In a dramatic action, Malawi Police Service say it will move to court to cancel the warranty of arrest for Political Activist Bon Kalindo who is allegedly accused of Insulting the State President Lazarus Chakwera when addressing demonstrators in Blantyre on Friday.
In a statement, National Police Spokesperson James Kadadzera says the cancellation decision of Kalindo’s warranty of arrest has been done independently without pressure from the public or public pronouncements made by politicians.
He says, as the security service, MPS remains committed to respecting the right to freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstrations
Youth clubs in Karonga District have commended Pamoza Tingakwaniska Organization for conducting a training on sexual and reproductive health rights, describing it as an eye opener in the fight against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies.
This came to light on Friday when the organisation through its project dubbed ‘Fiska Ulato’ engaged leadership of youth clubs at Baka Residential Training Centre in the District to train them on sexual and reproductive health rights.
In an interview, Vice Chairperson for Ngala Youth Club, Milliam Mkandawire, described the training as significant to youths as it has enlightened them on sexual and reproductive health and rights. “This training has been of great significance to us because it has enlightened us on sexual and reproductive health rights of which we will impart to our colleagues in our communities, Ngala is a busy place with many activities, so we will be able to protect ourselves from STIs as well as unwanted pregnancies,” she said.
Pamoza Tingakwaniska officials, facilitator and youth club leaders
She added that as leaders, they will make sure that they teach the youths in their clubs also to teach others the knowledge pertaining to sexual and reproductive health. Echoing Mkwandawire, Vice Chairperson for Better Vision Youth Club at Nyungwe, James Nyirongo, said the training has cleared knowledge gap that existed amongst youths. “We are very thankful for this training because it has bridged the gap on issues around sexual and reproductive health rights amongst us the youth, and we will now be the light to other youths in different clubs we have represented here today,” Nyirongo said.
On his part, Youth Friendly Health Services Coordinator for Karonga District Hospital, Davis Chelewani, who facilitated the training, said as leaders of youth clubs, they ought to have more knowledge on sexual and reproductive health rights, hence the training. “As youth club leaders, they need to have the knowledge so this training was important to them, so as leaders they need to lead their subjects according to sexual and reproductive health rights and this will health them today and in the future,” he said.
Davis Chelewani
On her part, Project Officer for the organisation, Gomezgani Mhango, said the organisation aims at equipping youths on how best to take part in sexual and reproductive health rights realising misconceptions about contraceptives in the communities. “We want to train youths through their leaders in the District on how best they can take part in this matter because we have so many misconceptions about contraceptive methods amongst the youths, so these leaders are key people that teach other youths in communities,” she said.
She has since pointed out that the organisation expects to see leaders who are able act as role models in their communities and lead vibrant youth club activities pertaining to sexual and reproductive health rights issues in their communities.
The training brought together leadership of from six Youth Clubs, three from each Traditional Authority in Karonga. Pamoza Tingakwaniska Organisation is implementing Fiska Ulato project with funding from Bruekmann Foundation from Germany.
Relief and Rehabilitation Officer for Karonga District Council, Shepherd Jere, has disclosed that 175 house holds have been hit by strong winds in Traditional Authority Kilupula.
The revelation follows a verification which his department conducted on January 18 this year. According to the findings, group Village Head Mulindafwa recorded 48 households that were affected, Katumbi 23, Eliya 17, Matukuta 25, Mwaulambo 45, and Mwanjasi 17 households. “The affected households are thus in need of construction materials, food and other household items,” reads part of the report.
Shepherd Jere- Relief and Rehabilitation Officer
Jere has since pointed out that his department has trained CPCs, installed CBEWS and will continue making sensitization of disaster early warning messages and have made a contingency plan.
Karonga is one of the disaster prone districts in Malawi.
At the ongoing corruption case involving former Minister Newton Kambala, Presidential advisor Chris Chaima Banda and Enock Chisoni, State witness ,National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) deputy chief executive officer Hellen Buluma has said she has audio recordings of the meetings she had with the accused. she has also claimed that former minister of Energy Newton Kambala offered her $500 000 if Nocma awarded fuel contracts to his preferred international firms.
She said this before Lilongwe chief resident magistrate Patrick Chirwa yesterday as she continued her testimony .The three are accused of influencing the procurement of fuel contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act.
The Nocma deputy CEO, who is the Anti- Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) principal witness in the case, admitted to have had various encounters with the three accused, in which she alleged they pushed for the award of fuel contracts to three firms of their choice Trafigura, Orxy and Finergy.
Buluma said the former minister in one of the ministry’s meetings told her that if the three companies were considered she could get a reward of $500 000.She said: “He told me that he would instruct the suppliers to give me something. In his words, he said ‘you and your children, including your parents who should be older by now for the longest time, will not suffer. “I was uncomfortable with that statement and I had to cite people who have been jailed for dirty deals like those. That was my last meeting with him physically.”
Anti- Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) principal witness , Helen Buluma
Buluma further said Kambala in another meeting told her if she doesn’t go along with his directive to award contracts to Trafigura, Orxy and Finergy, he would stop the fuel procurement process which at the time he had attempted through his letter to Nocma board chairperson to suspend the bid evaluation and procurement.
She, however, added that Kambala went ahead to call a meeting of transporters in Lilongwe where he promised them 100 percent of Nocma fuel business.
B u l u m a s a i d o n November 6 2020, she told her team at Nocma that she was reporting the matter to the ACB. The Nocma deputy CEO also took on the former presidential aide Banda, saying at one of the meetings he promised her a promotion to CEO. The ACB started parading witnesses on Wednesday after the trio, pleaded not guilty to the amended charges.
The first to enter the witness box was Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) planning and research manager Charles Mphinga, whose testimony lasted for about two hours.
Buluma, so far, has the longest testimony which started on Wednesday and continued yesterday from morning to afternoon and is expected to continue this morning from 9am.
in the court hearing on Friday morning , before Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa. The defense has made a submission arguing against tendering of some piece of evidence by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in court such as phone extractions. One of the defense lawyers Bright Theu argued that phone-extracted evidence such as WhatsApp messages lack authenticity, rather are prone to manipulation to be relied upon.
However, Anti-Corruption Bureau director Martha Chizuma has asked the court to allow the State tender the objected evidence saying that the defense is arguing based “on practice and not law”.According to Chizuma the defense is more worried with technicalities but the court should focus on serving justice.
A Likuni-based non-governmental organization in called Lilongwe Youth Innovation Centre for Change ( YICC) in partnership with Fly High Company in Blantyre will on February 14,2022 hold a Valentine’s dinner at Golden peakock in Lilongwe under the theme” Living a productive life”.
Speaking in an interview, YICC Executive Director Bridget Chaponda, said the dinner will help to share and impart knowledge in youths and everyone on how best can they live a productive life.
She said one of the organization’s aims is to see young Malawians living a productive life so as they positively contribute towards the social-economic development of the country.
” We can not be talking of development of our country Malawi without bringing a mindset change among the young Malawians,” said Chaponda.
Chaponda said it is now a high time youths need new skills and knowledge that can help develop Malawi. She said this requires expertise, those people who have experience, skills, knowledge in development so as to impart these in youths.
She said it is only through various conferences where these people who have skills and knowledge can easily interact with the youths hence the decision to hold the Valentine’s dinner.
” We have young youths who can help develop Malawi but they lack skills, knowledge and experiences. We have expertise, those people who are equiped enough with knowledge, skills and experiences but what makes a gap is where these can meet and share these skills and knowledges.
We believe that it is only through conferences and other events where these expertise can interact with the youths and share what the youths lack. That is why we have organized this Valentine’s dinner so as to offer the opportunity to the two parties to interact and share great things to transform our nation,” She said.
She said no one can change things or help in development of a nation without skills and knowledge from someone who is an expert, saying this is also why they have decided to approach the various experts in various fields so as they interact with the youths at the dinner.
” It is important they learn something new from these expertise. We have invited expertise to attend the dinner so as they share what experiences, skills and knowledges they have on living a productive life.
Learning from them will be something that will change the way youths do things, and the way they think. This will make malawi we would want to see in the near future,” she said.
She urged youths and other Malawians who have a willing to learn new skills, experiences and knowledges on how one can live a productive life to come and attend the dinner in large numbers saying this will be a life changing event.
” It will be a life changing event. I don’t think one can come to this event and his or her life remain the same. The knowledge or a skill that one will get during this dinner is wealth millions if only can decide to take an action after the dinner,” said Chaponda.
In her remarks, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Fly High company Miliam Ngwira also encumbered youths and other interested people to the conference dinner saying after the conference their lives will never be the same.
” I encourage you to come to the conference dinner. your life will never be the same again.it is a time you start living a purposeful life. The world is looking for people who are productive. The conference will help you to take bold steps a productive and meaningful life,” said Ngwira.
The event will be graced with Minister of Gender Patricia Kaliati ( guest of honor), Emmanuel Chinuda ( an international management consultant. Speaker and author) and Patrick Achitabwino ( author and mindset change specialist).
Charges will be regular: K 40,000 ( couple), K25,000 (single) and the VIP : K70,000 ( couple) and K40,000 ( single).
