2022 – ACB NEWSLETTER

I am excited to have you read this issue as a second one since I joined the Anti-Corruption Bureau as Director General. Having joined the Bureau mid-2021, I hit the ground running and as the Bureau we have done exceptionally well in the fight against corruption so far. We have advanced the fight against corruption by encouraging corruption prevention as this is the mandate of the Bureau. We have also conducted various sensitisation program to ensure that members of the public understand their role in the fight against corruption. We have also conducted and finalised investigations in a number of high-profile cases and brought to Court some of the suspects. Some cases have also been concluded where suspects are serving various sentences. It is understood that fighting against corruption is not easy. When you fight corruption, you do it for the public and you create enemies among the corrupt cartels. It is not a people-pleasers’ job, and it requires people who are committed to ensure that things change for the better.

It requires people with high levels of integrity. It is thrilling to know that the team I found at the Bureau has the commitment and zeal to serve Malawians. They risk their lives and those of their loved ones daily to serve the country and it would be a shame to not be proud and thank them for their sacrifices as well. I have encountered my fair share of challenges due to this fight and thank God for keeping me through it all. My conviction is and has always been that I have been put in this position specifically to help improve the livelihood on the poor Malawian to a better one through the fight against corruption. The partnerships, collaborations and all the other support that comes from the Public within this fight is greatly appreciated and it is a ray of sunshine that one day we shall reap from all these efforts to make Malawi great through the fight against corruption. My excitement does not translate to naivety, that all will be rosy. But as they say, it gets darker before dawn so let’s brace for this and hold on for dawn which is a new Malawi. We are together the people that can turn this dream into a reality. A corruption free Malawi is possible. Let me also convey my sincere thanks to His Excellency the State President, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and the State Vice President Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima for their support and trust in me at my assumption of office. The budgetary allocation by Government and the adequate monthly funding have helped the ACB to effectively discharge its mandate. The 20-Weeks of Anti-Corruption Campaign launched on 26th July 2022 by His Excellency the State President, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera was a successful campaign as it gave the Bureau and various stakeholders an opportunity to reach out to the masses with anti-corruption messages.

We implemented various activities during the period in collaboration with ministers, faith-based organisations, religious leaders, anti-corruption clubs, Institutional Integrity committees, Civil Society Organisations among many other groupings that took part in the campaign. The campaign proved that Malawians are really committed and actively working to rid the vice that is corruption. Right after IAD, our officers were actively involved in the monitoring of the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) across the country and assisted in stopping the vice in its tracks in several markets making several arrests and handing some of the people involved in crimes to police. This work contributed to preventing rampant corruption as people headed the probable presence of the ACB officers during the AIP season. Through and through the Bureau is committed and ceaselessly and without hesitation execute their required tasks to keep the fight going. I hope these stories will help you appreciate some of the many tasks we handle in the fight corruption Finally, I wish the ACB and the entire readership of this Newsletter the best as we continue with the fight against corruption. Together we can rid Malawi of the Cancer that is corruption. Stay glued.

Enjoy the reading.