chakwera. While the gesture was publicly framed as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, critics are now questioning whether it was a calculated move to gain political favour.
Months later, Luthando Holdings has landed a lucrative contract with the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) to supply 100 motorcycles. Each motorcycle is priced at K21 million, bringing the total value of the deal to a staggering K2.1 billion.
This chain of events has raised alarms, drawing uncomfortable parallels to Malawi’s infamous Cashgate scandal. At the time, Oswald Lutepo “donated” 22 vehicles to former President Joyce Banda’s People’s Party, only to be later revealed as a central figure in one of the country’s most significant corruption cases.
“The playbook is all familiar,” said a governance and transparency expert, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Donate to those in power, and get rewarded with a government contract. The cost is paid by ordinary Malawians in the form of inflated prices, poor service delivery and shattered public trust,” he added.
He further demanded answers if there was a duly and competitive process in identifying the company as the successful bidder or if this was another case of donate—to—win, where political connections matter more than capacity or value for money.
As calls for investigations grow louder, one thing is clear:In Malawi, the line between donation and corruption is increasingly hard to see. And for those in power, philanthropy may just be the new currency to influence.
