UTM Party leader Dalitso Kabambe has called for an independent audit of forex allocation in Malawi to establish who is benefiting while the country faces a severe shortage.
In a statement Kabambe said the forex crisis is real, with businesses struggling to import essential goods, hospitals and public institutions facing shortages, and ordinary people bearing the cost through rising prices and fewer opportunities.
He pointed out that the public deserves to know who got forex, how much, and why.
“We must ask hard questions,” he said. Who receives the largest allocations? Which companies and individuals benefit? Are allocations made fairly, transparently and in the national interest?
He said any cartels operating through banks or on the streets must be investigated and exposed, but with credible evidence, not rumours.
His statement described foreign exchange as a national resource and must not become the private preserve of a powerful few while the rest of the country struggles.
Kabambe said the shortage hurts ESCOM and the water boards, but does not explain all their troubles.
According to him, corruption and inflated procurement costs, can drain such institutions from within.
“When goods and services are bought at prices far above their real value, public money is wasted, services suffer, and the institutions become less able to serve the people,” he wrote.
He therefore urged anyone with credible information on forex abuse or procurement corruption to report it through lawful channels, with documents or verifiable facts.
