After five years of relative silence under the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) seems to be reemerging with a renewed focus on holding the government accountable, warning that it will pursue civic and legal action if authorities fail to clarify contradictions surrounding the Vice President’s recent trip to the United Kingdom.
In a statement released today, signed by HRDC chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa and National Coordinator Kelvin Chirwa, the rights body accused government officials of failing to respond transparently to public concerns, citing conflicting official explanations on the size of the delegation and the source of funding for the trip.
HRDC claims information obtained from what it describes as reliable inside sources indicates that at least 15 people travelled with the Vice President.
This, the coalition says, directly contradicts public statements by Minister of Information Shadreck Namalomba, who said only five officials were part of the delegation and that the trip cost K168 million.
The organization further questioned whether the reported K168 million was drawn from public coffers or privately financed.
It pointed to President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s New Year address, in which he stated that the Vice President had assured him the trip would be funded using private resources, a position HRDC says is fundamentally at odds with the minister’s explanation.
“The government has failed to provide a single, coherent, and verifiable explanation. This persistent lack of clarity raises serious concerns about possible misrepresentation of facts, misuse of public resources, and deliberate obfuscation by those entrusted with public authority,” reads the statement.
The organization stressed that the matter is not trivial, noting that it goes to the heart of public accountability at a time when Malawians are being urged to tighten their belts, endure austerity measures, and accept cuts to essential services.
As a result, HRDC has issued what it calls non-negotiable demands, including immediate public disclosure of the exact number and identities, by office, of all individuals who travelled with the Vice President, the full itemized cost of the trip, and a clear explanation of whether the funds used were public or private.
The coalition warned that failure to meet these demands will leave it with no option but to escalate the matter through civic action and the courts.
