CDEDI demands immediate suspension of Salima-Lilongwe Water Project pending an audit
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has urged the newly-appointed Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Joseph Mwanamvekha, to immediately suspend all operations at the Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Company pending a full forensic audit.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe, CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa said the suspension is necessary to protect public resources and ensure transparency, accountability, and proper management of the multi-billion-kwacha project, which has been plagued by allegations of mismanagement under the previous Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration.
Namiwa said the Salima-Lilongwe Water Project, designed to ease water shortages in Lilongwe, Salima, and Dowa districts, has been marred by financial irregularities, abuse of labour laws, workplace safety violations, and questionable employment of expatriates at disproportionate salaries.
“CDEDI hereby implores the newly-appointed Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Joseph Mwanamvekha, to immediately suspend operations at SalimaLilongwe Water Supply Company, pending a forensic audit,” Namiwa said.
CDEDI stresses that suspending the project will allow authorities to carry out a forensic audit without ongoing expenditures or further potential mismanagement and added that the audit would provide Malawians with a clear understanding of how much public funds have been invested, whether they align with project progress, and whether prior management practices were lawful and efficient.
“CDEDI would like to categorically state that it is in full support of the project that was hatched during APM’s first term of office,” Namiwa clarified, “but a necessary step to safeguard taxpayer money, ensure compliance with the law, and restore public trust in a critical national infrastructure project.”
The project, which pumps water from Lake Malawi to Lilongwe and surrounding districts, is slated for completion in September 2026.
