By Linda Kwanjana
It has come to light that the reason some of the employees want Commissioner General Brigadier Charles Kalumo out as immigration boss is the integrity that he has as he is making efforts to bring realistic measures to address corruption at the department other than massaging it as others had been doing.
This is according to a letter from Ayuba James addressed to President Lazarus Chakwera which he is thanking the state President for not pandering to what he calls bullying of the thieving cartel at the immigration department so far.
According to James, the department of immigration could be the most corrupt in Malawi among all departments that deal with issuance of public documents.
“The first smell you hear upon approaching the immigration department in Lilongwe is the stench of corruption, it smells tough. Those employees each have his own dobadobas outside the building. The dobadoba’s role is to solicit huge amounts of the money from service seekers partly by convincing them that If they don’t pay a bribe their passports will take ages to come out,” part of the letter reads.
The letter has also disclosed that those people who don’t pay bribes their information keep on missing and service seekers keep on submitting their information again and again, as to the extent that the documents could be put aside until the service seekers pay an extra fee, this is what Brigadier Charles Kalumo wanted to break by directly confronting the officers.
James also sighted a vivid example on the same as his friend met with the same dobadobas who claimed to be an immigration officer last year.
He refered Kalumo’s approach as management by walking around as he would always take time asking service seekers randomly as to how long ago did they pay for their passports and if they have treated accordingly as with that actions he would trace the compromised officers and directly confront them for not doing what is right.
He therefore pleaded with President Chakwera not to let corruption triumph and that he should let Kalumo stay in office.
